One of the many advantages of going digital is no more rifling through hundreds of sheets of paper, the notes are cleaner, neater, and easier to find most of the time, backed up on any device, and they are more resistant to wear and tear.
However, as much as it may sound good, change is quite a jarring process. But it doesn’t have to be.
Start Slow
What is being proposed you do does not mean that you go 100% digital from scratch, but rather you start easing into it.
First, choose which notes to digitize—the routine, less accessible and convenient, or the most complicated to organize on paper. That’s why I began with my notes on brainstorming because as a girl, ideas simply will not let go of me, I always have a notebook with me. Your reference notes may be minutes, checklists, or drafts.
How to Digitize Your Existing Paper Notes
After choosing the notes you would like to begin with, many simple devices are available to scan and convert your notes easily.
- For Android users: Google Drive has a scanner that identifies when dealing with a document and allows you to scan several pages in one go.
- For iPhone users: I find that with Apple Notes, scanning is effortless, and your scans are instantly shared across devices.
- For Microsoft fans: There is an app for OneDrive where you can scan documents and make them directly into the app it also syncs with the desktop.
When reading documents, everything can be a document these days: images, PDFs, and Text – be sure to sort through your notes hastily and create new folders or notebooks for them. This is because it is often twice as difficult to organize digital clutter than physical messy piles, so starting off neat saves a lot of time.
Choose the Right Note-Taking App
It becomes, therefore, necessary to look for an app that will suit you since there are so many note-taking apps out there, each with different features.
Those using Andriod are also not left out, in equal measure. Evernote is tremendously good for studying notes, containing powerful organizational options and the ability to scan and upload handwritten notes and convert them into the bodily honest type. Another one I use is Microsoft OneNote, which supports a stylus in the draw menu for people like me who prefer handwritten notes on digital note-taking.
This means that OneNote fails to transcribe handwritten notes into typeface automatically but is compatible with the Microsoft environment (which I am familiar with).
If you prefer to manage them more as folders or a personal archive, there are amazing apps like Notion, Obsidian, Joplin, and more. Obsidian goes a step ahead and makes it possible to relate your notes in a manner that reflects the relationships in your thoughts.
If you are still unsure about which app to use, here is our guide on selecting your next note-taking application.
Get Familiar With Your Preferred Note-Taking App
The next step after you’ve decided that a specific note-taking app is for you is to start by learning about the app’s functionalities. When you know these, you will find it easier to navigate, and taking notes will be the best experience for your app.
For instance, when I used OneNote for the first time, I realized that it was rather difficult to arrange the notes properly. The home page had a plus icon to create a new note and other than that there was not indication of which notebook the page was saving the note in.
It is helpful to deliberate about creating notebooks or folders and sorting out the notes specifically in apps because every app works differently. Apps also provide classification features such as tags or labels; therefore, you can take additional measures to keep it even more sorted.
If you want to go ahead and structure the type of notes you take, you may consider the Cornell note-taking technique. As the name implies, this method provides a generic structure for writing your ideas. It is particularly useful when standing before an empty webpage, which would probably seem rather unknown.
Another useful practice is interstitial journaling, in which, from time to time, you write down whatever pops up in your head at that moment and indicate the time. Learning about the developmental process of my thoughts is always a pleasant sight to behold.
Use Features Like Voice Memos, Images, and More
The only thing with digital note-taking is that there is more than writing Text on paper. As an example, it is often possible for me to come up with ideas in probably one of the most unusual settings, such as while taking a shower. Either I need to take a picture immediately, or the moments are lost, and we must wait for them again. Well, that is where voice memos are useful.
With notes, you can also insert images into your notes, as well as simple and complex charts, sketches, and much more. All these apps, including Notion, have features such as the Web Clipper, which enables users to capture full web pages right onto their notes.
Another advantage of working in an office is collaboration. Some of these apps include Notion, Microsoft Loop, and Evernote, which support real-time collaboration. You can share your notes with other people within or outside the organization, such as colleagues, friends, or classmates, and edit the notes, which is critical for group projects.
Stay Consistent With Your Digital Note-Taking
The best strategy for digital note-taking is remembering to be consistent. Maintaining and regularly updating your notes makes them valuable and not just a pile of clutter on your computer.
I dedicate a few minutes each day to look through my notes and include them in the right folder or notebook. It is as natural as grabbing a pen, which was a habit years ago, but it is now automatically a habit. There is an application called the OneNote floatie, and since using it, it has been easy for me to write anything when it comes to me.
One obvious secret to consistency is ensuring that the app aligns with all your devices and is in harmony. This way, no matter which device it is – phone, tablet, or computer – your notes are always there. If your app has an option for setting the reminder, ensure that these also synchronize so that you get a reminder even if you are not using the particular device on which you set the reminder.
Finally, what is most important is still to make updates to notes and make some degree of organization of the papers kept. Digital clutter is even worse than paper clutter—when everything is littered, at least it is in front of you.
