Usually, by the time our exams or assignments come around, we have a mountain of notes for each subject/module and no idea where to start looking. Well, in this article we are going to give you some tips on how best to organise your notes so you're not overwhelmed when you actually need them.
"The way I meditate is by being organised. I can get real Zen if I go home and tidy the front room."
- Anthony Joshua
Your notes are valuable, by keeping them organised and accessible to you, makes life so much easier when the time comes to write essays or revise, you know what you already have and exactly where it is.
I'm specifically going to discuss three types of note-making/organising in this article.
- Good old-fashioned paper and pen
- My favourite Online App
- Tuition guided study
By the end, hopefully, one or the other of these techniques will help you as you take on your educational studies.
Journals
I freaking love journals! I have a journal for everything, one for every subject I studied, one as a diary, one as a calendar, and one just for boredom and doodles. You cannot beat a good old-fashioned journal!
But how can a journal help you study?
A plain notebook or journal allows you to take a step away from screens and devices and focus on one thing: getting your thoughts, ideas, and notes out of your head and into a notebook.
There are 2 types of journalling I really like:
- Table of Contents - This style involves writing "Table of contents" on the first page of your notebook and then skipping to page 3 before writing any notes. Starting on page 3 number the bottom of your pages from 1. Every time you make notes on a new topic write the heading on the top of that page. When you fill in your table of contents you have a heading and page numbers to go with it, just like a textbook.
- Bullet Journalling / BUJO - Having a Bullet Journal for school is a simple tool that can help with anxiety, time management, and organization. These are much more expressive and creative than standard forms of note-taking. I love how you can write anywhere and colour the bits you feel need more attention and maybe even write certain things larger than others. In your Bullet Journal, you make the rules.
There's just something about actually writing things down, especially in the bullet journals when you're also colouring and expressing your creativity that locks the information into your memory.
"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad."
- Theodore Roosevelt
Google Keep
When it comes to digital organisation and note-taking google keep is completely unrivalled in my opinion. This is my favourite mobile app, google extension and tool available for note-taking and organisation.
Why is Google Keep so Great for Studying?
Taking Notes - Okay yes, I've started with the obvious. But, think beyond old-school handwritten notes. In Google Keep, students can jot down quick notes to themselves about a particular class or subject. They can then share those notes with other students in their group or class. Notes can even be completely collaborative! (Notes are so much more powerful when you share!) Take that one step further when your notes get too long, you can copy them over to a Google Doc.
Changes Images to Text - If you have a photo from your written notes or a textbook. You can use Google Keep to Grab the text and change it into a note like all your others, making it easier to file or add to another document.
Research Notecards - The research process is not easy, nor is it easy to teach. Number two above suggested using Google Keep for bookmarking, but let’s take this a step further. Students can use Google Keep as their digital notecards, not only bookmarking, but adding notes, citations, page numbers, etc. What a great way to help streamline the research process.
Mobile Voice Notes - Voice Notes is a feature available in the iOS and Android mobile apps (not currently available on the desktop version). This is a great way for students to take notes on the go.
Access it Anywhere - Once you have your Google Acc you can sign in and access your notes anywhere, any time, on a computer, tablet or mobile, you literally can't get handier than that!
A Tutor to Help You Focus
"As a father and as a public school tutor, I've seen how a child's earliest experiences form the foundation for lifelong learning and health. And the science is overwhelming showing how much it matters."
- Roy Cooper
Sometimes, it can be really hard to focus. Especially with exams coming up, I particularly always found business difficult in school, so many spreadsheets and it wasn't just maths, it was legal terms and communications and marketing.
I remember my teacher recommended a tutor once a week, to help me focus on the areas I was really struggling with. At the time I was a bit offended but then, when I thought about it, it made sense, why shouldn't I get the best possible grades?
A tutor often gives you one-to-one lessons on the topics you're struggling with, unlike your own notes, they can break them down even further and make them understandable to you.
If you think you would benefit from some guided study with a tutor, why don't you check out Superprof.ie.
Most of the tutors at Superprof offer you the option to take in-home or online lessons. This means you can learn whichever way is more comfortable for you, in your own space, at your own pace and at whatever time suits you. I haven't even mentioned the best part yet, most of our tutors even provide the first lesson for free, yep that's right so all you have to do is go to the homepage type in the lesson you are looking for and select a tutor to get started. After your first lessons classes are about €15-€25 per session which is still cheaper than average.
Whatever you decide, we wish you the best of luck.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
