Making notes is a very common activity that students perform in their daily life. It is so common that they do it instinctively, there is no thought process involved. Contrary to common belief, notes taking is not a chore, it’s an art.
It isn’t something you do for the sake of it. It can be a huge help in your preparation. Even after exams, the habit of preparing well-structured notes will benefit you in many ways.
In this article, we will give you an insight into the skill of note writing. If you implement these notes making tips then you will have your most important study material prepared by the end of the session.
However, if you don’t have enough time on your hands, you can have a look at our well-structured revision notes. These notes are prepared for students ranging from 6th to 12th standard. They strictly adhere to the curriculum covering every topic in detail.
Let’s get back to the notes preparation tips.
Know your Topics
If you start preparing notes mindlessly, you will highlight your whole textbook. Having unnecessary stuff in your notes will make them lengthy and you will miss the purpose of making notes altogether. Everything seems important at first but in reality, you only need a part of it.
Once you prepare the topic thoroughly, go through the exercises. You will get an idea of the questions that can be framed from that particular topic. Grab the concept and prepare your notes accordingly.
Also, every subject requires a different approach. Distinguish theoretical topics from practical topics and follow a different approach for every different topic. Learn, analyze and write.
Compile all Resources
If your study material is scattered even after preparing notes, then you will end up wasting a lot of time switching between textbooks, notes, and reference books. The purpose of preparing notes is to compile all the information in one place for last moment preparation.
Important points are not limited to your textbooks. Everything important that you study in your classroom, textbook, reference book, online videos should be there in your notes. It will give you a wide perspective on the topic and strengthen your concepts. Even sample papers or past papers are a good source of information for you.
Instead of having an intimidating pile of books at your table, you should have a notebook dedicated to your notes that contains all the information that you need to excel in your examination.
Make them Yours
Sometimes, traditional methods are far more effective than the latest trends. Handwritten notes can never be replaced by digitally prepared notes. You can be an exception but handwritten notes usually work for everyone. Humans tend to learn easily from their own notebooks.
Long story short, you need to customize your notes according to your interest. If you like diagrams, graphs, or pie charts, you should break down the information and represent it interactively. These types of notes are easy to comprehend.
There are no particular guidelines for preparing notes. You can be creative as long as the information is intact. If you prepare your notes by hand, they will be easier to grasp. Try to make your notes fun.
Use Colors
Organized people always use color codes. They can differentiate between headings, subheadings, and important points. In this way, you don’t have to read the whole page to find the required information. Color codes are not just for decoration, if used correctly, they can make life easier.
Always use a limited number of colors. If you make a painting out of your notes, it will be a distraction. Use colors only when necessary. It is not something you have to decorate for others. You are preparing them for yourself. Try to use them to your advantage.
If you are visually attentive, you can highly benefit from colors. Set specific color codes and start coloring.
Keep them Concise
Textbooks are detailed but that doesn’t mean that you will need all the information. If you will add all the information in your notes, it is no different than a handwritten version of your textbook. Notes are supposed to be short and to the point. In order to achieve that, you need to filter the crucial information from the pile of content in your curriculum.
You should aim for the relevant information and rewrite it in your own words. Summarize the content such that the condensed information will take less time to revise.
Your notes should be your final preparation material. You should not add anything that isn’t required. Instead of writing it in a paragraph, you should frame your notes in comprehensible phrases.
Follow a Structure
Now that you know what to write, let’s move to “how to write”. If you are planning to write notes from one end to another and scribble until every white space is covered, then your alignment needs calibration.
A page filled with content can be overwhelming as well as confusing. It is hard to get anything out of such notes. Therefore, you should follow a structure while taking notes. Divide your paper into a few sections and use every section for a different purpose.
For instance, you can use the bottom section to summarize the page, the middle section for notes, and the topmost section for topics covered on that page.
Organize Them
Even after preparing concise and well-structured notes, if they are scattered around the house, you will never find them in the time of need. Always keep your notes organized on your shelves.
You can make separate folders for each subject.
Never use the same notebook for all the subjects. It will increase confusion and decrease efficiency. Preparing notes is not complex as long as you are willing to put in the effort. It takes time to prepare notes but you will save a lot more time while preparing using those notes.
You can easily revise from these notes. Even if you are stuck, you can always refer to your textbooks. Neat and organized notes will somewhat make you more organized with your mundane tasks.
