From Future Innovators to Modern Businesses

5 Note Taking Tips

You’ve learned more life lessons than you can count since the 5th grade. You’ve forgotten plenty, too.

When it comes to taking notes, you probably hit your peak by age ten. Unfortunately, our note taking skills have only regressed—especially since the dawn of the digital age. But this task has become critical now that you’re responsible for remembering so much more.

Take a few tips from a ten-year-old. These future innovators know just what you need to boost recall, ignite creativity, and restore confidence in your note taking abilities.

Tip #1: Keep Everything Collected

Kids are forced into organization. Whether they use a stack of multi-colored notebooks, a fancy binder or just keep it all shoved in their back packs, you name the subject, and they’ll quickly be able to show you their notes.

Tip #2: Don’t Fear the Doodle

Did you know that every U.S. president was a doodler? Doodling sparks comprehension by blending all your learning methods. Doodling also creates anchors to help link ideas together. On paper, that’s just a spaceship in the margin. To your brain, it’s a trigger that evokes a vivid memory of the concept next to the spaceship.

Tip #3: Write it Out

Taking notes in longhand forces you to keep it simple, capturing only the most important ideas and concepts. That means listening closely which allows you to recall information naturally and seizing the most important points for later.

Tip #4: Mark it Up

Back in the day, you circled, starred, and scribbled all over your papers. While technology has made many of today’s offices paperless, that doesn’t mean you can’t underline important words, throw in a few asterisks, or use arrows to connect ideas together.

Tip #5: Do it Your Way

There’s something inherently satisfying about doing things your own way. Especially if you have a system that works. If meticulous, line by line, outlines are your thing, go for it. If you’re a doodler, doodle without shame. You know how you learn best, trust that experience.

You’ve never been more free to create, collaborate, and capitalize on ideas whenever inspiration strikes.

Learn more about how to combine old school techniques and modern technology in

The Innovator’s Guide to Modern Note Taking. http://aka.ms/modernnotes