Efficient Digital Note-Taking

The How & Why of my Note-Taking Method

Last year, I wrote an article detailing my note-taking process for law school. At the end of the article, I noted that I would update that article once I’d spent a few months actually in law school. Well, I have. Eight months, to be precise. And in that time, I’ve gone through a number of different note-taking methods, from handwriting in notebooks to typing on my laptop and everything in between.

It turns out, this “in between” is exactly where my sweet-spot has been. But before we get to that, let’s look at handwriting in notebooks and typing on laptops, because these are the only two ways I see other students taking notes at my law school. Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of both of these methods will show why I’ve found my method of note-taking to be better than either of them.

Typing Notes: Speed Kills Thought

The vast majority of law students take notes on their laptops, most commonly in Microsoft Word or OneNote. As I’ve said before, Microsoft Word just should not be used for note-taking. It’s not designed for note-taking, and as a result you don’t get note-taking-specific features like you do in dedicated note-taking software. OneNote, on the other hand, is a very respectable (and free) application that syncs to the cloud, is available on most devices, and has a wealth of note-taking-specific features.¹ However, you’re still ultimately typing your notes.