Hey guys! So I’ve been receiving questions regarding my note-taking style and strategy for quite some time now but I believe I have never answered them in detail. The good news is, I finally decided to make a post about this (plus, I had fun making the graphics :D). Note that I am a visual learner, so my note-taking methods may not be effective for some of you, but I hope you can all learn something.

I only use one notebook for all my class notes, an A4 grid notebook whose pages I divide into two columns.

I use the outline method for in-class notes, which means I write information chronologically, in the order that they are taught. Some teachers do not have properly structured presentations/lessons (good thing my physics teacher does) so when in need, I use arrows to connect related information.

Abbreviations to me are one of the most important things to master when taking notes. I personally make them up as I go along. Some examples of abbreviations I use are:

• w/c - which
• w/ - with
• cpd - compound
• envt - environment
• digenz - digestive enzyme

It might be confusing, but to me, knowing the context and part of speech are enough for all abbreviations to be comprehended.

Here’s an example: ‘Indonesia’s tsunami pre-warning system is made up of two types of components’ could become ‘Indo’s snmi pre-warn sys 2 type comp’.

The first thing I would do is highlight keywords and terminology (and sometimes formulas). For physics, since my teacher is relatively succinct, I don’t really highlight, but for humanities and biology, I look for words that would be expected by a mark scheme, words that are crucial to the understanding of each particular piece of information.

I would then check if the material taught coincides with the syllabus, and if not, note down any points that are missing or have yet to be taught. You could write these on a post it or on the syllabus itself, but I prefer to highlight the syllabus’ pdf file.

My rewritten notes are arranged based on the order they appear in the syllabus unless there are pieces of information that are related to more than one topic.

I use a black pen for rewriting notes as well as colored pens to write keywords and terminology only. I know some people who write whole sentences in colored pens but to me that is ineffective; we all have our own learning styles. When making tables, I usually use different colors for different columns (see the table for different types of radiation above) which is most often the color I associate with each word. For example, water would be blue, ocean would be a darker shade, ice would be a lighter shade, and water vapor would be purple.

I still abbreviate words in my rewritten notes, but they’re not as condensed as the ones in my class notes. Another thing I find helpful is leaving a bit of space between separate points especially if the page doesn’t have a lot of diagrams. I can’t think linearly, so I can’t remember super lengthy bullet points.

I use mildliners and a drawing pen to make my diagrams (more of these in my biology notes) but I only start with pencil if it’s a complex diagram. I rarely highlight my rewritten notes, but even if I do, it’s usually only the headings and formulas.

I don’t have a rough draft for my notes, but I try to visualize the layout. I try to alternate between words and pictures/diagrams so that when I’m sitting for an exam, all I have to do is imagine that I’m looking at that page and I can remember where everything is.

• bookboon // for accounting, business, economics & finance, engineering, IT & programming, languages, marketing & law, natural sciences, statistics & mathematics (+ career & study advice, strategy & management)
• booksee // for arts & photography, biographies & memoirs, business & investing, computers & internet, cooking, entertainment, health, history, home, law, literature & fiction, medicine, references, religion, science, sports, travel, and other categories
• bookstacks // for popular classics
• boundless // for accounting, algebra, art history, biology, business, calculus, chemistry, communications, computer science, economics, education, finance, management, marketing, microbiology, music, physics, physiology, political science, psychology, sociology, statistics, U.S. history, world history, writing
• california learning resource network // for mathematics, science, history
• ck-12 // for elementary math, arithmetic, measurement, algebra, geometry, probability, statistics, trigonometry, analysis, calculus, earth science, life science, physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, sat exam prep, engineering, technology, astronomy, english, history
• college open textbook // for anthropology & archeology, art, biology & genetics, business, chemistry, computer science, economics, engineering & electronics, english & composition, health & nursing, history, languages & communication, law, literature, math, music, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, science, sociology, statistics & probability

POLITICS AND HISTORY

1. “Why We Fight” (BBC, 2005)
2. “Fahrenheit 9/11” (Michael Moore, 2004)
3. “War on Democracy” (John Pilger, 2007)
4. “Hijacking Catastrophe” (Sut Jhally, 2004)
5. “Breaking the Silence” (John Pilger, 2003)
6. “Fog of War” (Robert McNamara, 2003)

HEALTH, FOOD, AND NATURE

1. “Food Inc.” (Robert Kenner, 2008)
2. “Super Size Me” (Morgan Spurlock, 2004)
3. “Planet Earth” (Discovery Channel, 2006)

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

1. “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People” (Jack Shaheen, 2006)
2. “Control Room” (Magnolia Pictures, 2004)
3. “Hearts and Minds” (Peter Davis, 1974)
4. “Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media” (Herman, 1992)
5. “Weapons of Mass Deception” (Danny Schechter, 2004)
6. “The War You Don’t See” (John Pilger, 2010)

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

1. “The Century of the Self” (BBC, 2004)
2. “Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech” (HBO, 2009)
3. “Debate: Political Islam – Is it a threat to the West?” (Doha Debates, 2009)
4. “Bowling for Columbine” (Michael Moore, 2002)
5. “Hamza Tzortzis: Liberalism & Islam” (LSESU, 2011)
6. “Jesus Camp” (A&E Indiefilms, 2006)
7. “A Time for Burning” (William C. Jersey, 1966)
8. “Malcolm X: Make it Plain” (AE, 1994)

PALESTINE

1. “Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land” (Sut Jhally, 2004)
2. “The Israel Lobby” (Stephen Walt, John Mearsheimer)
3. “Defamation” (Norman Finkelstein, 2009)
4. “Palestine Is Still the Issue” (John Pilger, 2003)
5. “Occupation 101” (Abdallah Omeish, 2006)

HUMAN RIGHTS

1. “The Road to Guantanamo” (Michael Winterbottom, 2006)
2. “Taxi to the Dark Side” (Moazzam Begg, 2007)
3. “Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre” (Italy, 2005)
4. “Generation Kill” (Journeyman Pictures, 2004)
5. “The War Tapes” (Deborah Scranton, 2006)

ECONOMICS AND GLOBALIZATION

1. “Commanding Height: Battle for the World Economy” (PBS, 2002)
2. “The Corporation” (Noam Chomsky, 2003)
3. “Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices” (Brave New Films, 2005)
4. “Money as Debt” (Paul Grignon, 2006)
5. “Darwin’s Nightmare” (Hubert Sauper, 2004)
6. “End of Suburbia” (Gregory Greene, 2004)
7. “Life + Debt” (Stephanie Black, 2001)
8. “Smartest Guys in the Room” (Alex Gibney, 2005)

MISCELLANEOUS

1. “Inside Islam: What a billion Muslim really think” (Dalia Mogahed, 2009)
2. “Islam: Empire of Faith” (PBS, 2000)
3. “Inside Mecca” (National Geographic, 2003)
4. “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple” (PBS, 2006)
5. “Death of the Freedom Fighter” (Al Jazeera, 2009)
6. “The Trouble With Atheism” (Dimitri Collingridge, 2006)
7. “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” (Premise, 2008)
8. “To Catch a Predator” (Dateline, NBC)
9. “An Islamic History of Europe” (Omaar Rageh, BBC)
10. “Free Fahad” (Siraj Wahaj, 2008)
11. “Entrapment or Foling Terror?” (Amy Goodman, 2010)

•  make a 2017 read list of all the books (even fanfics!) of what you have read this year. especially good if you are doing the 50 books a year challenge. add things like a sentence of what you thought, anything special, a quote and the date when you finished reading it.
•  a notebook full of your favourite recipes, could be easy pot noodle or grandmas christmas dinner. now you have a place to save them all, and you will always know where to look for them!!
• the collection notebook: are you one of those people that collects anything, stamps, stickers or cards? put them in an unused notebook.
• plant notebook: write down the progress of your plants, their english and latin name, dates. add pictures! Neville Longbottom probably has one of these.
• plant notebook 2.0: fill it with loads of plants you either have or want to have and write how they should be taken care of or what you would like to name them. sort of like a guide.
• the standard: travel journal. although, since you are probably on the road, only write a few lines every day and put all that love effort in when you come home! photos, cards, stickers, flight and train tickests, pressed flowers, even the bill from that lovely restuarant is something you can put in.
• quote book: especially handy if it is a small pocket notebook one. all those quotes you love, put em here!
• future destinations, places you want to go to.
•  the everyday notebook: everything for everyday. daily lists or weekly. things you want to do this month.
• the job book: future ideas for your next summer/part time job, where to go and tips and tricks.
• photo album: make use of all those pictures and save them somewhere. write names, where and the date, your future self will thank you.
• the random lists book: include list like healthy habits you want to develop, dishes you want to try, vehicles you want to travel in, festivals you want to go to, books you want to read.
• books to read: if you are a big reader like me, you will probably find the need of these book. every single book title that sounded interesting, all the books you think you might wnat to read someday, put them in this book! Hermione Granger has this.
• a word a day book: after each and every day you write a word, could be about anyhting! a perfect bedside table notebook.
• the notebook with only good, positive things that you enjoy. could be things like the rain falling when you are studying in a cozy library or laughing until your tummy hurts with your friends, the feeling of being invincible.
• different language phrases: Wie heisst du? Jag heter Sara. 
• notebook for handwriting practise