Write clean notes in your words.

If you take a few minutes to 
anticipate and figure out how you will take your notes, 
it will probably be much better written and structured.

 

I am not talking about aesthetics or making art of it. 
Avoid the temptation to write 
esthetically beautiful notes or works of art. 

It is time-consuming and distracts from the purpose.

The real focus should be understanding. 

I mean easy to read and that uses arrows,

boxes, links, and orderly writing to facilitate using them.

Suppose you use the same pattern all the time.

In that case, you immediately know the value

and the relationship between the various elements

and symbols you use.

Try to avoid copying precisely what is said or what you read. 
Writing it will probably take a lot more time 
and postponing verifying if you understood it well. 

 

Sometimes, what is said or written is so good 
that it is worth copying. 

But most of the time, 
a few words can summarize a whole paragraph. 

The reason is that, in most cases, 

you already know something about what you read. 

You don't need to copy what you already know. 

 

Next time you are taking notes, think.

 You might be able to skip or summarize with a few words. 

Develop the skill to write notes that are

short, meaningful, and in your words.

Then, you will save a lot of time when you need to check them.