This post closes our series on note taking. You may organize with paper. You may organize digitally. You may do some of both. What’s important are two things:

1. You have a system.
2. You work the system.

What’s also important is if you have something that works, you share it. Plenty of smart people find themselves overwhelmed. Part of the problem is a flood of incoming information and no good way to trap it or retrieve it.

Let’s review what we talked about through this note taking series:

• Do you know a student who needs a more pristine set of notes when they go to study for the test? If so, send them this link.
• Do those students also deal with digital materials they must organize? If so, send them this link.
• Do you have friends who don’t have a system and are suffering as a result? If so, this link shows there is a way out.
• Do you use a paper planner? In this arena, some of the older ideas are still the better ideas. Learn how to do it right.
• Do you take notes in a paper journal? It’s a great companion for your digital calendar and to-do list. Here are ideas that work.
• Do you or your friends want to jump into the digital note-taking pool? It can work, but you need to plan your system. This post will give you a start.
• Do you keep your to-do list digitally and have projects that involve many communications? This post will help you keep that information together.
• Do friends complain about how to keep up with the information that comes to them on the fly? Send them this link.
• Do you like organizing with paper but hate copying long URLs by hand? This post is for you.

Can you find it when you need it?

We term today’s era the “Information Age.” But our information is only as useful as our ability to find it when we need it. Note taking is an important skill yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We trap our notes. We know where to find what we need when we need it. When that happens, life gets easier.

For some, the result is an “A” on the test. For others, it means having accurate documentation and avoiding embarrassing situations. For still others, it means good ideas get trapped in good systems and implemented.

Nobody can remember it all. We shouldn’t try. What we should do is take the time to find a system that works and stick with it. Throw the information in the system. Pull it back out when you need it. When you find yourself saying, “This is easy!” it’s a sign the system is good.

This post contains quite a few links. Forward some of them to the people you know could use them the most. If the post resonated with you, why not share it on social media. Below every post on this blog is a place for you to share on Facebook, Twitter, or other platforms. Leave a comment below so that you can add to the discussion.