Let’s play a quick word association game! When I say “note taking,” what’s the first thing you think of? I just *bet* that the word you thought of is more likely to make you frown than smile. But note taking doesn’t have to be that way!
Check out these cool notes that my friend Jo took at a conference she attended recently. I bet you’ll smile, too.
Hey there, while I highly recommend watching the video to get the full effect, here’s a short summary for you:
My friend Jo and I were at a conference and I noticed that she has some of the most amazing notes I’ve seen in a long time. So here are some of those tips.
- Start with a large title at the top, so you know what that page of notes is about.
- Next up, you can split a page up into sections. For example, you could draw a line down the middle, with the notes on the right, tips and tricks on the right, or other relevant information, perhaps the location of information you need.
- Then we have the use of visual imaging. Basically, make small doodles along with your notes that help you visualize what the notes are about.
- Try and use colors, as these can make notes more fun, and they help bring attention to the notes.
- You can also try and group notes that are similar into chunks so that you can more easily find and take action on those notes.
Are you thinking, “That’s cool and all, Gretchen, but I need step-by-step support to figure out how to take decent notes?”
Then I recommend checking this out: In my typical anti-boring fashion, I’ll walk you through the two steps to note-taking that will transform your ability to capture the key points of a lecture or book, and four simple ingredients that you can apply to any note-taking method to make it more effective.