Taking notes and keeping notes tidy is an important part of school and work. You'll need neat notes to study for exam preparation, write papers, and be able to track and follow a series of assignments and decisions in the office. Keeping your notes tidy will not only help you do these three things, but it will also make it easier for you to remember all the information in the notes.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Tidying Up Notes for Class
Step 1. Take good notes
An important key to having neat notes is to make sure that your notes are good. This means you only write down the essentials and not write down everything your teacher says.
Step 2. Record what the teacher said more than once
Repeating something is a way to emphasize which points are important from the material being explained. Anything that is repeated is likely to be included in the exam or at least important for understanding the whole subject matter.
Be selective (don't jot down everything): Record the main points of the lesson or discussion; Also note the examples and similes mentioned, especially in science and math subjects
Step 3. Mix different styles of note-taking
There are many ways to record information. You can use one style or combine several styles at once. Mixed styles are usually better because that way you usually get more information and in different ways.
- Handwritten notes are usually the most effective for classes involving numbers, equations, and formulas such as calculus, chemistry, physics, economics, logic, as well as language because handwriting will help you remember more effectively.
- You can also record lessons or discussions if you are allowed to. This is a great way to allow you to re-listen to certain sections of the subject. But this method will make it difficult for you to remember the material in your head.
- Make sure you collect notes and presentations made by the teacher or lecturer if you can and are available. Both can be important notes for your papers and exams.
Step 4. Find out which note-taking method is most effective for you
There are many ways to take notes. There are ways that are effective for some people to keep neat notes, there are ways that are effective for others. You will need to experiment to find out which method works best for you.
- One effective way is Cornell's note-taking method. In this method, the paper is divided into columns 6.35cm wide on the left and 15.25cm on the right. You will use the column on the right to write notes during class. After the lesson, you will create a summary, keywords, and questions related to the material in the left column.
- Many people use the way of writing rough outlines or descriptions. That means writing down the main points of the material (you can write them down in bullet points, for example). After class, write a summary of your notes with colored pens, or mark them with highlighter.
- Mind mapping is a more visual and creative way of taking notes. In this method, you draw notes instead of writing sentences in a linear fashion. Write the main topic of the class material in the middle of the paper. Each time your teacher brings up a point, write the point around the central topic. Draw lines to connect individual points or ideas. You can also make pictures instead of writing sentences and words.
Step 5. Keep your notes in one place
If you keep your notes cluttered, you'll have a hard time keeping them organized when you have to study for exams or write essays. Don't take notes in any book you can find, because that will make it hard for you to find them again.
- On your computer, make sure you have a dedicated folder for your notes for each subject and material. If you put them all together or keep them scattered, you'll have a hard time finding them.
- It's usually easier to keep your handwritten notes in a binder, as you can increase and decrease the amount of paper you need without tearing it.
Step 6. Save all the distributed materials and syllabus
Many people (especially new children) do not know how important the material papers and syllabus that are distributed are. Usually this item has the information you need to know (such as homework, material objectives, and so on).
- The syllabus also usually provides information about the types of essays and information you need to know, and it is certainly useful to determine what kind of notes you should make for this subject or material.
- Keep all the syllabus for each subject in the same place as you keep notes so you can find them easily, especially if the teacher brings up information about the syllabus in class.
Step 7. Prepare separate books or binders for each class
You need to get everything gathered in its own place. This will make it easier for you to find what you need. If you have a specific place for each subject, you'll know exactly where to find your previous notes.
- Make sure you actually take notes in the appropriate places, or your efforts to separate books or binders for each subject will be in vain.
- The more specifically you separate the notes, the better. This means you may need to create a different folder or section for each section of the course. For example, if you have a film subject that turns out to be divided into four sections, then you will need four separate books or binders for each.
- Another example: you have a different folder or section for each subject section (for an English class, you may need to have a separate section for nouns, grammar, verbs, and so on).
Step 8. On the computer, create a separate folder for each course
If you keep notes on a computer, make sure that even here you can separate places for notes. You don't want to be forced to rummage through all of your computer's files for records.
- Create folders within folders to place certain information. For example: you have a main folder for astronomy, but in it you create a special folder for each subject and two essays that you have to create.
- Another example, you might have a folder for research papers, a folder for information on gender identity politics in a gender class.
Step 9. Make a big picture of all notes for each subject
This may be an exaggeration, but it can be very useful to know what records you have. You just need to go over the most basic ideas and points for each note and let you know what's inside.
- Combine class notes and reading from books into a coherent mix. Find out the main idea and how it all relates. For example, if you are studying medieval women, the core ideas might be about individual formation, writing type, ideas of autonomy and gender, and so on. You might be able to show how all of the points are related.
- Make sure that you cover all the important points, as well as the sub-points that support the main idea.
Step 10. Be consistent
You don't want to keep trying to figure out how and where you recorded certain information. This will make keeping notes more difficult in the long run. If you continue to use a certain way of taking notes and have a specific place for each subject, you will be better prepared.
Allowing slack for notes will make it difficult for you to keep your notes tidy, making it harder for you to study for exams and essays
Method 2 of 2: Organizing Notes for Meetings
Step 1. Take effective notes during meetings
You don't want to jot down everything everyone says unless you really want to take specific notes. When you're in a meeting, you want to make sure you jot down important information.
- More importantly, make sure that you record what needs to be done, decisions made, and anything that needs to be followed up.
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Take notes on paper and then copy them on the computer later. This will help you remember what was said in the meeting.
One effective way is Cornell's note-taking method. In this method, the paper is divided into columns 6.35cm wide on the left and 15.25cm on the right. You will use the column on the right to write notes during class. After the lesson, you will create a summary, keywords, and questions related to the material in the left column
Step 2. Make sure you note down important and appropriate information
There are some specific things you need to mark, along with some things to say at the meeting. This is especially important if you will be sending the note to everyone present at the meeting.
Make sure you've recorded the date of the meeting, the name of the organization, the purpose of the meeting, as well as who was present (and how many people were supposed to attend but didn't attend)
Step 3. Summarize your notes afterwards
You will need to work through all of the most important material to make sure you know what to do and what to decide in the meeting.
- Use different colored squares around the summary so people can easily read it right away.
- Remember, summarize, not rewrite. You don't have to reveal all the details in a meeting. For example: you just have to say it was decided that the company will buy new office equipment. Don't explain the lengthy discussion behind the decision.
Step 4. Make sure you tidy up by including the most important information
You don't want to just tidy up all the different types of office equipment (using the example above). You just have to say that a new office tool is needed and from that what type it has been decided to buy.
- The most important things you need to include are: actions, decisions, and reference information.
- Mark the most important information or frames for the most important keywords and ideas.
- Avoid tidying up during meetings. Doing this later will help you remember things and ensure you don't miss important material.
Step 5. Create a separate folder for each meeting
You want to make sure that all the material doesn't get mixed up randomly and end up being difficult to track down. Create separate folders to ensure that each meeting is tagged specifically.
Or you can pool all the information about a meeting of the same type. For example, if you are taking notes for a weekly meeting with your supervisor, you will need to separate that weekly meeting information from other meeting information
Step 6. Tidy in order
To keep your meeting records organized you want to make them traceable and revisit when the company makes certain decisions, who is not present at certain meetings and needs information about the meetings he did not attend, and so on.
Step 7. Save your notes in the same place
This way you don't have to wander around the office after a meeting looking for your notes. Or you don't have to worry about having to search the notes when needed.
Tips
- To tidy up notes, keep separate notebooks for each subject. Do not mix notes of two or more subjects.
- If you must send meeting notes, do so as soon as the meeting is over. That way the information will still be fresh in the minds of those present at the meeting.
