The only way I was ever able to have notes in an outline form was first by taking notes as I came across things I felt were important, and then later going back and organizing those into outline, so it’s like outline notes from rough draft notes.

As you’re learning, different classes will require different styles of taking notes… some of my notes resemble books unto themselves, other notes are slender outlines, still others involves diagrams and flow charts, and of course sometimes you have to draw pictures. Especially in physics, draw the pictures–and this was always the hardest thing for me–and draw them BIG! Bigger is always better. I don’t know if it’s possible to draw too big in physics–I don’t think it is. A whole 8.5 x 11 is the best, even for something that seems simple.

Using the section and subdivision headings will work well if 1.) It is a well-written, well-organized book (some text books suck), and 2.) the instructor is teaching the class in such a way that the sections and subdivisions are followed (if the instructor is bouncing around, you may lose the connections if you stick to the book’s format).

If you are not following the section/subdivisions in your note-taking, it may be useful to asterisk and in the margins note the section subdivision from which the notes are coming.

When you hit University, or maybe even now, you may see textbooks literally re-colored in highlighter. I do not recommend that. I *have* used highlighter in textbooks, but the heaviest I’ve ever done was maybe like a sentence every other page; usually it’s more like a word or three. Sometimes, in the text, near the highlighter, I’ll actually reference the location of concept in my written notes. I cross-reference written notes re:text page location, too, although I do not always match the reference/cross-reference.

One thing that I have found especially useful are symbols to draw my attention one way or another.

I like to use a modified ※ symbol for the most important things; I extend the arms of the X. It’s more like a giant X with the dots close to the center. The symbol as it appears in fonts (like that one) is more square and balanced. The X becomes larger for more important points. A giant ※ is more important in my notes than two or three consecutive ※※※ smaller ones.

I also like using IFF for “if and only if”; the = with 3 lines instead of two to emphasize absolutes; and the famous 3-dot pyramid for “therefore.” I’ve found these shortcuts are surprisingly useful in history classes and other non-math, non-science courses.

Study nerds unite!