Use context to create a notes network

To make good notes, you must take note of these three things:

• Rephrase the original idea and translate it into your own. Use your own words to distill it in your mind better.
• Connect ideas together. Create links between your ideas for better...

Organizing notes by topics and subtopics is a classic mistake. It prevents you from discovering meaningful connections between them. While organizing by topics is useful for a librarian, it is not for a writer.

Instead, organize by the context in which it will be used. Ask: “In w...

If your in-class notes are messy, unorganized, and unclear at first glance, you’re not going to get much use out of them. This has nothing to do with how neat your handwriting is — it’s all about how your notes are structured.

One of the most effective ways to remember (and understand) what...