This is the third in a five part series across the blog Student Help Forum and Scholastici.us: Student Productivity Week. See Part IV tomorrow at Student Help Forum.
I have to admit something.
So far this semester, I’ve been a horrible productivity guru. Really. Just awful. This semester has been a train wreck since day one and I’m totally off the ball right now. Yes, there are reasons but that hardly matters. What matters is I am off the track and it is time to get back on. So, let’s make it a learning experience, shall we?
First… Scheduling
Kind of a core skill here. This is actually pretty under control, I’ve just not been following it well. I’m using GradeFix (a webapp I am totally in love with) and iCal which syncs with my phone nicely. Gradefix also feeds into iCal so everything is in one place.
However, since initially setting GradeFix up a lot has changed, and I need to update it desperately. So, step one. You can, of course, do this with any calendaring program. I use Gradefix because it organizes the time in very manageable blocks which I really like.
take notes in OmniOutliner, which is a Mac app that every Mac for the past few years has came with free. If using Windows, Onenote would be fine. Oddly enough, however, this semester I do not have a lot of classes where taking notes in class is all that practical - taking notes on books is far more so. This doesn’t really change anything though - just where I’m getting the info.An import part of notes, however, is reviewing them. I like the general setup of the Cornell method myself, but I’m not really all that anal about it. The important part is that you process these notes - you attend them. For me that means:
- noting the important terms (and defining them if necessary)
- noting the main points and possibly re-wording them
- researching the general topic loosely, as well as any attending ideas
I use Wikipedia pretty heavily here, as it generally gives me an excellent breakdown along with other useful links, etc. You can see an example of my notes in this image to the side. At the bottom of the column you can see a “Summary” where I kept keywords, etc. It was simply an embedded text file within my Curio file. Essentially, I keep a template in Curio and then paste my OmniOutliner notes into it. I use Curio (or Onenote) because it is a whiteboard setup - I can stick just about anything into it wherever I want - which appeals greatly to my learning style. The squares on the left are webarchive files, as opposed to links, because that way even without the net I have access to them. If I’m taking notes over an individual, I often find a picture helps and will usually include these in my notes as well as maps, other pictures, etc, when appropriate.
Also, as an aside, for those of you who like to take notes on paper as I often do while reading, as I find moving to a laptop and back too disruptive - you can use this dandy Cornell-esque printable template I made a while back. But afterwards, I still put them back into the computer at the end of the day.
So, now we’re at the second thing I must do. I need to go over and attend my notes. It’s best to do this immediately after class, or at least later in the day, but.. as I said, I’m behind. Still, there is value in this - reviewing notes a second time a few days later is very useful, because holes or obvious problems in your notes may be much more noticible with a bit of time on your side.
I do skim - first. I go over the chapter, reading first and last paragraphs here and there. I generally read the introduction and concluding paragraphs as well and then I go through, reading very carefully. I underline, mark, note and comment as I go. The upside? I can “re-read” an entire book in a few minutes when I’m done. I read the underlined bits, the comments, the notes and I’m generally pretty refreshed on everything I read. The sooner the better, obviously, but I’ve done this with books I’ve read months before quite successfully.
Quick tip - get a brightly colored pen to do this. I like a Pilot G2 - Red (.07) myself and, indeed, G2 .07’s are my pen of choice in general. The bright colors will stand out a lot more, and are easier to review with. You can also use a blue pen, if you must.
Afterwards, I use one of the aforementioned Cornell note sheets to map out what I just read. I’ll later type this up (as above.)
Depending on the class, later on I’ll make a Study Sheet generally to go along with any review they may give us, though for somethings (like languages) I’ll make one at the beginning rather than the end so I don’t have to flip around the book constantly as I work.
12/09/2007 at 4:17 pm Permalink
For organization, in addition to Google calendar, I of course use Gradefix. It’s an absolute god send. I also keep a sheet of folded up paper in my pocket for capturing actions and steps when I think of them, tagging them by class/subject, and then I store them on Google Notebook so that I can mindlessly execute them later.
For in-class notes, I use this custom template site for the cornell notepaper: http://eleven21.com/notetaker/
…and I store my electronic documents and notes on Google Docs.
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For studying, I tend to use a lot of brute force and repetition. It works, and it gives me confidence with the material, but it is a bit of a slog. I just got Cal’s book, so I’m hoping to upgrade my study skills some mo’.
13/09/2007 at 6:14 am Permalink
I think a lot of the time, we worry that we won’t take in every last sentence and fact. In reality, you’re absolutely right that loosely researching a topic can work wonders in the first instance. Then you have a grounding for what you’re studying towards.
Also, your recommendation of skimming books and papers in the first instance is similar to doing the loose research. Skimming helps to take in a lot of major headings, graphs, subjects, and even some paragraphs without too much bother.
The sooner we can stop trying to learn every single fact in the first study sitting, the better.
13/09/2007 at 10:58 am Permalink
@Jay - I often do, myself. Languages, my personal demon, requires a lot of brute force unfortunately. At times, you just do what works. But I’ve been trying a few other things, too.
@Martin - Amen!