Note-taking Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

Okay, real talk: taking notes in high school can feel impossible sometimes. Teachers talk faster than you can write, the PowerPoint slides are gone in two seconds, and half the time, your notes look like chicken scratch that doesn’t even make sense later—been there.

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to write everything down. You need the important stuff. That’s where some tricks I learned from IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) come in. They seriously saved me from drowning in notes.

Why Even Take Notes?

I used to think, “I’ll just remember it.” Spoiler: I didn’t. Notes help because:

• You actually remember more when you write it down.

• You’ve got a built-in study guide for tests.

• They make writing essays way easier (trust me, outlines = lifesaver).

The Key Word Hack (IEW Style)

Instead of copying sentences word for word, IEW suggests grabbing 2–3 key words. It feels weird at first, but it works.

Example from my bio class: Teacher says, “The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell.”I write: mitochondria = powerhouse.

That’s all. And when I looked back later, I still knew what it meant. Way faster than writing the whole sentence.

How I Actually Do It in Class

1. Listen for the main idea. Don’t freak out about every word.

2. Jot down a few keywords. Just enough to refresh your memory.

3. Outline it. Bullets, numbers—whatever keeps it organized.

4. Use shortcuts. (→, =, ↑, w/ … my notes look like a secret code sometimes).

5. Fix it later. After class, I’ll add quick summaries so it makes sense when I study.

Turning Notes Into Writing

Here’s how my history notes turned into a paragraph:

In class, I wrote:

• WWII started 1939

• Germany invaded Poland

• Britain + France declared war

Later, in my essay, World War II began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war, officially starting the conflict.

Pretty cool, right? My notes basically wrote my paper for me.

My Quick Tips

• Don’t stress about neatness during class—get the info first, make it pretty later.

• Colors and doodles help (I highlight vocab in one color, dates in another).

• Summarize the page in your own words at the bottom.

• The more you practice, the quicker you become. Initially, I was slow, but now it comes naturally.

The Bottom Line

Taking notes doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Grab the main ideas, use shortcuts, and let your notes work for you. Once I started doing it this way, studying wasn’t nearly as awful, and writing essays was so much less stressful.