Pen And Paper, Digital Note Or AI Note Taking?
From just a pen and a paper, humans have managed to push the notetaking game to a higher level with more advanced tools like digital application, web app and AI notetaker.
From Hand Writing To Having An AI Notetaker
Do I Really Need Taking Notes?
Apparently, it seems that if you have landed on this article, you must have the answer for yourself. Still, let's discuss this topic a little bit as it might provide new insights.
So, note taking has been a recommended action since we were in school until we go to work. The main functions are to write down things to save them and revisit later if needed. It does not only store information for you but also free up your memory.
Note-taking triggers the external storage and encoding effects. What do they mean? In short, you have notes for later review and the information in them will be processed deeper.
As a student, many researchers have pointed out the relationship between note-taking and grades. Better note-taking means higher marks.
However, the benefits of note-taking solely rely on you. Your notes are useless if you do not have the habit of jotting down new info or revisiting them. Furthermore, note-taking is an art too as you might want to spend some time to structure it in your preferences.
Therefore, in case you are the type of person who can commit and form a habit, otherwise, it is pointless to do note-taking. Still, everyone should really give it a try.
Now, let's visit the popular methods of note-taking that everyone is using.
Putting Notes On Paper
Science has affirmed that when you write something down, you remember it longer and clearer. This is certainly true for everyone, including you.
That is why even in the digital age, pen and paper are still so popular when it comes to note-taking. Some people might be a fan of tradition while some use them because they see the effectiveness. There is a reason why in lower school grades, students only can use pen and paper while studying and attending lectures.
However, drawbacks exist. Not everyone like manual writing, so using pen and paper can become a burden. Moreover, when you have a lot of information, carrying 2-3 notebooks with you all the time is not ideal at all.
Utilizing this traditional method of taking notes requires a level of structuring because you will not want to spend lots of time finding a small note. Additionally, it also becomes really hard to share your note with other people when needed.
So, with humans' great minds, note-taking has been upgraded with the births of digital applications on mobile, computers and even note taking AI integrated.
Digital Note-taking Apps
Nowadays, digital note-taking apps are like stars in the sky. There are many of them from mobile application, computer application, webapp to a combination of all those devices.
The high number comes from the fact that people are using them more and more because of the convenience and availability. You can still jot down your ideas but instead of writing, you will type. This is actually a trade-off, typing does not give as much benefits as writing in terms of memory.
However, since everyone is now carrying a smartphone all the time, it is really easy to access all the notes and you do not have to carry the large, heavy notebooks. Also, with just some taps and clicks, the notes are ready to share with other people.
As such, companies are turning note-taking apps into useful document storage. Furthermore, these note-taking applications simplify the categorization and allow quick search, thus lowering the requirement for structuring ability.
Additionally, it is possible to note using your voices. Imagine that when you are travelling, driving and something interesting pops up in your mind, you just talk to the application and it records then turns into text for you.
Here are some current popular players in the field of note-taking:
We will not dive deep into them at this article, because they are not the main points here. So, let's move to the last and latest method, note taking AI.
Notetaker AI
In short, this is more like an evolution, a combination of the apps mentioned above and an AI personal assistant. Some might wonder why we do not combine and talk about them in one section. Let us explain.
Digital note-taking tools help you to take notes, but that is it. Meanwhile, having an AI notetaker can do so much more.
You can have AI to finish, edit and discuss with you about the information in the notes. Doing so does not only help you expand the idea, information, but also have a buddy to talk about it. AI generated content has evolved a lot and it will not disappoint you, believe us.
Furthermore, some AI note taking tools can help you with categorization. All you need is to write prompts, commands to them.
That being said, finding a perfect, complete AI notetaker is not possible at the moment. The technological capabilities have not reached that level yet. The field is mostly filled with tools having note taking AI included.
Oh, and we have made an article about AI personal note before, it should really help if you are interested in finding, trying one.
Alright, thank you if you are still here because now we are going to the best part. We will show the best note-taking practices for each method in this article.
How To Leverage And Level Up Your Note-Taking
Before getting into this part, we will review some common points that you should apply for regardless of note-taking methods being used.
Firstly, always use your own words. This makes you remember and understand things easier. Do not always follow what is being said, but try to paraphrase them into your style.
Secondly, make use of colors and symbols. Colors are great in highlighting important information, while symbols can replace some words and make your notes more lively.
Thirdly, structure the notes in your own way. The cores are to use numbered, bullet list and headings to separate sections, making the notes easier to follow.
Some of these do not need manual work if you decide to deploy an AI notetaker, only some small set-ups in the beginning are needed.
Okay, now let's head to the main part. The practices below come from our experiences, so there are combinations, outside tips. You can look up and learn about each method separately.
Make Your Pen And Paper Stronger
What are the adjectives that everyone should look for when using pen and paper to note? Fast, time-saving and organized from the start.
So, the recommended combo here is sentence + rapid logging + Cornell.
Firstly, divide the note into 3 sections. You can do this at home or when you know that you are going to need taking notes. The 3 sections here include: a column on the left for key points, a row in the bottom for summary and a box in the middle for noting.
The process looks like this: write notes into the box -> jot down key points in the left column at the end -> write a summary when reviewing.
This goes perfectly with the sentence method. You will write information on separate lines continuously in the box. At the end, your note should look like a list.
Since these sentences do not have any connections and structure, the rapid logging comes to the rescue. It gives you a way to organize things by first creating distinct symbols to mark. For example, a star stands for the most important pieces, a circle stands for potential info, etc.
When combining these three methods at once, the advantages of each will hinder others' disadvantages while still retaining the time-efficiency, speed and basic organizing.
Unlock Your Digital Note-Taking Apps
It is best to use only one application to ensure the accessibility and convenience.
Since the apps allow great organizing, it is time to make notes meaningful and more relatable to each other. So, mix mapping and Zettelkasten methods.
With a digital note space, it is easy to draw a thing looking like the mind map. You also do not have to worry about the space problem like on a paper.
With a map, connections between information are clearly visible and help you recapture the ideas with ease. Now, the Zettelkasten method comes into play and turn your notes into a well-designed system.
In simple terms, your notes will be organized into "boxes" through the use of tags. Here is an example: note A has the X tag, note B has the Y tag, note C has the X and Y tags. So, you will find it really easy to find a certain topic through the tags.
Actually, note-taking apps often come with templates, all methods are really easy to apply because it is not necessary to create everything from scratch.
AI Notetaker Ate And Left No Crumbs
Well, we really mean that in the title. Basically, having an AI note-taking app allows you to use all the methods above.
You are afraid that the sentence method lacks information? Just use that and an AI writing assistant will finish, expand the sentence for you.
You do not have enough time to summarize when using the Cornell method? The AI personal notetaker does that for you in maybe 30 seconds.
Basically, note taking AI is capable of eliminating all the drawbacks of those methods because it automatically does everything.
Apart from that, sometimes you do not even have to write anything. For example, you see a YouTube video or an article and you want to save to your note. Use one like BuddyBeep to summarize and auto transfer to your personal note space.
Also, AI notetaking tools are evolving each day along with the technology, so you can expect better, faster, more effective ones.
Final Words
First of all, thank you for reading through our article. We hope that with this, you have explored, fully known which note-taking method is suitable. Furthermore, the practices mentioned can help you a lot if applied appropriately.
Still, feel free to experiment and try new approaches and embrace the rise of AI note taking tools as they have high chances to change the field. Goodbye for now, our AI note taker buddy is calling, beep beep.
FAQs
Can ChatGPT jot down notes for me?
Yes, it can. However, ChatGPT is not designed to be a note so it will not perform as good as some others tools like BuddyBeep, a Chat GPT alternative Chrome extension.
How do I use AI to write note?
It is simple just like other applications. In the case of BuddyBeep, you just write and hit ++ to let the AI do the rest for you. Along the way, you can chat with models to ask and discuss.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes, it is free, but only to some points. In specific, Chat GPT free plan limits the number of conversations and model's abilities. For some people, they will then turn to Chat GPT like AI, for example, BuddyBeep.