I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I make my notes and how I keep everything clear and organized, so I’ve compiled a quick list of some of my habits and tricks that keep my notes in order:
Use different coloured pens.
Personally, I use black for regular notes; blue or purple for what I consider “side notes” (i.e. extra information, examples, etc.); and red for key terms or concepts that I will need to remember the most. Keeping an organized colour theme helps when you go back to study for the exam, because it is a visual reminder of the least and most important bits of information!
Give each highlighter a specific purpose.
Depending on the notebook and course, I often switch up my highlighter plans ~ for no particular reason other than to keep myself entertained 😋 But I like to set one colour for, say, Chapter/Sub-unit headers, names, historical dates, etc. That way when your eyes are going quickly through your notes, you can easily locate the beginning or end of a particular topic. And as a very visual person, having a lot of different colours in my notes keeps me focused and less overwhelmed.
Make important headers stand out.
For me, this usually means a particular colour (like a blue highlighter) or some sort of border around the title. My easy go-to is the bubbly-border shown above. Make it easy on yourself when trying to locate a topic!
Print out and tape/glue key tables and diagrams.
Obviously this is more work than some people might be interested in, and often depends on the course. These are my pharmacology notes, so I didn’t need to print out so often that it drove me crazy. One way to alleviate this is by planning ahead and leaving space in your notebook for where you want a particular table/diagram to go, and then printing them all at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but I like the option when I know I will have to remember certain diagrams or tables!
Don’t try to fill up space.
If you end up with a short paragraph or lots of room on the sides, leave it be. The best way to study later on is by going through your notes and adding little extra pieces of information to solidify your understanding. For me, this often means writing definitions in the top margin of my pages… not ideal for neat-ness, but who cares! Your notes are meant to be filled up.
Don’t stress about imperfections.
If you find yourself hating how big and sloppy your writing has become, move on. The worst thing you can do for yourself is waste time rewriting information you already know. If you need to use white-out, use the white-out; if you need to cross out a word, scribble away! Your notes are your own domain and they do not need to be flawless.
I’m sure I’ll think of more tips and tricks, but that’s all for now. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask! We’re all in this together 🤓🤓🤓
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