4 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Notes Digitally
As a college student, note-taking is an extremely important part of your life. As if keeping up with your class curriculum and trying to juggle school with the rest of your life isn't enough, you now have to factor time out of your schedule for taking notes for each lecture and every bit of assigned material. Stressful, right? Trying to find the perfect note-taking medium is difficult, to begin with (after all, you want to make sure you're able to capture the information you need as clearly and effectively as possible.) But this isn't about that; this is about the benefits that digital note-taking can offer, some of which have saved my life on numerous occasions.
Pro #1: Your notes are all in one place
One perk to taking your notes digitally is that they're all in one place. This means that all you need is your device of choice, whether that be a tablet and stylus or your laptop. This is an awesome thing to have if you're always on the fo or you hate carrying more than you have to(as if those heavy textbooks don't already weigh enough!)
This is also handy because instead of carrying paper notebooks and all of the stationery that comes with them, you have everything you need in one device. You know what that means-- no more forgetting your biology lab notebook at home and scrambling to make up the notes at home later on. How convenient, right?
Pro #2: You can take your notes with you anywhere
Most digital note-taking software and apps sync across devices, which means you can access your notes anywhere that you have internet access. My personal favorite is Evernote, and while you can only sync two devices at a time with the free version, this is still extremely handy for studying on your work break or commute. Not all software is the same, and others (such as Microsoft OneNote) sync to the cloud. This means that you can access them from any device you're logged into.
Pro #3: You have options
If you're someone who prefers digital notes, you're probably already familiar with a few different programs and have chosen a favorite. If not, you're probably wondering where to start. Digital note-taking is such a convenient thing. If you prefer to write your notes, you'll probably want to invest in an Ipad (with Apple Pencil, which is most commonly recommended) or other tablet. One of the most suggested and highly rated note-taking apps for Ipad is Goodnotes. This is a highly customizable app with the focus being on writing your notes yourself. Another good one is Notability, which also allows you to write your notes out yourself. The downside to these apps is that they are only available on Apple's AppStore. Some other tablet-friendly apps (meaning not designed specifically for Apple products) include Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, and Notion.
Microsoft OneNote is an excellent app as far as customization goes. It gives you the option to separate your notes into different notebooks, offers templates, and allows you to write or type your notes-- whichever you prefer! You also have many of the same formatting options that Microsoft Word offers, which gives you the upper hand in that you're probably already familiar with it. It is available through Microsoft Office 360 as well as for personal use through Microsoft Office 365. One of the benefits of using OneNote through Office 360 is that all of your files save to the cloud, so you can access your notes anywhere from any device. This is another one of my favorites simply because it has so much potential-- there's so much that you can do with it! OneNote is available for laptop, tablet, desktop, or any other mobile device, making it easy to access from anywhere.
Notion is also a highly customizable program, with one of the biggest pros being that it's great for working with others. You can color-code notebooks and notes, and it offers templates for just about everything you can imagine. You have access to many shortcuts that make working fast and easy, and it's ridiculously easy to share notes and files with others. I use Notion as a planner, and it works so well that I've been considering using it for taking notes as well. It is available through your internet browser, which means you can access it from any device at any time.
Last but not least is Evernote. Evernote is probably the simplest and easiest note-taking program to use. You can organize your notes into notebooks and easily move a note from one notebook to the other. The formatting and appearance are simple and every note you create will include the date that you last edited the note. You can also send notes to others through email, with the biggest downside being that you can only sync notes to two devices at one time (with the free version.) However, the devices that you do save your notes to will save to your device itself, which means you can study the notes you've taken offline. This makes it easy and convenient to store all of your notes in one place. Evernote may not offer all of the bells and whistles you're used to with Microsoft Word, but it lays everything out in a way that makes it easy to take notes simply and effectively. You can include simple tables as well as images, but the program isn't as customizable as OneNote, Notion, or Goodnotes. Evernote is one of the few note-taking programs/apps that is available for almost any device. For my first semester of college, I relied strongly upon my Kindle Fire HD 8 to take notes after my laptop broke. Evernote is one of the few available apps on Kindle, alongside Microsoft OneNote.
Pro #4: Digital notes are easier to travel with
If you are someone with a busy schedule or someone who likes to pack light, consider digital notes! Having all of your notes on your laptop or tablet makes your bag a lot lighter, especially if you're someone who likes to keep a separate notebook for every class. This also helps to cut down on the number of things necessary for most of your classes, like pens or pencils, rulers, and highlighters. If you're someone who bullet journals or prides yourself in beautifully crafted, aesthetic handwritten notes, you know how easy it can be to get carried away with your stationery. One of the cool things about digital notes is that if you have apps like OneNote or Goodnotes, you cut down on stationery and other small items drastically. Not only that but because most people type faster than they write, taking notes digitally makes taking lecture notes much easier because it's easier to keep up with the professor when you can record information much faster.
Overall, digital notes are a blessing. They've made my job as a student SO much easier. I can fit my notes into my pocket or purse and study on the go, and it's way easier to carry my 13- inch laptop with me than my 4 to 6 notebooks, and I love how much typing my notes has cut down on my study time. I can do more with digital notes than I can with paper notes, such as inserting diagrams right where I need them instead of having to dig through my bag for print-offs and assignments. I've found that digital notes are especially helpful for my online university courses since most of the assignments are filled out online. I can also send my notes to classmates much more easily, as opposed to loaning out my notebook, hoping I'll get it back when I need it. I absolutely love digital note-taking for tests because they're all in one place and I don't have to go flipping back and forth through my notebook looking for the information I need. You should absolutely take your notes online, I promise you won't regret it!
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