Have you been struggling to take good notes virtually and are wondering what the secret to becoming a great note-taker is?

Well, worry no more—we have just the thing you’re looking for! We know how important good notes are, so we put together five tips to help you become a note-taking pro.

1. Set up an at-home workspace

With more and more of our activities taking place from home, it becomes harder to focus on any one particular task. We are constantly battling distractions because there are no longer boundaries between our work, school, home or social lives. But, creating your own dedicated workspace can help fight this battle.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be an office. It just has to be a place that when you sit down, you know you’re there to work.

2. Ditch the computer

Now, before you panic, I’m not saying to ditch the computer for taking notes during class, though studies have shown taking notes by hand during class does improve your ability to retain information. But with how quickly things move online, I know some of us feel we need our laptops, now more than ever. However, when it comes to taking notes outside of class, switch up your computer for traditional pen and paper.

Really give it a try the next time you’re taking notes to prepare for a midterm or an exam. If it doesn’t work for you, you can always head back to the keyboard.

3. Turn off the music

Music or the TV on in the background might not seem like a source of any real distraction, but you’d be surprised how many times you’ll catch yourself re-reading the same paragraph trying to make sense of it. It becomes all too easy to lose yourself in a song and start bopping to the beat, singing the lyrics in your head, instead of writing those notes about globalization.

So, take out those earbuds and you’ll get those notes done quicker than you realize, leaving you with plenty of time to listen to your favourite playlist later.

4. Highlight, highlight, highlight

Now that you’ve written your notes, it’s time to bust out your favourite coloured highlighter.

But this is the fun part. Not only is that highlighter going to help bring your focus to the most important points, or to areas you’re having trouble remembering, but it livens up your notes and makes it less of a sight for sore eyes!

Win-win.

5. Take breaks

Find yourself getting overwhelmed or frustrated? Take a break.

Whether a break for you means making a quick bite to eat or watching an episode of your favourite show, take some time to regenerate. It’s pointless to sit there and try to take notes when you know you’re completely over it and can’t focus.

There you have it! You now have all the tips you need to become a pro notetaker.

And don’t worry, if you didn’t take notes on this article, you can always come back and read it again.

Still haven’t figured out how to adjust to those online classes? Take a look at these seven steps to mastering online lecture etiquette.

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