It seems like a simple task to organize your study notes. But you probably think it’s not such an easy task if you haven’t put your existing notes, loose-leaf sheets, notebooks, notes, board pictures, and even paper napkins in order.
If you want to organize your notes for each of your course classes, don’t worry, because professional writers from EssayAssistant will tell you these 10 infallible tips to help you organize your notes properly.
How to organize your notes?
If you want to organize your notes effectively and have them be useful in your studies, the theory goes that one way to organize your notes is to have a notebook or notebook exclusively for each subject.
However, we all know that in practice this is not always followed exactly. We see empty notebooks, entries in other notebooks that don’t match or in a classmate’s notebook, and unorganized digital files. In the experience of some teachers, some students ask permission to take a picture of the board or screen at the end of class, which then becomes part of another file kept unorganized.
This practice raises the following questions: How do I organize notes? How do you organize notes at a university? Among others, we will help you answer today with the following tips:
1. Give each subject its own space
It may be trivial, but it’s important to set aside a notebook, notebook, physical or digital folder so that you can organize your notes by subject. This is the most effective way to help you study or revise material more easily.
Don’t forget that taking notes is a strategy by which you can train your memory and activate your mind to acquire new knowledge. It’s worth organizing them by topic so that it’s much easier to learn.
2. Be disciplined in organizing your notes
If you want to get good grades, taking notes is one of the elementary strategies or learning techniques to achieve this goal. You must be disciplined when it comes to organizing your notes, especially in more difficult subjects.
In this sense, you should not allow yourself to forget your notebook or tablet at home, take notes on a loose sheet of paper, in another notebook, on another device, or take pictures of other notes. If you are not disciplined about organizing your notes, you will end up not knowing where to start preparing for exams.
3. Use technology
Technology tools are your best allies when it comes to organizing course notes. There are now several apps (available for Android and iOS, PC, Windows, and Linux) that can help you organize your notes efficiently. You can use different apps with a user-friendly interface to keep a written record of your class attendance.
4. Have prior knowledge of the subject to be covered in class
To organize your notes, you need to take good notes first. To do this, you have to know in advance the subject that will be covered in class, so that you can take notes on relevant or important aspects. Avoid any distractions, such as cell phones, and don’t sit next to classmates who are distracting elements in class so you don’t lose concentration.
5. Listen to your teacher’s cues
To organize your notes, don’t write down everything he or she says. Pay attention to phrases like, “This is very important”, “You should know this”, or the phrase, “This is an exam question”.
Teachers also tend to categorize their speeches. Notice when he/she says, “First, second…” or when they say “especially”, it gives relevance to the sentence; when they say “therefore” or “therefore”, it is surely important. Also, take note of the examples they give.
Another cue you should pay attention to is when the teacher writes something on the board, a word or phrase, or shows a slide exclusively for a term; here you should pay special attention and, of course, write it down.
If the teacher repeats a term several times or says it slowly, this is a signal that you should write it down because it is important for your revision.
6. Use note-taking strategies
When it comes to organizing your notes, you should use the strategy that works best for you. For example, mind maps are great for organizing your study notes and will help you learn and remember what you saw in class, relating it to your knowledge in a fun and creative way.
There are also traditional strategies: organizing and breaking down what the teacher explained and underlining important phrases. Or Cornell’s method, where you divide the paper into two parts, write down on one and keywords on the other.
7. Review, revise, and clarify the information in your notes
After taking notes, you should review what you have written down, clarify and summarize what is most important, and clear up any doubts. With what was said in class, plus the specified tasks, such as reading, you should be able to compile a complete and organized outline of your notes.
Recommendation for organizing your notes: take some time to reread and supplement them with the recommended bibliography; ask the instructor to clarify doubts and suggest texts or sites where you can expand on the information given.
8. Use creativity in organizing your notes
Every head is a world apart, as the famous saying goes. Therefore, we recommend that when organizing your notes, do so according to your creativity. Organize the information in a way that you can easily understand when studying, use drawings, pictures, small tables, etc.
9. Periodically review the notes you take
If you want to know how to organize your university or high school notes, an effective way is to review your organization periodically. We suggest, for example, reviewing a course once a month, and comparing the number of classes you’ve reviewed to your calendar. If you miss any notes, don’t be afraid to ask another classmate for support. This is a way to study and organize your notes efficiently at the same time.
10. Don’t leave things to the last minute
Organize your notes as you go through a class and that way you can learn and then only remember what you’ve learned. If you leave everything to the week of the final exams, you will probably not pass the exam.
This article is about how to organize your study notes. Remember, the success of your studies depends a lot on how you keep your notes.
