How I take notes - Tips for neat and efficient note taking | Studytee

Summary

In this video, the creator shares an updated method for effective note-taking, combining lecture and textbook notes. The process starts with skimming lecture topics a day before and jotting down key concepts. During lectures, grid paper and erasable pens are used for neatness and flexibility. The creator emphasizes having an organized system, using colored pens for key terms, and incorporating diagrams after lectures for better understanding. Reviewing and refining notes soon after lectures, using abbreviations, and creating brief summaries are also highlighted to enhance study efficiency. Viewers are encouraged to find a personalized system that works best for them.

Takeaways

• 📚 Prepare for lectures by skimming through the topics and writing down key words as a checklist.
• 📝 Use grid paper for neat and organized notes with narrower spacing for small handwriting.
• 📂 Prefer loose leaf paper over notebooks to avoid spirals and easily store notes in a binder.
• ✏️ Utilize erasable pens like Pilot FriXion for writing and Uniball Signo for extra colors to keep notes clean.
• 📋 Create a margin for extra space and follow a consistent system for organizing notes with paragraphs, bullet points, and arrows.
• 🖍️ Highlight important terms with a colored pen to easily identify key concepts during revision.
• ⏱️ Save time by using abbreviations but ensure you remember their meanings.
• 🖼️ Leave space for diagrams during lectures and draw them later for more detail and understanding.
• 🔄 Review notes after lectures to draw diagrams, check the checklist, and add any missing information.
• 🖍️ Use a highlighter to emphasize important points and write brief summaries at the bottom of the page for quick revision.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is an updated method of taking notes for lectures and textbooks during university, combining efficiency and neatness.

What does the speaker do the day before the lecture to prepare for note-taking?

The speaker skims through the topics for the upcoming lecture and writes down key words on a piece of paper as a checklist to ensure all central topics and concepts are included in the notes.

What type of paper does the speaker prefer for taking notes during lectures?

The speaker prefers using grade paper for notes due to the grid support for neatness and organization, and the narrower spacing which is suitable for small handwriting.

Why does the speaker prefer loose leaf paper over notebooks?

The speaker prefers loose leaf paper because it avoids the inconvenience of a spiral binding and allows for easy organization in a binder after the notes are finished.

What kind of pens does the speaker recommend for note-taking and why?

The speaker recommends erasable pens, specifically Pilot FriXion 0.5 millimeter pens for writing, and other FriXion pens for coloring, along with Uniball Signo erasable pens for extra colors, as they allow for easy correction of mistakes without crossing out or using whiteout.

How does the speaker organize the content within the notes?

The speaker uses a system of starting a new paragraph for each concept, bullet points for additional information, arrows for short examples, and boxes for calculation examples and important information.

Why does the speaker use colored pens to write down important terms?

Using colored pens helps the speaker to easily identify the most important terms while skimming through notes during revision, and the process of changing pens and taking extra time to write these terms aids in remembering them.

What is the speaker's advice on using abbreviations while taking notes?

The speaker advises using abbreviations to save time, but emphasizes the importance of ensuring that they are memorable so as not to cause confusion later when reviewing the notes.

Why does the speaker recommend making space for diagrams during lectures but waiting to draw them after the lecture?

The speaker finds that drawing diagrams after the lecture allows for more detailed and understandable illustrations, ensuring that only diagrams relevant to the topics discussed are included, and also serves as a revision of the topic.

How does the speaker refine the notes after the lecture?

The speaker refines the notes by quickly reading through them, drawing diagrams, checking the checklist for completeness, adding any missing information, using the margin for additional details, and reading through the notes again to highlight important points.

What is the final step the speaker takes in the note-taking process?

The final step is writing a brief summary at the bottom of the page focusing on main ideas and difficult concepts, which can be used for quick revision before tests or exams.

Is there an optional step the speaker mentions for enhancing the appearance of notes?

Yes, the speaker mentions an optional step of taking a few minutes to make the notes look neater, such as changing the title or making subheadings fancier, but clarifies that this is not necessary and should not be felt as obligatory.

Outlines

00:00

📚 University Note-Taking Techniques

The video script introduces an updated method for note-taking during university lectures and textbook study. The speaker shares personal strategies that have proven effective, starting with a pre-lecture skim to prepare a checklist of key topics. During lectures, the use of grid paper and erasable pens is recommended for neatness and flexibility. A consistent system for organizing notes, such as paragraphs for concepts, bullet points for details, and boxes for calculations or important terms, is emphasized. The speaker also suggests using colored pens for highlighting key terms and employing abbreviations to save time. Lastly, the importance of making space for diagrams during lectures and refining them post-lecture is discussed, as well as reviewing and summarizing notes afterward.

05:00

🖍️ Refining and Summarizing Notes

This paragraph continues the discussion on note-taking by detailing the process of refining notes after lectures. The speaker advises reviewing the checklist to ensure all central topics are covered and using the margin for additional information. Diagrams from the textbook are included if relevant, and a highlighter can be used to emphasize key points. The paragraph concludes with the suggestion of writing a brief summary at the bottom of the notes to capture main ideas and difficult concepts for easy revision. An optional step of neatening up the notes for aesthetic or clarity purposes is also mentioned. The video ends with an invitation for viewers to share their own note-taking tips and a sign-off until the next video.

Keywords

💡Note-taking

Note-taking is the process of recording information during lectures, meetings, or while reading. In the video, it is the central theme, as the speaker shares personal techniques for efficient and organized note-taking during university lectures and while reading textbooks. The script mentions various strategies such as using a checklist, erasable pens, and a binder for organization.

💡Lecture Notes

Lecture notes refer to the written records taken during a lecture. The video emphasizes the importance of preparing for lectures by skimming topics beforehand and using a system for organizing lecture content. The speaker prefers using grid paper and a binder for these notes, highlighting the use of diagrams and summaries to enhance understanding and review.

💡Textbook Notes

Textbook notes are the annotations and summaries made while studying from books. The script combines this with lecture notes, suggesting that the note-taking techniques are applicable to both sources of information. The speaker's method includes highlighting key terms and using diagrams to reinforce learning.

💡Erasable Pens

Erasable pens are writing instruments that allow for mistakes to be erased cleanly. The video mentions the use of Pilot FriXion pens for writing and coloring, and uniball Signo erasable pens for additional colors. These are preferred for their flexibility in correcting and adapting notes without the need for whiteout or crossing out.

💡Grid Paper

Grid paper is paper with a pattern of squares that helps in aligning notes and maintaining neatness. The speaker finds the grid supportive for organization and appreciates the narrower line spacing, which is beneficial for those with small handwriting, as mentioned in the script.

💡Loose Leaf Paper

Loose leaf paper refers to individual sheets of paper not bound in a notebook. The script describes a preference for loose leaf over traditional notebooks due to the convenience of not dealing with spiral bindings and the flexibility to organize notes in a binder.

💡Checklist

A checklist is a list of items to be checked or completed. In the context of the video, the speaker uses a checklist of key words as a guide to ensure all central topics and concepts are included in the notes, which helps in maintaining comprehensiveness.

💡Abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases used to save time in writing. The script advises using abbreviations while taking notes, provided that the note-taker remembers their meanings to avoid confusion during review.

💡Diagrams

Diagrams are visual representations of information, often used in educational settings to illustrate concepts. The video script highlights the importance of making space for diagrams during lectures and completing them after, as they are a central part of the notes and aid in understanding and revision.

💡Margin

The margin is the blank space at the edge of a page. The speaker mentions using the margin to add extra space for notes, important information, examples, or details that did not fit into the main body of the text, which contributes to the overall organization of the notes.

💡Summary

A summary is a brief statement or account of the main points of something. The script describes writing a summary at the bottom of the page to capture the main ideas and difficult concepts, which can be used for quick revision before tests or exams.

Highlights

Updated video on how to take both lecture notes and textbook notes.

Different note-taking techniques tried during the first semester of university.

Note-taking process starts the day before the lecture by skimming through topics.

Writing down key words as a checklist to ensure all central topics are included.

Preference for using grid paper for neat and organized notes.

Using loose leaf paper over notebooks to avoid spiral interference and for easy binder storage.

Erasable pens preferred to avoid crossing out mistakes and for easy changes.

Creating a margin on the paper for extra space.

Using a systematic way to organize notes, such as new paragraphs for each concept and bullet points for extra information.

Colored pens used for important terms to make them stand out and aid memory.

Utilizing abbreviations to save time.

Waiting to draw diagrams until after the lecture for better detail and understanding.

Returning to lecture notes after the lecture to refine and complete them.

Using a highlighter to mark the most important points.

Writing a brief summary at the bottom of the page focusing on main ideas and difficult concepts.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

hello everyone I think it's safe to say

a long time no see but I'm finally back

with a new video today I'm going to make

an updated video on how I take notes and

this is going to be a combination of

both lecture notes and textbook notes

during my first semester of university

I've tried out different techniques for

note-taking and I have finally found the

way that works best for me so I'm going

to share some of the tips that have

helped me take notes that are both

efficient and neat and I hope that they

can help you as well for me my

note-taking process starts the day

before the lecture the first thing I do

is that I quickly skim through the

topics for the upcoming lecture and this

is just to get an overview of what I'm

going to learn so that I'm a bit more

prepared once I've skimmed through the

pages I like to just write down some key

words on a piece of paper this is going

to be my checklist for later to make

sure I've included all of these central

topics and concepts in my notes once

they're finished during lectures I

prefer using grade paper for my notes I

feel like the grid is a big support when

it comes to making my notes neat and

organized and it also makes the spacing

between the lines more narrow which is

useful for those of us with small

handwriting I also prefer a loose leaf

paper over notebooks just because I

don't have to deal with this spiral

getting in the way and also because I

put my notes in a binder when they're

finished when it comes to stationery

lately I've been mostly using erasable

pens that way I don't have to cross over

or use whiteout on any mistakes and I

can also just change my notes as much as

I like the pens i use the most are the

pilot FriXion 0.5 millimeter pens for

writing then they take your pilot

FriXion pens for coloring and the

uniball signo erasable pens for some

extra colors you should keep in mind

that these pens may be erased by

friction heat and other things but if

you are a bit careful you shouldn't have

too much trouble with them if there

isn't already a margin on the paper I

use a

quickly make one before I start writing

just to get some extra space that I will

use later a good tip for keeping your

notes neat and organized is to have a

certain system for organizing what's

right that you stick to for example I

start a new paragraph for each concept

then I use bullet points to add extra

information related to that concept and

I use arrows to include short examples

related to the current topic I also

write any calculation examples in a box

towards the middle of the page which

lets me find them easily if I go through

my notes at a later point looking for a

particular calculation I also use these

kind of cloud boxes to include any

additional important information that

doesn't necessarily fit into one of the

paragraphs my point isn't that you

should try to copy this particular

note-taking system but that you find one

that works for you having a system helps

you in keeping your notes organized and

you also spend less time figuring out

the layout of your notes another thing

that I've been doing for a while is

using a colored pen to write down

important terms when I skim through my

notes later while revising them I can

easily see the most important terms and

I also feel like the process of changing

pens and taking a bit of extra time to

write down these terms helps me and

remembering them another tip to save

time while taking notes is to use

abbreviations as much as you can just

make sure that you remember what the

abbreviations mean so that you don't get

confused while looking through your

notes later a final thing that I've

found to be very useful during lectures

is to make space for diagrams that the

professor goes through but waiting to

draw them until after the lecture as you

may know diagrams is one of the things

that I learned the most from and

therefore a central part of my notes and

I've found that by drawing them when the

lecture is over let me make them more

detailed so I can learn more from them

while I also get to revise the topic

while drawing the diagrams I usually

return to my lecture notes either later

the same day or the day after the

lecture I start by quickly reading

through them so that I remember the

topic well before I continue working on

them

the first thing I'll do is to draw the

diagrams we went through during the

lecture during them at home means that I

can spend more time making them detailed

and understandable and I also know that

I'm only spending time on diagrams that

are directly relevant to the topics

we've actually learned about if I find

that there are other diagrams from the

textbook that are relevant I will of

course draw them as well but most of the

time I've just used the ones than my

professors have used then I will return

to the checklist I made in the beginning

and see if we've covered all the central

topics if we're missing anything I'll

add it to my notes and I also use the

margin to add any additional important

information more examples or any details

that I feel is important to include

after this I will read through my notes

once again and I sometimes use a

highlighter for the step to highlight

what I feel are the most important

points in my notes

the last thing I'll do is that I will

write a brief summary at the bottom of

the page where I focus on the main ideas

and also the concepts I've found to be

the most difficult ones and then I can

use the summary when I want to quickly

revise my notes before a test or an exam

finally a completely optional last step

is to take a couple of minutes to make

your nose look neater if you feel like

it I usually don't do this myself but if

my notes look especially messy or if I

just want to do something creative

during a study break I might change the

title make these subheadings a bit

fancier or just anything that makes my

notes more appealing to study later this

is of course not necessary though and if

you don't feel like doing it you

definitely should not feel like you have

to so that is it for how I take notes

and I hope this could help you in

figuring out your own note-taking

process remember that everyone has

different techniques that work for them

and if you have any tips for note-taking

that you find useful then do feel free

to share them with everyone in the

comments thank you so much for watching

and I will see you soon way

another video

[Music]

[Music]