How to Take Notes Like a Pro

We’ve already said goodbye to notebooks. Pen and paper had their time, but they’ve been made redundant by technology. Taking notes on your computer means they’re a lot less likely to get lost and are much easier to share. But note-taking has now evolved even further with the creation of handy productivity apps, like myReach.

MyReach provides greater flexibility and personalisation when it comes to note-taking. It acts as a second brain, storing all of your knowledge at your fingertips. It allows you to connect your notes to their context (dates, references, locations, etc.) just as the brain would. With myReach you can easily connect client profiles to meeting notes and you’ll never have to worry about losing your notes again. They are securely stored and easy to retrieve thanks to myReach’s advanced search filters.

You may have the tools at your disposal, but you can’t just write down what you hear and expect the knowledge to stick or be understandable in the future. You tend to lose almost 40% of new information within the first 24 hours of reading or hearing it. However, if you take notes effectively, you can retain and retrieve almost 100% of the information you receive.

But an effective note-taking strategy requires effort. So, here are 4 helpful ways to become an effective note-taker:

Be An Active Listener

Think about what you’re learning as you write it down and make sure you understand it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure. Listen for cues from whoever is speaking i.e. “this is important”, or for emphasis so you know what points to highlight. Make sure that you write your notes in your own words rather than just copying down what is being said word for word. This means you’ll take in the information better and be able to comprehend it easier when you look back on your notes at a later date.

Be Succinct

Notes should be short but meaningful. Stay focused and try not to veer off-topic. Use short, succinct sentences, don’t write everything down however tempting it may be. This will just make it incredibly time-consuming when it comes to reading through your notes and trying to gather the relevant information later on. Instead, try to capture the most important ideas. This is a skill that takes practice and will become easier with time.

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