Although there are lots of popular note-taking methods,
some of them are constraining and might not work for everyone. If you find yourself struggling to
take good notes, here are some simple but effective tips that are actually useful.
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Before class
If your teacher or professor prepares slides before lecture, take advantage of that! Just write
on the slides themselves or highlight topics you want to focus on. While you’re at it, review the
material beforehand. This way, you won’t feel lost during class since you’ll already have a general
idea of what your teacher will be going over.
You don’t need a lot of supplies to take good notes. Although typing is an option, we highly
recommend writing notes by hand in a notebook for better information retention. Kokuyo Campus Smart
Ring Binder Notebooks are a solid choice: they let you rearrange pages like a binder, while still
being ultra slim and light.
For writing tools, consider investing in a multi pen. You’ll spend less time switching pens when
you’re color-coordinating. We personally like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto.
Each refill includes a colored tab, making it easy to identify when you’re switching colors. The
Coleto comes in a wide selection of body sizes and capacities. You can choose from two-, three-, four- or five- component bodies.
When it comes to highlighting, there's nothing worse than accidentally highlighting the wrong
thing. Enter Pilot FriXion Light Natural Color Highlighters: their ink disappears with heat
from friction! Not to mention, they feature gentle colors, great for emphasizing text without being
too bright and potentially distracting. If you’re worried about smearing your notes, use a Zebra
Sarasa Mark On Gel Pen. Besides drying quickly, which is a lifesaver if your teacher talks fast,
it can stand up to highlighting after just five seconds.
During class
Distractions are probably the biggest obstacle when it comes to taking good notes.
Put away your phone and other things you know will get you sidetracked.
If you’re taking notes on a device or tablet, make sure to close all
other apps and turn notifications off.
While color-coding can help you remember your notes better, don’t go overboard with ten
different colors. Having a ton of markers and highlighters cluttered on your desk can be a
distraction. Stick to maybe three colors.
Write your notes in a conversational way that makes sense to you. This means writing faster
and using shorter bullet points. Don’t be afraid to use abbreviations, shorthand,
symbols, cursive, or even quick doodles. You can toss proper spelling and grammar
out the window as long as your notes retain key information.
Make sure your writing is legible though. If you can’t read it, it has no use to you.
At home
It’s tempting to stash away notes and forget about them until exams come up.
Instead, go over your notes after class and make necessary revisions right away so everything stays
fresh in your mind. For example, you can highlight important points that might be on a test, or add
extra info from the textbook. If you weren’t able to finish writing everything down during class,
look things up and add any missing information. Even after an exam, you should revisit your notes!
If you weren’t sure about something on a midterm, review what you missed, then highlight it or add
more information. This way, if the topic comes up again on the final, you’ll be prepared.
We also suggest comparing notes with a classmate. An extra perspective helps you cover all your
bases: they might have written down something you missed. Reviewing with another person also helps
reinforce the class materials.
Sometimes the language in your textbook can be confusing. To make the text easier to process,
we recommend adding notes to your textbook. On a separate piece of paper, rewrite or paraphrase
sections in a way that makes sense to you, then use washi tape to attach it to the page. Now
you’ll have a fold-out sheet that doesn't take up any extra space on the textbook page itself.
You can compare your notes to the original reading at the same time,
which comes in handy when you’re reviewing for a test.
If you want to add quick notes in your textbook, try out transparent sticky notes like these
Bonomemo Window Sticky Memos. They let you add notes without blocking important information
and highlight without damaging the paper. You can also color the ends of the memo notes
to use them as page flags.
If you come across something you’re not sure about in your textbook and want to refer to it later,
use a page marker! Midori Chiratto Index Tabs are one of our top picks: their removable adhesive
makes them easy to reposition and reuse.
Sometimes you only need to take quick notes instead of filling up an entire sheet of paper.
In these cases, opt for index cards—they can also double as flashcards when you’re reviewing! We
recommend Maruman Easy to Write Loose Leaf Paper since they’re hole-punched, so they easily slide
into a binder and won’t get lost in your backpack. Their small size makes them great for light
studying on the go—flip through them while you’re waiting for the bus or walking to class. They come
in ruled, graph, and blank styles for note-taking, as well as to-do list and time planning formats.
We hope you found these tips helpful! Do you have any other note-taking tips? Let us know
in the comments! You can find all these supplies and more at JetPens.com.