How do you take notes

Ronald Quick

I love reading and learning, as I assume many Logos users do.  As the New Year approaches, I am trying to improve my ability to take notes and apply what I have read.

Therefore, I was wondering what note taking, outlining, etc. others use when reading books that help them remember what they have read and studied.

Jacob Hantla

For books that I'm reading front-to-back in Logos:

• Create a notefile for that book
• Highlight often (this makes searching the book in the future for key points easy; just search highlighted text)
• Summarize and respond to each section or chapter (depending on degree of notetaking); I do this by selecting the section or chapter heading and attaching my note there.
• Feel free to make little discussion comments/questions on anything throughout the book that grabs your attention
• I also will sometimes create  a clippings file (or just add clippings to my "Favorite Quotes" clippings file).

For study of the Bible

• I will generally record my observation, interpretations, essays, and sermons in note files tied directly to the verse.
• I will record my interaction with commentaries and notes on which commentaries are helpful or not both within the commentaries and in summary form on the passage guide for the verse range.
• I will record Word Study observations and conclusions on the Word Study template for the Word.
• I will outline the verse and make comments on the outlining process and questions and conclusions that arise from it directly on the Diagramming document.

Just what I do. Hope it helps. I have found that over the years my notetaking style has changed, but what it truly valuable is now after 10 years of Logos to have the compilation of all my studies in one place, easily accessible.