Upgrade Your Notes

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Note-taking is a seemingly simple way to study, one that has been taught to us since elementary school. While it is one of the most common and well-known study tools, its effectiveness varies widely based on technique and usage. There are many pit-falls when it comes to note-taking, and these mistakes end up costing students time and effort, rather than aiding them in their productivity. When done right, however, it can be one of the most efficient studying tools. 

Common note-taking mistakes and how you can fix them:

1. Writing everything down

While it may seem important to record every piece of information for your future studies, writing everything you hear down takes a lot of time and does not actually help a lot with information retention. In a study done by the Colorado State University on note-taking, it reveals that an average student takes notes at a pace of 0.3-0.4 words per second, whereas a teacher would speak at a pace of 2-3 words per second. This means that not only would it be inefficient to write everything down, it would also be almost impossible. Instead, what ends up happening is that you often fall behind in note-taking, missing major chunks of knowledge in favour of recording the small details. Instead, the Kids Health Organisation recommends only writing down the key facts, and re-interpreting and writing down the information in your own words. Not only does this save time, but it also allows for better retention of the information that you write down, as you are now actively thinking rather than copying words down from the board. 

2. Organisation:

After writing down your notes, the next step is to review them. However, reviewing your notes can be challenging if they are messy or unorganized, and precious time will be wasted trying to piece everything that you need together. This can also be true for the opposite, as spending too much time on organizing your notes or making them “aesthetic” can also take away from actually studying what you are learning. Instead, you could follow note templates such as the Cornell method, or you could write your notes digitally using apps such as Evernote and organize them from there. 

3. Passive note-taking:

Connecting back to the first mistake, passive note-taking is one of the biggest pitfalls for students using note-taking as a study method. Active note-taking, according to the University of York, is when you “include your own thoughts, words, and questions, meaning that you are already engaging with the material and not just copying it out.” Active thinking is where most of the learning happens, and how well you memorize or understand things can be greatly improved through active thinking. This applies to note-taking as well, as passive note-taking can lead to a lot of time spent on studying without much return. A good method for active note-taking is to write notes down on paper, as it often forces you to write down information more efficiently and in your own words, since using a pencil or pen is much slower than a keyboard. Additionally, a 2014 study revealed that subjects who took notes using paper compared to those using a laptop had higher levels of understanding of the learned subject, even without reviewing the notes themselves. 

Ultimately, efficient note-taking can be a great aid in your studying and can improve information retention and studying habits. However, like all things, good note-taking is a skill, which means it requires time and practice to truly get right. As long as you are mindfully and intentionally working on note-taking, you will be able to find what works for you.