5 great note taking methods no one talks about

5 great note taking methods no one talks about

Effective Note-Taking Methods

In this section, we will explore alternative note-taking methods that are often overlooked but can be highly effective in organizing information and ideas.

Split Page Method

  • The split page method is a condensed version of flashcards, suitable for factually dense subjects.
  • Divide the page in half and write the topic or question on the left side, with the corresponding answer or definition on the right column.
  • This method promotes active recall and can be adapted to different subjects by using facts, topics, or questions.

Q/E/C Method

  • The Q/E/C (Question/Evidence/Conclusion) method structures lecture notes into clear formats that can be compiled into study guides.
  • It reduces unnecessary information and creates interrelation between topics, conclusions, and supporting evidence.

Morse Code Method

  • The Morse code method focuses on written materials and involves drawing dots next to main ideas and dashes next to supporting examples or explanations in the margin.
  • This allows for recording information without interrupting reading momentum. Paraphrasing these main ideas into bullet points forms the basis of note-taking.

Flow Notes

  • Flow notes are similar to mind maps but have no specific structure.
  • They allow for incorporating a large amount of information during class by freely connecting facts, arguments, topics, and dates as they are heard.
  • Flow notes work well for classes with no clear structure or discussions with interrelated components.

Sentence Method

  • The sentence method uses one-liners per paragraph instead of indenting to create a guide for each topic.
  • It considers every sentence of equal value, making it suitable for topics with high levels of detail or information.
  • This method helps in memorizing details and key ideas related to the topic.

Notion as a Note-Taking Tool

  • Notion is a productivity software that combines essential work tools in one place.
  • It allows for organizing notes, materials, and other information related to classes.
  • Notion is now free for students and teachers.

The transcript continues beyond this point, but the provided content covers the main note-taking methods discussed in the video.

How to Get a Free Notion Personal Plan

In this section, the speaker explains how to get a free Notion Personal plan by changing your account email and using a promo code.

Getting a Free Notion Personal Plan

  • You can change your account email to your school email to get a free Notion Personal plan.
  • There are templates available specifically for students and educators.
  • If you're no longer a student, you can still get a free Notion Personal plan by using the promo code "mariana" and following the instructions.

Timestamps will be used only for bullet points.

Video description

Start planning with Notion today for FREE: http://ntn.so/mariananotion 💻 For productivity coaching and online classes, go to https://productivityforhumans.com - my best organization system yet (ft. notion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zX1wESu9b8&t=1s - notion student planner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAG4jT0Ugtc&t=1s - full life organization with notion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a6lV8JVhf8&t=43s - notion first impressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCpF-4N2tc Ali Abdaal video on the split method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIyDJK_SAjs Morse Code: https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2008/02/18/monday-master-class-rapid-note-taking-with-the-morse-code-method/ Flow notes: https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2008/03/06/learn-more-study-less-flow-based-notetaking/ ⏱️ Book your productivity consultation here: https://calendly.com/productivityforhumans 🔥 My Free Resource Library: https://shorturl.at/ikuL0 **Q/E/C method** The Q/E/C method is another study method that Cal Newport talks a lot about in his Straight-A book. Q/E/C stands for Question/Evidence/Conclusion, and the main purpose of this system is to structure all of your lecture into question, evidence and conclusion formats that you can then compile into one big study guide. Besides reducing the amount of unnecessary information transcribed into your notes, the Q/E/C system creates a clear and obvious interrelation between topic, conclusion and the stream of facts and arguments that connect the two. Furthermore, this note-taking system is two-in-one, since, besides helping you organize information while you are reading or attending your lectures, you’re also creating valuable study materials to use during revision. **Morse Code Method** The Morse code method is a note-taking method envisioned by Cal Newport and focus mainly on taking advantage of written materials. Whenever you find a sentence that seems to be laying out a main idea, you should draw a dot next to it in the margin; if you then come across an example or explanation that supports that big idea you should draw a dash next to it on the margin. This allows you to record information without breaking your reading momentum so you can then take notes. The act of taking the dots you’ve written and transforming them into notes is called the processing stage and it basically requires you to paraphrase the main idea in your own words in a bullet point. The author then encourages you to take all of these sentences and review them in the format of a major question: [em fundo branco:] “What is the main question being asked in the article? What is the conclusion the authors point towards?” **Flow Notes** Flow notes are very similar to mind maps but they have no rules in terms of structure. Although difficult to review, they allow you to incorporate a large amount of information during your class, because they are a free pass for you to simply throw facts, arguments, topics and dates on the page with no specific order while connecting and linking these ideas as you hear them. Flow notes are great for those who hate transcribing information and prefer to process what they’re hearing into workable sentences or words; it’s an holistic method that works wonders for classes with no clear structure, or discussion with interrelated components that aren’t easily organized via outline or mind map format. In case your class is highly dense on information, making it impossible to compress all of the facts, you can still use flow notes as a hybrid system to comment and annotate original materials and textbooks to create summaries or visual aids for complex chapters or topics. The sentence method is similar to the outline method as it relies on an expansive vision of your notes, but instead of using indenting and topic formulation, it uses one-liners, one per paragraph, to create a guide for each topic that is easily readable, workable and memorable. The other major difference is that while the outline technique uses indentation to hierarchize the importance of different segments of the topic, by avoiding indenting the sentence method considers every sentence of equal value, which means that topics with a high-level of detail or information can benefit from this system as they force you to memorize details as well as key ideas relating to the topic. FTC: This video is sponsored by Notion.