The first thing you need to do is format your document
I like to use a really classic formatting style
The font is Times New Roman, size 11.
I also keep the margin styled with the default settings.
I reduce the paragraph spacing to 0.
And
regarding line spacing I prefer 1.15.
I keep one Word document for each one of my subjects
and in that document, I like to condense lecture notes
and well as exercises, problem sets and my own comments.
Here I'm just making a very simple header in the first page.
My chapters are always indicated in this format
I just write the title in caps between two borders
to show that I'm changing the topic
It's really easy to make
and it's a lot easier to spot between pages
when you're skimming through your notes.
Regarding the main text,
I prefer an indent of 1cm
in the first line.
I have two levels of subtopics
The first one is written in bold
just like so in the left margin
If there are any other topics inside that one
I will format the text to italic
and align the text to the right.
I feel that this way you have a better notion
of how the text is organised
and how information is divided.
If you have any references to pages, charts or statute law,
feel free to add those references in bold
and in a contrasting colour
to save a lot of time searching through your materials or textbooks.
This way you'll make sure
that your typed notes
are your ultimate study guide for tests and exams.
Besides lectures,
I also include all solved problems from discussion classes
These are crucial to study for exams
so I normally center the title of the exercise or problem
and colour the text in blue.
If that problem needs to be prepared before class,
I will normally solve it in that colour
so I know for certain that that was my own way of acknowledging the problem.
Afterwards, while in class,
I will type the professor's solution in black
below my own solution
so I can compare both of them
and understand where I need to improve.
This rarely happens in law school,
but if I have any supporting materials like images or charts,
I simply copy them from where ever I found them
and insert them next to the relevant material
so I can also have a visual reference to what I'm studying.
If you're planning to print your notes,
I recommend having page numbers
and filing your notes in a binder.
Also don't forget to add a simple header
with the class and your name
so if you ever need to pass your notes around,
people will know who has written them.
Whenever I finish a chapter,
I'll just add a new blank page
and use the same process with the borders as before.
You can see here that I have some words in bold.
Those are key points or key words
that I really need to remember
I prefer to immediately tag them in bold
so I can highlight them later when I print my notes.
Sometimes I also enjoy using bullet points
to keep my arguments organised and logic.
Normally I always justify my text
and make it as clean as possible
without any indents.
Microsoft Word also lets you customise the bullets.
You can choose from a variety of symbols
besides the classic ones
to make your notes more fun and personalised.
It also helps to create the hierarchy of bullet symbols whenever you-
whenever you have different levels and sublevels of bullet points you need to organise.
Here you can see how the finalised result looks like.
These are my notes from one of my classes: Labour Law,
right after the semester ends.
This formatting results in a very clean look
and everything looks organised and logic.
The result is even better
when you print the document
and file everything in a binder.
And since you have used very simple formatting,
you can always add notes in the margins
and use highlighters and coloured pens.
I hope you've enjoyed this video.
Don't forget to subscribe
and I'll see you next week.
Bye!