Note-taking is one of the most essential skills you need to master for continuous improvement.
Chances are there that you are already taking notes using apps like Google Keep, Evernote, or Onenote.
But note-taking isn’t just about taking notes.
You need to optimize your note taking system for:
- Capturing – It is important to note down interesting thoughts as soon as they come to your mind. You can use Notion API functionality to further speed it up.
- Organization – Intuitive organization with tags, properties, and pages. You can make use of the sub-pages feature in Notion to organize notes at multiple levels of hierarchy and navigate with breadcrumbs.
- Retrieval – The right notes should resurface at the right time, and should be easy to find.
- Remix – Creativity is the result of hybrid ideas. You need to make use of backlinking or mind mapping, to see how your thoughts connect with each other contextually (if you want an app mainly meant for this – you can try Obsidian or Roam Research).
Notion as a note-taking system excels in all these sectors, except for mind mapping.
With Notion, I find myself capturing ideas much more pleasant because of its minimalistic block based hybrid editor that allows you to write notes using keystroke shortcuts, GUI, and even markdown syntax.
Building a note-taking system from scratch can demand a lot of guesswork. That’s why I’ve listed some of the most effective note-taking templates to use with Notion.
Thomas Frank’s Note-Taking System
🌟 Score: 92 / 100
This Notion template is designed by productivity guru Thomas Frank for easy note-taking on the go with the Notion app. It’s more powerful than other simple note-taking apps like Evernote or Apple notes on iPhone. Explore the template for more details.
Class Notes
🌟 Score: 90 / 100
This “Class notes” template is designed for students to take organized notes from different classes and keep them stored in one place for reference and review. You can categorize your notes by subject, take down notes for each class, and upload study materials. Explore the template for more details.
Simple Lectures & Class Notes Notion Template
🌟 Score: 85 / 100
This advanced database is designed to keep track of your lecture notes and academic content. It makes good use of relations and roll-ups to integrate with your existing workflow. Explore the template for more details.
