lifehacker.com: Taking notes by hand is generally preferable to using tech, both because it’s better for retention and also because so many of the best note-taking methods are designed for notebooks. But sometimes, you just need to the utility of digital notes, and if you don’t want to digitize what you’ve already written, you should take them down on your laptop using a note-taking method designed for digital use. It’s called the boxing method.
8 comments:
This was a fun article to read, and better than most lifehacker articles listed on blogspot haha. I liked reading about an article on digital note taking methods, as I've seen that most college students are moving towards taking notes on ipads and tablets over pen and paper. This is a method I have unintentionally implemented in my note taking, so it will be nice to try it intentionally and more structured. I do wish the article included an example of the box method because the description of it was a little hard to follow, but I think I get the general idea of making something similar to a mind map. I had a bit of a struggle when I first went to digital note taking methods because I couldn't get the location memory and ease of flipping through pages as I would in a notebook, so this will be a nice way to have more organized and useful notes in a digital space.
I have always been a person who prefers pen and paper notetaking instead of electronic notetaking. I have tried to make the switch to using my laptop in classes where I expect to take more verbal/written notes, where as in more science based classes I will always prefer to use pen and paper. Through all of my time at school, I have had to read so many papers and articles on better ways to take notes, and through all of this I have made small changes to where I now feel pretty confident in my notetaking (although I still don't feel great about notes on my laptop). I do sometimes wish I would go out and buy a tablet so that I could have the same pen and paper feel while not using as much paper, but I have just never been able to justify it as it just take so much money for something I probably wouldn't use much outside of taking notes. I do think that this boxing method would work well in a tablet style of notetaking, but at the same time I am not sure if I would love it because it requires doubling back on the work you have done to make edits after the fact which is not something I always have time to do.
I had no clue what the boxing method of notetaking was when I started reading this article. It turns out to be a modified version of Zettelkasten, but using a different name for some reason. The boxing method basically has people make connections between the digital notes that they take, separating them by tags in whatever word processor they’re using. I think this is fine- but what if you’re researching something like a book? How can you keep track of all the connections then? Enter Zettelkasten. I am not a Zettelkasten evangelist, but I have used it in the past and found it to be helpful when organizing big projects like set construction or lighting design. It treats each individual note as itself. For example: a note might simply read “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” and that will be all the information on the card. The important part is that you include tags and links to other notes, which forms a complete system of information. It’s a bit like how the connections work in your brain; one thing will remind you of another thing, and that connection between them will become strengthened, which helps with memory retention. In an industry like theater, it's important to keep track of all those little connections and interactions. One tool that I use and love for this method of notetaking is Obsidian, which is a markdown note taking software that is purpose built for making connections between notes. While you’re typing your notes in obsidian, you include a [[page name]] to link to other sections of what you’re writing, which turns into a hyperlink to that section. Obsidian keeps track of all these connections, and gives you a graph view of all of your notes so you can see the connections between them.
I love learning new ways to write notes. Growing up I struggled with sitting down and writing notes that worked well for me to actually study them later. I was conditioned to write with different colors and very neatly in a notebook to make sure that I retain some of the information. It is psychologically proven that writing down notes is better for comprehension since you are physically writing down the letters. However, the bo method is also so helpful since you are organizing your thoughts into different areas making it easier to remember and not to clump all of the information together. I really appreciate the article that explains what the box method is and then goes into how to use it and even gives an example of what could be helpful. It is important to know that they do say going back in the notes and clarifying them is extremely helpful.
I love handwritten notes. I have always preferred the feeling of taking notes by handwriting them on a piece of paper, and I like how my notes turn out at the end. Taking notes on my computer has just never really worked for me for a multitude of reasons. The only downside of handwritten notes (especially as someone who prefers to use a pen instead of a pencil) is formatting and fixing errors. My notes have a ton of scribbled out words on them, which really doesn’t matter, but what can be difficult sometimes is wanting to go back and add more to a previous category or section from earlier in the lector. So, I also end up with a bunch of really tiny words squished in the margins or between lines. It’s really not terrible, since I’ve been taking notes using the same tools for so long that I kind of know where I should leave space, and also because I don’t really care that much about the cosmetics of my notes, but sometimes it’s a little annoying. This boxing method is a really interesting way to essentially combine the best of both worlds. However, I still don’t think it beats handwritten notes, and one of my concerns is that if I tried this method, I think I would get a little too into the formatting and forget to take the notes.
This is a really interesting method of note taking that I actually have not seen before, I don’t tend to like taking notes by hand mostly for this reason that I can organize the notes into neat concise documents with layers and layers of folders, though I admit sometimes they get a tad unorganized. Writing notes by hand certainly has its perks of retaining information more to being able to draw sketches of things talked about in class as a reference. I think I might try to incorporate this “boxing method” into my notes as it might help with the organization problems I’ve been having. Hopefully I understand what the method is exactly as the article, while certainly informative, didn’t quite describe it in a way I fully understood. I look forward to seeing how this helps, or hurts though hopefully not, my note taking skills from here on out.
This was an interesting read, though it seems like they are simply describing taking notes divided into categories, and the unique factor is the ‘box’ shape they are in. I suppose that would make them easier to read and comprehend. I agree that taking notes on paper can be much nicer, personally when I take notes on paper it has many random sections and boxes, and seems kind-of all over the place but is often much clearer to me than digital notes are (though iPad and paper can sometimes be interchangeable). When I take notes on my computer it normally ends up one giant block of bullet notes that I try to make more consumable with indents, but it still isn’t all together incredible for retaining information. I appreciate that people (and this article) try to share their note-taking methods so I can learn more about ways that I could possibly be more efficient and expand my learning in class.
Experimenting with various note-taking methods has been a journey of discovery for me, leading to the realization that the choice of technique is inherently circumstantial and purpose-driven. The article's advocacy for the "boxing method" resonates with this understanding. In my routine, I've adopted diverse approaches depending on the nature of the information. For work-related tasks like TD1, where quick retrieval is crucial, I resort to typing notes directly into my computer, specifically in an email draft. This method not only allows me to easily access information through the search bar but also enables systematic labeling with a "TD1" filter, ensuring efficient organization. Conversely, collaborative projects demand a different platform. Google Docs has become my go-to for assignments involving teamwork, fostering seamless sharing and editing capabilities. Yet, for personal reflections, I align with the article's proposition. My preferred medium is a block-format notebook, akin to the boxing method's suggestion. This serves as a mental dumping ground, capturing and organizing my thoughts in a tangible way. The structured format mirrors the compartmentalization advocated by the article, reinforcing the idea that note-taking is a nuanced practice, intricately tied to the nature of the content and its intended purpose.
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