How to take better notes

When it comes to note taking, most people have their preferred method, being pen and paper or completely digital notes. I use a little bit of both, trying to be efficient in each situation. For example in a meeting I am more inclined to use the pen and paper. Handwriting offers a greater flexibility when taking notes, and is less distracting for the others, no click clacks, and my face is not hidden behind a screen. While reading I found out that pen and paper doesn't work very well for me, and I switched to digital notes. I want to be able to add more information in previous notes, I don't carry the notebook all the time with me, and the fact that I have the habit of starting more than one books makes matters so much difficult. So for books I take notes by making annotations on my phone. Most of my reading is done using Readera and then backing up the notes in Google Drive.

For students on the other hand the pen might be the better option when it comes to taking notes. A recent study shows that handwriting compared with typing results in a more complex brain connectivity which enhances learning and memory. The study used EEG from 36 students comparing brain activity while writing by hand and typing.

The study also reveals that the medium on which you write is not that important, tablet or pen and paper as long as the writing is done by gestures of the hand (cursive).

"We show that when writing by hand, brain connectivity patterns are far more elaborate than when typewriting on a keyboard. Such widespread brain connectivity is known to be crucial for memory formation and for encoding new information and,therefore, is beneficial for learning...

Our findings suggest that visual and movement information obtained through precisely controlled hand movements when using a pen contribute extensively to the brain's connectivity patters that promote learning" 

Professor Audrey van der Meer, brain researcher at the Norway University of Science and Technology, co-author of the study published in the Frontiers in Psychology.

It might take longer to take notes by hand, especially when there are a lot of subjects and a lot of information, but it might help you in the long run, reducing the time needed to acquire the information.