4 Steps To Effective Note Taking

Taking notes is a major part of every student’s class time. It is a vital skill, which has a major contribution in determining the degree of success or failure of a student. Note taking is not only limited to students, people take notes at work as well during meetings and in discussions about different projects.

People have diverse opinions on taking notes. Some do not take notes at all, preferring to concentrate on listening and understanding well, and then going on to writing everything down in an organized manner, after the discussion is over. But a lot of people swear by their note taking, because most of them find it difficult to recall all the significant aspects of a discussion, no matter how closely they paid attention. So if you are someone who makes it a point to take notes whether in the classroom or the workplace, hang on, for you may find an undiscovered gem in the following tips.

Be flexible:

By flexibility I am referring to non-linearity, a lot of people have the habit of taking notes in a linear form. This can be time consuming, moreover in reality, lectures, meetings and other events, where you have to take notes, usually do not follow a linear pattern. So try to write in a free flowing manner and make use of maps, diagrams and tables.

Get the concept:

Rather than writing everything in detail, try to get the essential aspects of the discussion. You may also have your own thoughts about the subject being discussed. Write them down as well.

Create your own short-forms and symbols:

Liberally use symbols, abbreviations and short forms of words. It will save you a lot of time and help you take down a lot more, than you could earlier.

Review

Review your notes as soon as you get the time. Reviewing helps you to enhance your notes significantly. The sooner you can do it, the better, because the discussion would be still fresh in your mind and you can add more ideas and inputs that you were unable to add during the discussion due to urgency.