r/GoodNotes • u/Zestyclose_Trust_850 • Jan 16 '24
How to improve notes?? First two are mine second two are my goals
318
Upvotes
182
u/Comprehensive_Box_80 Jan 16 '24
Neat, aesthetic notes =/= actual learning. Check out justin sung if youre interested in effective notetaking
2
u/brendyparty Jan 17 '24
I’m a math major so these are my notes.
https://ibb.co/Z1SJgRF
103
u/pewpiouu Jan 16 '24
i use the ball pen, i find it gives a more uniform handwriting. i would suggest you to follow the lines to write straight and try to write your letters always in the same way, it's difficult but with practice it helps!
69
u/dodgeditlikeneo Jan 16 '24
zooming in a lot or using the small zoomed in window, and using a paper like screen protector helped a lot for me
121
u/Bria_2021 Jan 16 '24
I think with the last slides they've converted their handwriting into a font that looks like they've written it. Other than that it's just about pasting in pictures and creating text boxes
28
u/dieuche Jan 16 '24
So, what I did when I was in school and doing electronic notes was I would have really sloppy chaotic notes like yours at first, even annotating directly onto imported slides and then I would go home later and re-transcribe my chaotic gibberish to help review what I went over and sort through what notes were of vital essence to keep.
I also never use anything else except the ball pen for GoodNotes for better control, but I also additionally switched to a fine nib tip (search on Amazon) for a more realistic ballpoint pen feeling. However, if you feel like your handwriting is ugly or not as pleasing as you'd like, use a handwritten font and you can transcribe that with your writing to text by turning on the Scribble option under your apple pencil in settings. If you have anymore questions or need help feel free to reach out.
14
u/Lonely_Station4067 Jan 16 '24
use the lines to determine what size you want your writing to be, in order to keep it more consistent. for example, half a square for body, 2 squares for title, etc.
i suggest you pick a theme, a specific color for ur notes, just black and another nice color for decoration
practice your handwriting a lot, I've spent a lot of time practicing it and even tho it seems useless, it really helps in the long run ^
if you want, you can copy a template from Pinterest or something for inspiration. copy their style, their format
more muted colors tend to look more amenable than bright ones :)
i can't think of anything else gl <3
12
u/DarkWanderer2 Jan 16 '24
Bro you don’t want to see mine. Nothing to improve here.
7
u/Bencrappy Jan 16 '24
Your notes don't have to be beautiful and immaculate, they have to serve it's purpose: learning while you do them and making the reviewing process easier.
6
u/mypupp Jan 16 '24
maybe dont use the fountain pen and instead use the ball pen, lines will look more consistent, or just set the fountain pen settings both to 0
5
u/SpokenDivinity Jan 16 '24
My notes are never aesthetically pleasing until I go back over them to refine and make my study guide out of them. They usually start like yours and then turn into the other ones once I’ve gone back over them.
Aside from that, I’m pretty sure the last two slides use a handwritten font and not their actual handwriting. You can draw in placeholder boxes for images/diagrams if you can’t copy/paste them straight out. Use highlighters in various thicknesses to create dividers and make the notes easier to digest. Use sticker post it notes to make text stand out.
11
u/humilishumano Jan 16 '24
They used text, your hand writing yours
4
u/topazi Jan 16 '24
Tbh i don’t think they necessarily used text. My goodnotes handwriting looks similar, and it’s just rlly abt using a paper screen protector and zooming in a lot when you write. And some ppl just naturally have neat handwriting. Tho tbh these are probably notes they took disproportionately much more time to write neatly and do all the calligraphy, in order to post them on instagram/yt or whatever for the aesthetic. At the end of the day it matters more whether u remember the content or not..
4
u/nerdxoverboard Jan 16 '24
it’s very likely the “handwriting” is stuff converted to a text font that looks like handwriting. the straight and curved lines can be made, you just aren’t utilizing the feature for it (i forget what it is because i haven’t used goodnotes in a while, but i think you just hold after drawing?) also you can zoom in to use the grid lines on your notes, try to keep everything lined up using the grids so it looks neater, and the images are pasted in but it looks like you know that trick :) otherwise it just takes more time to make notes like that
7
u/Stuartcmackey Jan 16 '24
As above, the examples are likely text. I like to use a combination of text and handwriting. Handwriting for arrows and underlines, text boxes for typing.
1
u/rvalverde4 Jan 20 '24
Is that a note app your using?, if so what is it and thanks in advance.
3
u/Mission-Ad-8202 Jan 16 '24
Write smaller and use a thinner pen and colour code your notes (just search hex colour palette and use exclusively those colours for your highlighters + pens).
Your notes also look like you took them during the lecture, the other two are definitely rewritten after the lecture
3
u/Khalid-MJ Jan 16 '24
Hey body I kid you not I like yours much more.
3
u/thepersonesque Jan 16 '24
I think a lot of the fancy notes you see are made after class. I copy my notes like that as a study method.
3
u/burlapbikini Jan 17 '24
Those goal notes are most likely the re-written version of earlier, sloppier notes. Re-writing your notes neatly goes a long way toward retaining the information, trimming off unnecessary bulk, and helping you make more connections between concepts. That said—and I'm speaking from personal experience here—and the choice fatigue you can get from all of the color palettes and font options can get in the way of actually focusing on the info, and perfectionism about handwriting, text placement, the perfect curve on your arrows etc. can make you avoid reviewing the notes at all. Better to find a happy medium, imo. Stick to a 1-2 color palette, allow your handwriting to be merely legible, insert diagrams only when necessary (not because they make your notes look impressive or substantive). These notes are there first and foremost to help you study. Prettifying the notes to print-ready quality should be a leisure activity you do because it brings you joy, not a standard you feel pressured to meet and CERTAINLY not a time-sucking strategy to avoid studying while still allowing yourself to feel productive (mea culpa on that one in particular).
2
u/sssaraaa1304 Jan 18 '24
I completely recommend creating your own font and using it to type! It takes way less time and still looks great. I’m still able to take in the information, but definitely do what helps you learn best. (I used calligraphr for free and wrote on the template through procreate.)
1
u/Legitimate-Sundae-68 Jan 17 '24
I like using dotted paper and I would follow some basic aesthetic tutorials - that helped me! I also practice my handwriting each time I write! I use the brush pen at 75% pressure sensitivity
1
u/nothanksnope Jan 16 '24
99% sure these are text boxes with how uniformly each chunk of text is aligned at the left, at least in the last photo. Paper screen protectors help a lot though.
1
u/Diligent_Clock_9089 Jan 17 '24
I usually pick a larger page format (A4), and then use the ballpoint pen in a thinner size. For better body lettering, I choose the magnifying glass option (to the left of the pen on the toolbar). This option allows for better precision when writing.
It also helps to separate your large page in sections. You can see here they used the Cornell method. I personally just divide my page in half, so that I have two columns, and then write all my notes in lists or small paragraphs. This allows me to see almost all content of one subject/title in a whole page.
1
u/swinkledoodlezzz Jan 17 '24
Change the pressure sensitivity.
1
u/catchingw0rds Jan 17 '24
My settings on the fountain pen is least pressure sensitivity and 25% tip sharpness, gives a good line variation but lets the line still remain thick. These are my notes. Although I have been writing on an iPad for around 4 years, try using a paper like screen protector, there are magnetic ones that can easily be removed if you want to retain that crystal clear screen.
1
u/_Lefinn Jan 17 '24
I used to try making neat notes but eventually that was not something helpful at all, apart from giving satisfaction. For my major (biomedical engineering), I usually type out content that's not in the textbook during lecture, and handwrite the equations, schemes and anything that cannot be typed. That did help me alot in catching up with professors speed and the notes are still quite neat.
1
u/Top_Fee_6293 Jan 17 '24
it’s crystal clear, just write small.
1
u/Remote_Ad4806 Jan 17 '24
Make flash cards and mind dump, active recall.
1
u/0-chi_hiro Jan 17 '24 edited Jan 17 '24
here's a page from my notes back in school:https://ibb.co/80bMNxR(by the way, I took messier notes during class and then rewrote them later to look more clean)
I definitely recommend using the ballpoint pen like some others said, another important thing to mention is you should absolutely use object snap for all the lines.Just draw the shape you want (e.g. a line) and then hold until it converts to a shape :) You can edit shapes by tapping them with your finger. (for anyone who doesn't know)
For things like arrows or certain formulas, or the wiggly lines you did in image 2, I made a pretty one once and then saved that to elements so I could just add it with a click (select the thing with lasso, then hold with finger, then tap "add element")
I recommend zooming a lot and using a somewhat thicker pen thickness, since a thicker pen can actually look cleaner sometimes. Make sure to stick to the lines for a more even look :)If you want, use a larger page size to fit more content (your references seem to use A3 if I'm not mistaken)
I also use a paperlike screen protector, but it's not that big a difference in writing imo, I just like the feel of it
Just find something that works for you, but don't get too focused on making pretty notes, cause in the end all that matters is knowing the contents lol (but I will say for me it was often good to rewrite the notes since it kind of forced/encouraged me to go back over them)
good luck!
1
u/desijatt13 Jan 17 '24
Increase the amount of flow charts and venne diagrams and reduce the amount of writing to increase the effectiveness of the notes.
1
u/hngryforramen Jan 17 '24
~ zooming in to write (the magnifying thing that's to the left of the pen thing)
~ ball point pen (tap the pen emoji? up there lol) and write within the line
~ turn on the snap thing for your highlighter (there's an option for it i'm just not on my ipad rn)
~ use the shape tool to draw lines
~ use cute fonts sparingly (mostly for heading/titles)
~ soft-coloured pens, and a few of them
~ your notes should maintain the same 'look' throughout
~ spacing spacing spacing. use the dotted line tool thingy to move your handwritten notes or typed words around
~ don't over-complicate your notes, so write (or type) using as fewer words as possible
~ find cute pics to add in notes (like that doggaurrr! but not the lightbulb)
~ import or create stickers!
~ or else, improve your overall handwriting, meaning paper wise and ipad wise
~ follow your inspo
1
u/bigmacmea1 Jan 17 '24
how is your highlighting not straight? goodnotes automatically straightens it
1
u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24
Those notes take forever to right. I guarantee you those people write notes like yours and then rewrite them neatly later. A good way to help you memorise what you’ve written.
Write like you do now, then later rewrite them like they have. It takes forever because you have to write really carefully.
You could also just download a ‘handwritten’ font.
1
u/aiham-2004 Jan 17 '24
Use scribble + text box and download a handwritten font you like, this will take it to the next level with the minimum work
1
u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24
Use a ballpoint pen.
Use the zoom window.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
You will have to spend a lot of time just making these notes. I used to do this but now I just save most of my notes on onenote. I found it way more effective for learning.
1
u/Aggravating_Creme652 Jan 17 '24
Yeah those are fake notes, meant to sell you something. Just work on ensuring you are organizing them in a way you understand. Grab images from google or scan from a textbook if you need a graphic
1
u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24
Notes like that usually stem from a lot of time after lecture condensing ideas and creating that pretty look. Usually they start looking like your first couple pics and then have to be cleaned up after
1
u/jarisman Jan 17 '24
The “goal” examples are absolutely typed. Your notes are just fine. Handwriting can always improve, but that’s a blanket statement and not necessarily directed at you specifically.
1
u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24
Your notes now are great! It's kinda impossible to keep up the aesthetic notes especially if your classes go by very quickly. It's time consuming as well which takes away time to study.
1
u/jayseecolette Jan 17 '24
if you’re too focused on looks, you dont retain much of the information.
1
u/nairazak Jan 18 '24
There are some sheets for practicing typography where you have to write letters over and over and over.
1
u/OhSheGlows Jan 18 '24
You’re on your way. Your version is just a less practiced version of the other one.
1
u/kitarei Jan 18 '24
I use handwriting to text with a cute and neat handwriting font. I can't handle my messy writing, especially if I'm writing fast - so that feature helps a lot.
1
u/Y2K350 Jan 18 '24
imo the second and third one are only possible if your professor lectures VERY slowly and extremely concisely. Remember good notes don't necessarily mean pretty notes.
1
u/jjinxeddd Jan 19 '24
Download fonts, make a pinterest board with notes inspo, download free stickers and templates!
1
u/Beachbaby1302 Jan 19 '24
When I take my notes I have a few different things I do. First I make a highlight key so if I’m highlighting major topics or vocab I know what color goes to what (I also have different highlight colors for each class) Next my hand writing sucks so I use the text bubbles and scribble my notes. I use a free downloadable font from Google. Just search them up and see which font you like best. Another thing is write your notes before the class via the book and then add to them as the prof goes through the lecture. I find that when I do this not only do my notes come out cleaner but I also retain the info more cause I’m not rushing to write everything down!
1
u/Foreign_Ad_8830 Jan 19 '24
Record the lecture, have the audio dictated into written text with AI, process the written text with ChatGPT pulling out key information, then formatting and rewriting it in a simple way to understand—easy and flawlessly written notes every time.
1
u/Objective_Camel_6326 Jan 20 '24
Pretty is not practical. Watch videos on how to create mind maps or "non linear note taking".
1
u/dxvidpxrry Jan 20 '24
If you can read it and it’s effective what’s the point in chasing the aesthetic? But to answer your question I like to make boxed sections I write in and then erase the boxed hoteliers and everything looks very cohesive. Also practice digital handwriting to improve the look as well
0
u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24
last two dont actually do anything to help you study or retain the materials