Organizing and Taking Notes

What tools and methods do you guys use to get the most out of taking notes? How do you take notes? Do you file them away in any particular manner? What is your workflow like when studying for exams?

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netsysllc

Create a workbook in OneNote and make pages for different sections, save it to skydrive and you can open it from almost any device.

elderkai

Is OneNote free?

netsysllc

The full blown program comes with MS office and office 365 subscription. There is a free app version for windows phone, windows 8, android and iOS with no limitations. Some people use Evernote instead, I prefer OneNote though.

Expect

just use Evernote

Bokeh

I saw the tv commercial, and wonder if anyone ever tried using "Dragon Naturally Speaking" to compile their notes?

dave330i

You remember things better if you write it out by hand vs. typing it on keyboard.

elderkai

I think I found a method that's good for me. I'm going to write it all out and then maybe retype it into evernote. Generally, I try to do as little typing as I can at home, though.

NotHackingYou

netsysllc wrote: »

Create a workbook in OneNote and make pages for different sections, save it to skydrive and you can open it from almost any device.

X2 +1 rep

Shdwmage

If I don't physically write it down I am terrible at remembering it. I can type 110+ WPM and not really even pay attention to what I am putting down. I force myself to write my notes down on a notepad and then just recently I've started copying them to flash cards for quick and easy review.

I may need to figure out a method to type and print flash cards though, my handwriting is atrocious and the people I have question me on them don't always know what the cards themselves say.

Roguetadhg

OneNote is really bloody awesome, coupled with the online save. If you've ever formatted and realized "Ah shoot, my notes?!", the online save is a big deal.

I've been meaning to get a little tablet to write within OneNote though to write things, instead of typing.

netsysllc

I use my Surface Pro with the digitizer pen all the time to write out notes or draw diagrams in One Note. One Note has some great OCR capabilities as well.

jvrlopez

The only time I take notes on a computer is when I want to make a cram/reference sheet that is easy to glance over and recall certain things (usually acronyms, metrics, and tables).

If I'm studying a concept, idea, or technology, I'll write my notes in pencil in the margins of the pages in the books I'm using. This helps me to remember the concept and recall what I thought was important enough to note, all the while having the text to reference.

If I try and hand write notes in a spiral or on paper, they'll get disorganized and lost. I'll also tend to start doodling and get messy and distracted.

At the end of each chapter, I get a sticky and write down what I feel like I should review again. I place this as a bookmark for the chapter and have it set up so I can see what I need to review without having to open the book entirely.

FloOz

I have been using evernote for the past year and it has been great! Onenote is also an alternative, I believe you can buy in from Microsoft for 50 bucks

rsutton

If you are talking about exam notes I recommend OneNote. It's easy to read and seperate concepts. For work-related notes I use Wunderlist - it's free and syncs with most common devices.

daceto

I actually use the PDF Versions of books and copy and paste the relevant parts in big master documents. It helps me grab what I need and cut out all the added "fluff" that may not be needed or that I already know. For my project+ exam I cut down the 200 something page book into about 10 pages of notes extracted from it. I also copy and paste the end of section questions and the answers for when I quiz myself.

elderkai

That actually sounds like a really good idea.