Cornell Note Taking Style has some uniqueness on the system. Cornell Method PDF Generator. Study Smarter has a quick online PDF generator to generate such custom sheets: blank (Cornell.
by Gina Trapani
Like it or not, our work lives involve meetings - status meetings, planning conference calls, brainstorming sessions, meetings for the sake of meetings. But a meeting is only as valuable as the action taken after everyone's left the conference room.
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Whether you're headed off to a business meeting, a university lecture, or a conference session, taking effective notes is a necessary skill to move your projects, your career and your education forward. Today I'll go over a couple of my favorite note-taking methods, as well as how to make your own custom notepaper to fit your needs.
The first two methods are especially useful for business meetings and professional conferences, where it's most important to separate different types of information.
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Method 1: Symbolize the next action
Using notepaper or a simple text file on your laptop or tablet, indent the pages of your notes in from the left margin. Then, use a simple system of symbols to mark off 4 different information types in the column space left in the margin.
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- [ ] A square checkbox denotes a to do item
- ( ) A circle indicates a task to be assigned to someone else
- * An asterisk is an important fact
- ? A question mark goes next to items to research or ask about
After the meeting, a quick vertical scan of the margin area makes it easy to add tasks to your to do list and calendar, send out requests to others, and further research questions. (This method is the brainchild of Michael Hyatt, someone who clearly has mastered the art of attending meetings.)
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Method 2: Split your page into quadrants
Another way to visually separate information types is to split your note-taking page into quadrants and record different kinds of information - like questions, reference and todo's - into the separate areas on the page. Rumor has it this is how Bill Gates - someone known for taking amazingly detailed meeting notes - gets it done.
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Cornell Note Taking Method Custom Pdf Generator Printers
Method 3: Record and summarize - The Cornell Note-taking Method
A system more targeted towards students digesting large amounts of information on a daily basis, the Cornell note-taking method also separates the page into different areas, as pictured:
- Note taking area: Record lecture as fully and meaningfully as possible.
- Cue column: As you're taking notes, leave the cue column empty. Soon after the lecture, reduce your notes to concise jottings as clues for Reciting, Reviewing and Reflecting.
- Summaries: Sum up each page of your notes in a sentence or two.
DIY notepaper
There are a few neat little webapps out there that produce custom PDF's of formatted, lined notepaper with various options for printing out before your meeting and possibly stowing in a binder.
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Notepaper Generator [Simson.net]
Custom Pdf Generator
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Create a PDF of a lined page with a small monthly calendar in the header and an optional summary box in the upper right hand corner. Choose your font face and optionally include punch holes as well.
Cornell Method PDF Generator [Study Smarter]
Prints pages split up into the Cornell notepaper style with unlined, ruled or graphed sections. Optionally include your name, the date, and the name of your class, and up to 4 punch holes for use in a binder. Also, choose the line darkness on a scale from gray to black.
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Notepad Generator [Michael Botsko]
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This PDF notes template includes your name, number, the date, project name and splits the page into two sections: one for notes (with lines) and the other for action items with due dates, with optional punchholes.
What do you use to take notes in meetings? How do you keep your jottings organized and useful after the fact? Let us know in the comments or to tips at lifehacker.com.
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Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, is getting better at taking worthwhile notes. Her semi-weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Wednesday and Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.
For those of us who are picky about what we write on, finding a quality notebook that meets your specific needs can be tricky. Here's how to make your own personalized, customized notebook.
Photo by sunshinecity.
Instead of making compromises and settling for a Mead or Moleskine notebook, we’re going to make our own notebook: The Ultimate College Notebook.
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Criteria
- The paper must be of a high quality.
- The paper must be set up for Cornell Notes. Ed. note: We explained how to take study-worthy lecture notes using the Cornell method in the past.
- The pages must be perforated and three hole punched.
- The cover and binding must be made of durable materials.
Step #1: Choose Your Paper
Quality paper is what separates a good notebook from a great notebook. For our Ultimate Notebook we’re using 32lb HP Premium Choice Laser Printer Paper. Although expensive at about $20 a ream, writing on this buttery smooth, fountain pen friendly paper is an absolute dream. The heavy weight of the paper will ensure that ink won’t seep through the page.
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$19
GMG may get a commission
Step #2: Print the Lines
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The Cornell Method is a powerful note taking technique which separates a piece of paper into 3 sections; notes, main points and summary. This forces you to consider the big picture when taking notes without getting caught up in the details. We’ll be printing a lined Cornell Note template onto both sides of our pages. You can grab blank, lined or grid PDF templates here. If you prefer plain old lined or grid paper, a quick search should bring up a bunch of line generators.
Step #3: Perforate and Punch the Pages
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Carrying around a notebook with a semester’s worth of notes without some form of redundancy is a scary thought. We’re very diligent when it comes to backing up our computer data, but what about our physical notes? A paper perforator will allow you to tear individual pages out of your notebook so that once you return home you can scan your notes to your computer and file away the originals into a binder. As a bonus, you can import your scanned notes into a service like Evernote so that you’ll have access to them wherever you go. A 5-in-1 paper trimmer with perforating blade can be bought at Staples for $45.
Step #4: Assemble
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Once you’ve prepped all of our pages for binding, it’s time to bind your notebooks. Head to your favorite print shop and pay the extra few bucks for quality binding materials. Stay away from Cerlox binding, it’s inferior to Coil and Wire-O.
Step #5: Enjoy
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The Ultimate College Notebook; quality materials and designed to integrate perfectly into your note processing workflow. You can take pride this semester knowing that you’re writing on the best notebook there is.
The writers from HackCollege are contributing to our Back To School series all this week.
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