Subtopics would be listed below with qualifying points below that. It is a linear method of taking notes that proceeds down the page, using indentation or bullets to denote major and minor points.Ī typical Outline system would begin with a roman numeral and a key topic. The Outline/List is probably how you were taught to take notes in school. Most of the pictures in this post were created using layouts from that notebook.

Oh and if you need a place to take notes, check out my Spark Notebook. I hope you find it useful and maybe it will give you a couple of new ideas for your note-taking options. I originally did this for my own benefit - so I could tailor my note-taking style to fit any situation. Whatever your preference, I've created this post to share every note-taking style I could find. However, I will admit to using cloud-based apps like Evernote to annotate websites I'd like to revisit or to snap photos of presentation slides I'd like to review from home. I like the freedom to be able to use the whole page without working within the constraints of the traditional paragraph style. Personally, I love taking notes the old-fashioned way. Are you an analytical learner or a visual learner? Do you like inserting notes into a structure of rows and columns, or do you prefer to use a blank page to draw your ideas?įinally, the growth of digital note-taking platforms means that you never have to use a pen and paper again (only sort of joking). It's also important to recognize how you process information. What works for outlining a blog post might not work so great for brainstorming new ideas. However, different types of information demand different styles of note-taking. This might be a specific method you learned in school, or it might be the 'jot-down everything on whatever is in front of me' method. You probably already have a preferred method of taking notes. You take notes to visualize complex systems or concepts. You take notes to problem solve or brainstorm. You take notes to capture facts or ideas (e.g., interviews, itineraries, something said in passing, etc.). You take notes to retain information from things you hear - like meetings and presentations. No matter what your profession, there are lots of reasons to take notes.

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