For many students, school is starting right around now. They’ll be learning how to organize, multi-task and most importantly, how to take great notes.

From realtors and small business owners to corporate ladder climbers and even house hunters, note-taking is very important for success because they are essential for thorough follow-through, effective relationship building and customized marketing.

That said, I recently learned about a structured note-taking system called The Cornell Method, from real estate expert and keynote speaker Brian Copeland during the 2013 ERA Real Estate All-Star Agent Retreat. The system condenses and organizes notes to provide a short yet detailed record of what was discussed during a class, business meeting, home viewing, etc.

Here’s how it works:

  1. CornellMethodDivide your paper into three areas – as shown here.
  2. In the right column, take your notes during the meeting, class, etc. using bullets, sentences, short-hand, etc.
  3. In the left column, jot down cue such as questions, main points, visual cues, and other clues that jog your memory. You can fill this in after the event.
  4. At the bottom, record a summary of the most important goals and main ideas. This, too, should be filled in after the event, as you are reviewing your notes.

Tips:

  • As soon as possible after the event ends, write questions based on the notes you took in the right-hand column. This helps to clarify meanings, strengthen memory, etc.
  • If studying for an exam or certification, cover the right column and recite the answers to the questions or ideas represented by the cues.
  • After the event, reflect on what you have on paper to ask and answer questions such as, “what is the significance of this information?” or “How can I apply this knowledge?”
  • Finally, review your notes, cues and summary at least ten minutes each week to better retain the content for current use or a future deal, meeting or exam.

These are really great tips for quickly organizing vital information. Share them with your back-to-school crowd, employees and co-workers for an improved, systematic approach to jotting it all down.

Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net