If you follow study blogs, Pinterest, or the #studygram hashtag,
you’ve probably seen other people’s beautifully organized notes and wondered,
"How do they do it!?"
Luckily, it’s possible to have pretty notes even if...
...even if you don’t want to put in that much effort.
We’ll share some tips on how to achieve the study aesthetic.
As a reminder:
pretty notes don’t always mean better studying habits or grades.
Just do what works best for you!
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Organization
Keep your headers consistent.
Real talk?
Headers are like the foundation of your notes.
To make them look good, consistency is key!
Write your headers with one color, and use a different color for sub-headers.
Besides keeping colors consistent,
keep to one font style, like all caps or cursive.
If you’re feeling up to it,
you can always add embellishments like clouds, flags, or highlights later.
Stick to a color palette.
Not only does color-coding aid memory retention, it’s also aesthetically pleasing.
You should stick to two or three coordinated colors for a cohesive look.
We recommend Kokuyo Mark+ 2 Way Marker Pens:
the colors are pre-coordinated for you
so you don't have to spend time picking out pens.
They’re double-sided, with a chisel tip for highlighting on one end
and a fineliner tip on the other.
The ink on the fineliner tip is more vivid than the highlighter's ink,
so your written notes are sure to stand out.
Plus, you get a pen and highlighter in one!
Avoid blank paper.
Lined,
graph,
dotted rule,
and dot grid paper all provide guidelines for writing,
and will help your notes look straight and organized.
They can also help you draw boxes and graphs neatly.
You don’t have to worry about your notes coming out crooked or misaligned
if you stick to these kinds of paper.
Writing
Write casually.
Write your notes in a conversational way that makes sense to you.
Shorten your sentences or just write down the core idea
so you don’t tire out your hand.
Make use of abbreviations, shorthand, symbols, and maybe even doodles.
Sometimes shorter bullet points can look neater and more aesthetic too.
Invest in a multi pen.
Multi pens are a smart choice
if you don’t want to put much effort into your notes.
You’ll spend less time changing pens when you’re color-coding.
Our top pick is the Pilot Acroball White Line Multi Pen
since it combines black, blue, and red ink.
But wait!
There's more!
It also comes with correction tape.
If you make a mistake, don’t resort to messy scribbling.
Simply use the correction tape and then write over it.
Just make sure not to go overboard when whiting things out,
or your pages may start to look messy.
Leave extra space between notes.
You never know when you might need to go back and add more info.
If you end up not needing it, you can always fill in the space with a doodle
or leave it blank.
You do you!
If the space you provided isn't enough,
you can always write or draw on a sticky note and add it to the page.
Pick sticky notes that don’t clash with your color palette--
these Cluster Japan Pitta Index Tab Sticky Notes
come in a range of colors that are certain to match your notes.
Highlighting
Use a ruler.
Have you ever highlighted a word
and gotten frustrated because it didn’t come out perfectly?
Just use a ruler!
Tombow Mono Edge Highlighters work well with rulers
because of the reinforced edges that help maintain their chisel tips.
Say goodbye to awkward and crooked highlights!
Choose smear-free pens.
If there’s the slightest possibility that your highlighter might smear your ink,
don’t risk it!
It’s not worth ruining your pretty notes.
Use a smear-free pen like the Zebra Sarasa Mark On Gel Pen:
it can stand up to highlighting after just a few seconds.
If you really like your pen you can highlight first then write over it.
This way your notes will stay nice and clean.
What other tips do you have for taking aesthetic notes?
Let us know in the comments below!
You can find these products and tips like these at JetPens.com.
Thanks for watching!