Day 21
This is for people who are VERY committed to taking better notes because it's a bit of a commitment.
Let's get started!
1. Improve Your Handwriting
Work on your handwriting whenever possible
Try perfect print through pretty cursive and everything in between
Really spend time on it
If you're struggling to find what to write, write the lyrics to your favorite songs
2. Transcribe Previous Notes You're Not Happy With
Make old notes better and put them in a new place
This gives you more handwriting practice
Rework the notes to where YOU get the most out of them
3. Try Different Note Taking Styles
This allows you to find your favorite ones and see what works best for you
Try non-linear, Cornell, brain-dump, etc.
You can tweak it to work best for you
For example, I love the layout of Cornell notes, but I don't like how you always phrase the left column as a question, so I don't do that.
4. Make Them Fun
Make them something you want to do. You want to be excited to look at and take your notes. If you like your notes cut and dry, you can decorate the border. If you like your notes themselves to be whimsical, make it happen, experiment.
Notes are very individual
Get inspiration from other notes you like!
Makes boring subjects more fun
5. Be Intentional with Your Notes
Include a table of contents if you really struggle with finding specific notes and organization. If that's too much, you can just title the sections.
6. Annotate Notes
This helps if your notes aren't super easy to understand when you initially take them, or if you struggle to remember the subject you're trying to remember.
Annotate by specifying things that aren't clear or color-coding
7. Get the Right Notebook
Get a nice-looking notebook you're happy to look at
Make sure it's compatible with the kind of notes you want to take
For my personal notebooks, spiral notebooks are my personal favorites, but if you need to include loose papers or rearrange your notes a thin binder will be best.
Be innovative. If you really like the spiral notebook and you need to include those papers tape them in, transcribe what they say, summarize them.
(Apologies for anything misspelled in my written notes).