As much as we don’t want to let go of summer, we have to admit that our heartbeats quicken at the thought of shiny new school supplies. Whether you’re heading off to high school or college, this is the perfect time to reevaluate your study habits and adopt some new tools. To help you prepare, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite note-taking strategies that will help you power through the semester.
If you prefer keeping your notes in a binder, consider using a set of dividers to keep your notes organized.
The Ruled Maruman Spiral Note Basic Notebook has tick marks at the top and bottom of the page that make it incredibly easy to draw vertical lines. Don’t forget a ruler to keep your lines neat! We like the Midori Multi Ruler because it’s compact when folded, yet extends to cover the length of a B5 notebook.
If you need to draw attention to a specific passage, try Beverly Cocosasu Page Markers. Tear the page marker at the microperforation and use the short end to point directly at a line, then bookmark the page with the long end.
Summaries can be created on index cards, though they can be difficult to keep organized. These Kokuyo Tack Memo Sticky Notes are large enough to fit a paragraph of text and can be attached directly to the start of a section. If you take notes on loose leaf paper, you can use Mini B7 Maruman Loose Leaf Papers as flash cards. These loose leaf sheets are available in a variety of sheet styles and fit neatly in compatible binders.
However, we do recommend limiting yourself to three or four colors. Using a dozen colors can overwhelm you and make your notes more difficult to parse when you revisit them.
Our project planning guide isn’t specifically about studying, but we share tips on how to use whiteboards to examine problems and brainstorm solutions that students may find helpful.
We hope these tips will help you become more effective in your studying as you begin this new school year! Do you have study tips that you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below.