Do you have an important meeting coming up with an information overload? Do you need to take a lot of notes and you have trouble remembering all this new information? Taking notes can significantly affect how well you remember and learn new information. If you feel like your note-taking skills are rusty, or if you want to improve your note-taking skills, we’ll tell you all the tips, ideas, and methods for taking notes.
How do you learn?
To find the best way to take notes, preserve information, and find the best methods that work for you, you need to understand how you absorb new information. Are you a visual, auditory, reading, or tactile learner? If you are a visual learner, you learn easier by reading or seeing pictures. An auditory learner learns most effectively by listening. Reading/writing learners consume information best when it’s in words, whether that’s by writing it down or reading it. If you are a tactile learner, you learn by touching and doing. You understand and remember things through physical movement.
Note-Taking Tips
1) The Outline Method
This method is perhaps one of the most common, but still one of the best note-taking methods. Probably, you have been using it before, maybe without even realizing it. This is a great method for reading/writing learners. With the outline method, you list the main topics, sub-topics, and notes indented one under the other with bullets points, numbers, or figures.
2) The Cornell Method
Tne Cornell method requires a little bit of preparation. Try to divide the page into 4 sections: one column on top where you write the title, one small colon on the left where you write keywords, one area at the bottom of the page where you can write your summary, and the main column where you write all the information. This method encourages you to reflect on your notes by actively summarizing them in their own keywords and summary.
3) The mind mapping Method
This method will help you to create a map of the information you are learning. Mind mapping is a great note-taking method for visual learners. Try to connect different bubbles of notes which create a relationship between concepts, keywords, and information. Reviewing these relationships supports memorizing topics, especially for visual learners.
Note-Taking Apps
These methods help you stay productive during your working day and reduce stress. In this fast world, we have information overload in our private work lives. Research shows that taking notes by hand is more effective than typing on a laptop. But if you prefer to take your notes on your iPad or laptop, an app could help. Several apps can help you taking notes: Apple notes, Google Keep, Evernote, and Goodnotes, and some come with the note-taking template you see above.
How can Fit for Work help?
To learn more about setting up or managing an ergonomics program that supports staff working from home or in the office or support with staying legally compliant, you can reach out to Fit for Work. For more information on our Ergonomics Self-Assessment and Education Tool, contact us.
