4 Different Note-Taking Methods

Hey y’all,

I wanna start this newsletter by giving props to those who take Cornell Notes. Don’t get me wrong—it’s a super effective note-taking method, but it’s very tedious.

Throughout most of high school and college, I used the good old Outline Method, which I imagine is the case for most of you as well. But who knows, maybe a different note-taking method is a better fit for you.

In today’s newsletter, I’m going to cover four popular note-taking methods that you should experiment with this school year.

Method #1: Cornell Notes

I’m assuming that most of you know how Cornell Notes work, but if you’re a younger reader, you might not be too familiar.

The method is simple. You divide your notes into three sections: one for questions and keywords, one for your actual notes, and one for a summary. Your page should look as so:

The smaller column on the left is where you jot down your questions and keywords. You should leverage this column to capture the main topics during lecture.

The main note-taking area is where you capture notes like you would with the Outline Method (which I’ll cover shortly). You use bullets, abbreviations, and acronyms to grab the key ideas from lecture.

And at the bottom, you have the most dreaded section: the summary. Of course, you won’t fill this section out during class. Rather, you should complete this section after school—when you have the time and after you’ve taken all your notes.

I think the summary section is why most students harbor such a deep dislike for Cornell Notes, but in my opinion, it’s also what makes Cornell Notes incredibly effective. Passively taking notes during class won’t do much for your understanding. But forcing yourself to comprehend the material and distill it into a 3-5 sentence summary is a powerful way to retain the material.

If you’ve never tried Cornell Notes, give it a try. Who knows, you may just enjoy it!

Method #2: Mind Maps

Mind maps are interesting. I don’t think they’re the best method to use during class because they can get pretty messy, but they’re useful during review sessions.

To create a mind map, you start by writing down the main topic in the center of the page. You then branch off this topic, connecting it to sub-topics and supporting details. You repeat this until you have a dense web of information about the lecture material.

Here’s an example:

Mind maps are great because they show you the interconnections between ideas. They reveal the complex ways in which different ideas connect to one another—often in ways you might not expect.

I also feel that mind maps are a great comprehension exercise because you have to determine the connections. It’s sort of like the summary section of Cornell Notes: you need to think about what you’re writing down instead of copying something verbatim.

If you want to take your mind maps up a notch, I using different colored pens so you can clearly see how related topics cluster together.

Method #3: The Box Method

The Box Method feels like a more practical alternative to mind maps, especially during lecture. The idea here is to take notes and draw boxes around related points.

Before lecture begins, divide your page up into two columns and write down headings in each, making sure to leave enough space between each one. During lecture, take notes as usual, and one lecture ends, draw the boxes around each section.

Here’s an example:

You can take the Box Method one step further by drawing arrows between connected topics, just how you would with a mind map.

The one drawback I see with this method, however, is that you might give yourself too much or too little space if you write the headings beforehand. As such, I sometimes recommend that students simply take notes in two columns without placing any headings in advance.

Again, an advantage of this method is that you have to actively engage with the material—you have to dictate where the boxes go, which will force you to process the information.

Method #4: The Outline Method

Last but not least, we have the Outline Method. I don’t think I have to say much here. You simply jot down bullets and sub-bullets about the lecture material. Take a look:

This method it the easiest of the four, but it’s also the least effective. It’s very easy to copy everything your teacher says without trying to understand what you’re writing. If you choose to use this method, I highly recommend that you embed some form of active recall into study routine.

Simply using the Outline Method and re-reading your notes is one of the most ineffective ways to prepare for an exam. You need to add an exercise that requires you to digest the material, such as flashcards or the Feynman Technique, which is one of my favorite study techniques by far.

What did you think about this newsletter? DM me on Instagram (@goharsguide) to let me know!

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I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar