Take Note, All The Time

Check out my previous post Focus on Facts: Schule for a generalized post on school tips

Like I said I would in my previous post, I am posting about my note taking system. In this post, I'll be going more in depth on my method of taking notes. In the previous post, I lightly touched up on it, but I'll be describing exactly what I do here.

Here listed in subsections are some things I do and think are necessary for good notes. I will also have some good note taking skills.

CONSISTENCY

     When taking notes, you want to come up with a consistent system. Each new section should be clearly set apart so it can be easily found for reviewing purposes and for organizational purposes. Start each new section of notes with "Notes:" followed by a clear title of what it is about and the date. I also underline "Notes:" with pink so it stands out.

     Use the same symbols and colors for each thing. For every new vocabulary word I write down, I write its definition and I highlight the word in yellow. So, if I am looking for the definition of a word, I can look at all the yellow highlighted words and see it quicker because you associate yellow with the vocabulary. Any time I make a T-chart or some sort of list, I underline the sub-titles with blue. Other important little tid-bits I want to stand out I underline with orange. Try different combos of colors to see which land on your eye the best. Symbols I use include astrics (*) or stars around things that I don't think are orange-highlight worthy, but are still worth marking. I also often use arrows to connect similar ideas that aren't right next to each other.

     Though this one is harder to figure out, find a writing method to keep consistent throughout your notes. Yeah, that doesn't really make sense, but I find it useful. By using the same writing style, you'll be able to find things in your notes because you'll know your own pattern. That probably still doesn't make sense... I don't really know how to explain it, but write with your note taking voice, you know? Like how you have your formal writing voice, personal narrative voice, texting voice, and such; you can also have a note taking voice. I dunno how to explain this, but if you are a person who likes to write, you'll somewhat understand.

TAKE NOTES
     Even when you don't have to, I really suggest that you take notes. For one, it is a great skill to have. I also find it helpful to write things down. When I write things down in notes, I find it easier to remember them for a test. During a test, if I am thinking of an answer and I had written it down, I think of how the word looked when I wrote it. Or, if I am thinking of the answer to a chart I wrote down, I think of the colors I used and how the chart was written. It's a weird way to try and remember things, but I really do think it works.
     In some classes your teachers may say that you don't have to take notes, but even if you 'don't have to', I really urge that you do anyway. Like I just stated, writing things down can be a good way to get facts into your head. Back in elementary, if you got a bad score on a spelling test, you would have to write the word repetitively on a sheet of paper. I think it is partly the repetition that gets it ingrained. Not only are you hearing your instructor say whatever it is you are learning, you're also probably seeing it on the board, and you would also then be writing it down. And, having something to look back on and study is helpful as well. Taking good notes also requires at least a smidgen of organizational skills which can come in handy pretty much throughout your entire life.

INCLUDE IMAGES

     Things other than words to put in your notes would be charts, graphs, and diagrams. Having visual things to look at other than words can be helpful to remember things. Drawing a timeline of events instead of listing them out can be an easy way to incorporate images into your note taking. Including little drawings of confusing descriptions of things, like transcription in DNA replication and such, can also help change up the way you take notes for the better. Pictures can also add to what you already have just for memorizing purposes. If I think of a little analogy that I can easily draw while taking notes, I usually doodle it down. Instead of writing down the statistics of something, you could just as easily draw a graph with the numbers to add a visual that will stick better in your mind. There are plenty of different ideas you can try to vary your notes with images.


Here's a pic of some notes I have taken:

Main thing I have to say is make sure the most important things stand out and use charts and tables. Underline, astric, highlight, do what you need to so you can easily spot important information.
I really hope this helped some of you take notes of give you ideas on better note taking strategies. If I left anything out, just hit me up in the comments and I'll be sure to touch up on it!