Organising your notes

Think carefully about where to jot your notes and how to store them so they are easily accessible. Organising your notes and keeping them tidy will save you time, and as important as knowing which note taking techniques are most effective for you.

Below are some ideas to help you get organised

Using paper for your notes

• Try using coloured paper so that all related notes are made on sheets of the same colour. Some notebooks have sections in different colours and give the advantage of keeping all your notes in one place. 
• You could use a concertina file, manilla folders, or a file with dividers to organise your notes according to topic, course or as part of an assignment. Label and number all your pages if you use loose paper.
• Devise an index to your notes - and keep it up to date.
• Digital notebooks can be very useful, as they allow you to store and organise your handwritten notes in an electronic database simply by placing the digital pen in its cradle.

Using a computer for your notes

• Name folders clearly to indicate their content, and use subfolders if it helps to keep your notes tidy.
• If your notes are in PowerPoint then the slide sorter view allows you to cut, paste and rearrange the slides to simplify the organisation of your notes.
• Software products are also available to help in taking and organising notes.