Slides and Bullet Journaling

• The page is divided into 3 or 4 sections (top for title and, bottom for summary, 2 columns in the center).  
• 30% of width should be kept in the left column while the remaining 70% for the right column.
• All notes go into the main note-taking column. 
• The smaller column on the left side is for comments, questions or hints about the actual notes. 

All notes that are related to each other are grouped together in a box. 

A dedicated box is assigned for each section of notes which cuts down the time needed for reading and reviewing.

Apps are especially helpful for this method because content on the page can be reordered or resized subsequently.

When the instructor says 'this is important' or 'note this', or gives a non-verbal cue that the content being discussed is important, it can enhance the student's note-taking. They can also listen to the cues to help them organize their lessons.

Revision of notes, done right after the lecture, is a crucial step so that any missing lesson ideas can be filled using our short-term memory.

• Hand-written notes are better than laptops as the latter can be distracting, with students checking email or playing games. It also distracts nearby students.

• Laptop notes are inferior as they are verbatim and shallow.

• Hand-written notes are well-thought-out, summarized and have a lot of graphic information that is missing from laptop notes.

The page is organized by topic. While in class, start with the main topic. Branch off and write a heading for each of the subtopics. Add important notes underneath each subtopic.

This method is useful for visual learners. It helps you understand the relationships between topics.

Use headings and bullet points with supporting facts.

• During a lesson, begin your notes with a bullet point for the main topic.
• The first subtopic is placed below and indented slightly to the right.
• Jot down the details below your heading and slightly to the right.

This method is useful when a topic includes a lot of detail.

Is a linear method of taking notes that proceeds down the page, using indentation or bullets to denote major and minor points.

Pros: it records content relationship in a way that is easy to review.

Cons: difficult to go back and edit information written in this system.

Works for: recording terms, definitions, facts and sequences, when taking notes on slides or readings.

The goal is to jot down your thoughts as quickly as possible. Format is kept to a minimum: every new thought is written on a new line. 

Pros: Is like free writing for notes.

Cons: lack organization and notes can be hard to understand.

Works for: meetings or lectures that lack organization; when information is presented very quickly.

Keep them short, but have enough triggers in the keywords to jumpstart your memory when you look at them again:

• Stick to keywords and very short sentences.
• Write out your notes in your own words.
• Find a note-taking style to fit both your needs and the speakers.
• Write down what matters.

Rereading your notes, highlighting them, underlining them, and even summarizing them  - all take a lot of your time.

Better methods include taking breaks and spreading out your studying (known as distributed practice), and taking practice tests (which isn't really applicable outside of school).

Recording lectures to replay later has shown to have no added benefits compared to paying attention the first time without the possibility of watching it again.

• The advantage of watching it again is that you don't have to worry about taking notes and can focus your full attention on it.
• The benefit of taking notes is that it forces you to process the information and think about it before you can summarize it.

“Work involving higher mental functions, such as analysis and synthesis, needs to be spaced out to allow new neural connections to solidify. New learning drives out old learning when insufficient time intervenes.”

A recent theory on forgetting states that everything we learn remains in storage inside our memory, but our ability to recall and retrieve that information fades if we do not practice fetching information.

1. Figure out your purpose.
2. Choose a technique that maximizes your focus on what is most relevant for your purpose. 
3. Decide whether to optimize for review or retrieval practice.  
4. If you do need to go back into the text again and again, create clues in your notes that can help you find what you’re looking for faster.

Ask yourself why are you reading:

• What am I trying to remember? 
• How am I going to use this information? (e.g. on a test, cited in an essay, etc.)
• What do I plan to do with the notes later? Will you be studying off of them extensively? Or maybe you’re just taking notes to stay focused, and it’s highly unlikely you’ll look through them after?

• Choose the right tool: digital or paper, whatever works for you;
• Give your notes structure: this focuses your thinking and simplifies review and retrieval;
• Record whatever’s important or interesting: questions, key insights, quotes, diagrams, etc.;
• Use symbols so you can quickly scan your notes later: e.g.: "*" for important/insightful or "?" for things that require further research;
• Schedule time to review your notes.

Our brains are wired to work on tasks serially, and not in parallel. This means that we are not wired for multitasking - we are good at focusing on one thing at a time.

The problem is, there are so many distractions these days that we've unconsciously trained our brains to not be good at focusing.

Commit to what you want to study on a particular day, or for a few hours. Limit the number of tasks/distractions/subjects so that you keep your intense focus and actually complete the tasks you started.