For a Zoom meeting, a Miro board or a Google Doc is a good way to capture notes when working with others in real-time. For in-person meetings, a large whiteboard and lots of post-it notes can be productive. ![]() Once you have a system, then comes the question, what tools to use? My favorite note-taking tool is a Moleskine notebook, these come in a wide range of styles and sizes, I prefer the 13×21 cm soft cover 192 page plain notebook and start a new book each semester. Another good resource on this topic is Notes on Note-Taking: Review of Research and Insights for Students and Instructors (PDF) by Michael C. It provides a comprehensive guide to a widely-used and effective note-taking technique called the Zettelkasten (this link provides an online introduction if you prefer that over a comprehensive book), simply described as a personal tool for creating a web of associations between thoughts to assist in writing, creative thinking, and all sorts of project work. To make a long story short, I recommend the book How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking by Sönke Ahrens. Shortly after I took a Cognitive Psychology course, so practice became informed by theory. I learned to take good notes when I was an undergraduate from John Nowak, a friend and philosophy student who got an A in every class he took, and I was so impressed by his meticulous, detailed notes that contributed to his academic performance. ![]() ![]() Taking notes after each “chunk” of reading or creative activity allows me to assess my comprehension and reflect on what I’m reading (or doing) and make connections as I go and share insights, questions, and summaries with my future self. Implementing and consistently using a good note-taking (and accessing) system simplifies the task of writing and doing all sorts of work immensely.įiguring out a sound note-taking system is one of the major factors that enabled me to go from being an “average” student to a “straight A” student when I was in college, with only a slight increase in the time spent reading, studying, and completing assignments. The first thing I will say is that choosing the right system comes first, and selecting the software and/or paper tools come second. There are many guides out there on how to take good notes.
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