Have you ever finished a lecture at college and forgotten half of the information after leaving the class? Or perhaps you’ve left a work meeting and forgotten everything you’d written down.
Luckily, there are several techniques to help you remember what you type. They will help you store information better in the long run, and it costs nothing but a little effort to try them out. Here’s how to better remember what you type with digital note-taking.
1. Combine Paper Notes With Digital Notes
One thing you might consider whendeciding whether to use paper or digital notesis how the method affects your memory. Multiple studies, including one byThe University of Tokyo, outline how writing things down is better for your memory than digital note-taking.
This doesn’t mean you have to ditch digital note-taking if you want to study effectively. Evernote offers a way to combine digital note-taking with paper notes with its OCR technology. The feature, offered in the mobile app, allows you to scan handwritten notes to upload and edit them in your digital workspace.
To upload a scan to your Evernote account, hit theNew (+)button at the bottom of the app interface, then selectCamera. After taking the photo, crop and rotate the image, then hitSave. You can then annotate the image using Evernote’s impressive editing tools. You can add arrows, create freehand drawings, and add text, all of which come under the app’s free version. If you’d like to search for text in your scanned documents, you mayconsider upgrading to a paid version of Evernote.
Download:Evernote forWindows|Mac|Android|iOS(Free, subscription available)
2. Practice Active Reading Techniques
Improving your reading skills and comprehension is one of the most effective methods of absorbing information better. It will also help you when reading your notes at a later stage.
Reading Trainer is a fun and challenging app to level up your reading and comprehension. Its varied exercises aim to increase your reading speed while boosting your retention.
During the app’s setup phase, you are prompted to select a goal for using the app. (We recommend choosing theImprove comprehension and retentionoption for the best results.) Following this, you’ll receive a personalized curriculum of a range of exercises, includingWord PairsandLetter Jumble.
You can track your progress in theStatisticstab. Here, you’re given a rank based on your reading power as well as an average WpM rating. Ifyou’re learning a language, Reading Trainer also supports ten different languages.
Download:Reading Trainer forAndroid|iOS(Free, subscription available)
3. Increase Your Understanding By Using Comments
Comments are a great way to interact with colleagues and makegroup decisions at work. But you can also utilize comments when taking solo notes to add another level of interpretation to your notes.
Notion is one of many great note-taking apps with a built-in comments feature. To make a comment, highlight some text and then pressCtrl+Shift+M.you’re able to mention a date orlink to another Notion pageby typing the@symbol.
As you read through your notes, thoughts and questions will crop up naturally. you’re able to use comments to address these questions, expand on ideas, and indicate notes that require further research.
Notion offers a default view and a minimal view for displaying comments on your notes page. To change this view, head to the three dots in the top-right corner of the editing window and selectCustomize page. You’ll then see two options in the dropdown beside thePage Commentsheading.
Download:Notion forDesktop|Android|iOS(Free, subscription available)
4. Take Advantage of the Formatting Features
If you’re already an experienced note-taker, you’ll know that condensing information and removing unnecessary information are both important techniques. Reducing information to its core principles is not a subtle technique—it gives your brain less to remember, so you may focus on what’s important.
Craft helps emphasize key bits of text with its impressive formatting options. The beautifully-designed app is available for iOS devices, and there’s a web version that syncs your content automatically.
In the sidebar, you’re able to change the color of the text and find other formatting features. There are two styles to help emphasize text:BlockandFocus. You can also highlight text regularly using the keyboard shortcutCtrl+Shift+B.
Download: Craft forWindows|Mac|iOS(Free, subscription available)
5. Add Images And Other Media to Notes
Adding images and other media to your notes helps make them more memorable. This technique is most suitable for visual learners; however, it can be beneficial no matterwhat learning type you are.
Notion offers a simple method to add media to your notes with its command-based editor. To add an image, type the command/imagewith your cursor where you’d like to insert the image. You can then upload a file from your local storage or select images from Unsplash or GIPHY.
Videos use a similar method—type/videoto upload a video from your hard drive. you may also embed a video in your notes from online platforms, including Vimeo and YouTube. This saves you from navigating to a browser tab, helping you stay focused and avoid online distractions.
6. Learn Memory Techniques—Art of Memory
Art of Memory is a website to learn ancient memory techniques to enhance your learning and better store information in the long run. The site offers articles on many acclaimed techniques, such as building a memory palace, and there’s a free PDF eBook of memory techniques where you may learn the basics.
To further your knowledge, there’s an FAQ section as well as a forum to gain insights from others. You’ll also find memory training games to put your teachings straight into practice. The site is free to use and easy to navigate due to its wiki-like structure.
Remember What You Type to Be More Productive and Save Time
The key to remembering information better is changing your learning approach. By applying these tips, you’ll be able to store information for longer and with more precision. By sparing yourself the need to go back and review your notes, you’ll also save time. Practice these tips to learn more efficiently and prevent forgetting information.
