Top 5 Tips for Effective Note-Taking Using Planners

You probably already know that taking good notes is an important skill. But did you know that it also helps you remember things better later on? In fact, research has shown that students who take notes regularly tend to perform better academically than those who don't. And it will certainly help you make a good impression in the workplace too. But you don't have to be a student or professional to benefit from some notetaking tips, it can be just as helpful for mums or dads.

Daily planners are great tools for organising notes, lists, tasks, appointments, and other important information. They also provide space for writing down ideas and reminders, like what groceries to buy or what time to pick up the kids.

Calendar Club has a variety of planners in various shapes and styles, from standard book format and ring-bound spines to square or rectangular shape covers. Some even include special features such as calendars, address books, and diaries.

Maybe you've tried using a daily planner before and found it too complicated. If you want to improve your note-taking skills, then these top note-taking tips should come in handy.

1. Plan Out Your Day

Set yourself up for success by planning out your day. If you know what you want to achieve, you'll be able to focus on those tasks that are most likely to make progress towards your goal. 

Write down at least 3 goals for the day in your daily planner. You can do this first thing in the morning when you wake up or on the bus to work. Your goals don't have to be groundbreaking, they can be as simple as 'attend all my lectures' or 'walk the dog'.

2. Think About Your Intentions

Once you've set your goals, think about why you want to achieve them. What do you hope to gain from achieving them? Why are they important to you? Are they realistic? Once you've taken the time to introspect, write down your reasons in your weekly planner. Then, whenever you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, you can refer back to your intentions and remember why you made the goal.

3. Always Keep Your Planner With You

You might think you'll remember everything you did or heard when the day is over, but chances are you won't. Keeping a pen and daily planner with you always will help you capture important information without having to rely on memory alone. However, even if you forget your planner behind, you should still write down notes. The act of writing things down makes them easier to recall in times when you can’t check your notes, so it’s a good habit to maintain nonetheless. You could always update your daily planner later on. 

4. Keep it Brief Using Bullet Points and Acronyms

If you're trying to write something down to remember later, try breaking it into smaller chunks. For example, instead of saying ‘Go through Ms West’s opinion of the 3rd quarter financials’, say ‘Read West’s POV on Q3’. This way, you can easily add more details later on if need be. This will also help you stay focused on the present moment when you're in a lecture or a meeting.

When you're summarising a list or thinking of an idea for your next assignment, make use of bullet points. This approach ensures that your ideas are easy to read and understand. It's also great for making sure you don't miss anything important. 

5. Summarise What You've Learnt in Your Planner

When you're using bullet points (sometimes frantically), you tend to leave out some details and what you've written down might not make sense to you if you had to read it weeks later. So, when you're done taking notes, be sure to fill in the gaps by writing a complete summary at the end of the page explaining everything in detail.

On the other hand, sometimes you will write down a lot of repetitive or unnecessary information. If this is you, then reduce your ramblings down to their core meaning. This will make it much easier for you to skim through your daily planner in the future.

When you finish each day's activities, take note of what you've achieved. Write down any new insights you gained during the day, or any changes you made to your plans. It may seem like a lot of writing at first, but over time, you'll get used to doing it. And you'll thank yourself for it.

If you're looking to start 2023 in the best way possible, then there's nothing handier than having your very own daily planner. At Calendar Club, we have a daily planner with your name on it. So order yours today!