How to Note-Take and Remember MORE + Study LESS, by iCanStudy on YouTube. 19 min 16 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 16 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Before the lecture, skim the topic and write three to five questions you want answered. Keep them at the top of the page so you can tick them off as you go.
During the lecture, write ideas in your own words. Do not copy slides word for word, because copying feels productive but leaves little understanding behind.
Push past listing facts. Compare ideas, explain causes, and link new points to things you already know, which is the higher-order thinking the video builds on.
Add a why or how question in the margin next to each main idea. Leave the answer blank until you can fill it in yourself.
Set up non-linear notes. Put the main topic in the centre, branch out to subtopics, and draw arrows between ideas that connect.
Leave white space between branches. You will need room to add links, examples and corrections when you review.
Review within 24 hours. Rewrite vague points, add a concrete example to each branch, and answer the questions you wrote.
Test yourself by covering the branches and explaining each one out loud from memory. Mark the gaps and go back to the source for those only.
Tips and common mistakes
More notes is not the same as better notes, so judge a page by how well you can explain it later.
Keep one page or one screen per lecture topic so the links stay visible.
If you fall behind, write the heading and leave a gap instead of stopping to copy everything.
A quick review the same day beats a long reread the week before the exam.
Questions
Do I have to stop taking linear notes?
No. A list still works for straight facts. Switch to a branched layout when the lecture is about relationships between ideas, causes or processes.
How much should I write during a lecture?
Write less than you think. Aim for key ideas, your own short explanations and questions, then fill in detail during the review.
Can I do this in a notes app?
Yes. Any app with a mind map, canvas or outline view works, as long as you can draw links between notes.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
