Master three key points and take notes easily

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Hey, do you like taking notes (opens in a new tab)? Some friends are used to turning on their computers or smartphones to take notes, while many still prefer to use pen and paper to record their thoughts. Whether it is organizing meeting minutes, reading experiences, or writing down work priorities and to-do items, note-taking seems to be a skill that everyone must learn.

I once held a course on “Workplace Writing Power (opens in a new tab)” for people in the society, sharing various practical workplace writing skills with everyone. This class starts with the writing outline and content strategy, guiding students to write content that can effectively persuade supervisors and customers. It not only focuses on cultivating writing skills in the workplace, but also hopes to help each student find ways to effectively communicate and convey, so as to gain efficiency and fun from it.

I understand that modern people are busy with work and it is difficult to have a lot of time to take notes. Therefore, in this course, I also introduced to you how to take notes easily. Today, I will share with you through this article:

An “effective note (opens in a new tab)” will one day perform the most amazing magic in our lives. When these notes are buried deep, waiting for our needs, and then jump out to give us the most surprising stimulation when we need them, this is the most touching thing about the notes.

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In fact, there are many books and [methods] about note-taking (https://wordcounter.net/blog/2018/06/06/103261_how-to-take-notes.html (opens in a new tab)), such as the well-known Cornell Note-taking Method (opens in a new tab), Bullet Journaling Method (opens in a new tab), McKinsey Note-taking Method or Finnish Note-taking Method, etc. You can decide which note-taking method to use based on your own needs, scenarios, uses and preferences?

But for me, taking good notes is actually a very simple matter. I only need to master three keys:

1. Storytelling: Whether we are taking interview notes or recording the experience of a wonderful lecture, the important thing is to be able to reproduce the essence through simple and concise notes. It doesn’t have to be recorded verbatim, but it should be able to retain the most valuable and worthy of attention, so that when people look through the notes afterwards, it feels like they are reading a wonderful story.

2. Talk about key points: Some friends are used to listing key points when taking notes, and some are good at grabbing keywords. In fact, these methods are good and can group some key information. You can even use pens of different colors to draw different sections on the notebook, and then fill in the information one by one so that people can see the key points at a glance. Bullet Journaling (opens in a new tab), which has become popular in recent years, uses this method to help brain decompression (opens in a new tab).

3. Review frequently: Many people have been busy all their lives and written notes for decades, but they almost never re-examine what they have written. It is a pity to think about it! If taking notes is just a formality or boring work, it is really a waste! In fact, there is a lot of information hidden in every note. I encourage everyone to read past notes often and find some useful clues.

I think taking notes should be a very happy thing, which is helpful for self-growth. You don’t need to be limited to methods, formats and tools, but you must record and experience it with your heart. If you are very interested in taking notes, you are also welcome to join the Facebook group “I love taking notes (opens in a new tab)”! There is a group of friends there who like to write notes, and everyone can share and communicate together!

💡 Do you want to write copy that will get more people to like it? Come and read “Read slowly and understand in seconds (opens in a new tab)”.

💡 Want to learn content production and management? Come and sign up for the online course “Content Power: The Super Power of Building Brands (opens in a new tab)”.

💡 Photo Credit: Matt Ragland (opens in a new tab)

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Further reading

• Interview note-taking tips for novice reporters: How to capture key information efficiently and write in-depth reports
• quirks about writing notes
• Observation techniques: finding inspiration in casual details