5 Tips for Taking Notes via Electronic Documents as You Read

Today, I want to talk specifically about taking notes via electronic documents as you read.

As the title of today's post says, I'll be discussing 5 tips for note taking as you read via taking notes via electronic documents as you read.

As with any post including tips that I post here to my blog, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to take notes as you read. Additionally, you can use a combination of 2+ note taking methods. Be consistent.

If you're inconsistent in your note taking - i.e. how you take notes, when you take notes - it can be difficult to remember what your thoughts were on a specific part or chapter. If you want to take notes on your reading, do so through the entire book. You don't have to take notes on every book you read, but when you do decide to take notes on a book, do so until you finish it.

Tip 1: Have a folder for all of your documents.

Whether you're taking your reading notes on a note taking website like Notion, or if you use Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or note taking apps like Goodnotes, have a specific folder (or page if you're using Notion) for all of your reading notes. Similarly with keeping your notebooks together in yesterday's post, you can access your notes quicker this way.

Tip 2: Give each book a separate document for notes.

I advice doing this for electronic notes for a very specific notes. If you have multiple pages of notes in a single electronic document, you don't want to be endlessly scrolling for the notes on one specific book. With notebooks, it's easier to have notes for 2+ books in one notebook. But endlessly scrolling can get tiresome, so I strongly advise that you give each book a separate document for notes.

Tip 3: Color code your notes.

Color coding can really help you distinguish between what you liked, didn't like, were confused on, etc. Whether you're changing the text's color or using the highlighter, don't be afraid of color coding your documents, and it's easy to change colors if you want.

Tip 4: Keep the text size and font simple and the same throughout your notes.

While it's fun to have different fonts and text sizes, doing so can make your notes disjointed. Having a simple font (Times, Times New Roman, or Calibri) and the same text size (11, 12) throughout your reading notes will make your notes flow. The only time I'd recommend changing the text size and/or font is when you really liked a specific quote.

Tip 5: Have a certain structure to your notes.

Yes, you should have your notes being on whatever strikes you in your reading, But having a certain structure to your notes - bullet points, outline, etc. - can help your notes stay organized, making certain points easier to find.