While studying for a big exam, have you ever lost time flipping through pages and pages of notes, only to find information you don't need? What about those moments of panic when you realize you don't understand your notes? Yeah, we too. How to make Study Notes? Making study notes that help you prepare for a test is no small task.

The boxing note-taking is a great way to create organized, practical study notes. In this guide, we'll give you the lowdown on making study notes with the boxing method so that you can score a knockout on your next exam.

AI notes manager, a second brain app from Constella, can help you implement the boxing note-taking method to create practical study notes faster. With this tool, you can organize your notes and boost your productivity while helping you prepare for your next big test.

Grouping Notes by Topic Clusters Aids Review

Notes taken using the boxing method are easy to review because they’re grouped by topic cluster. When you need to study for a test or write a paper, you can quickly locate the information you need to refresh your memory without sorting through a jumbled mess of notes.

Visual Learning Benefits Retention

Notes taken using this method promote visual learning. Not only are notes visually categorized by topic clusters, but you can also add drawings or images. This research study showed that drawing results in better retention than writing. Even if you don’t draw the pictures yourself, viewing images can still improve your retention and learning.

Jotting Notes in Live Lectures

You can use the boxing method in live lectures. If the lecture is fast-paced, you can jot down notes during class, then add boxes later. This technique will help you keep up with the lesson instead of falling behind as you try to organize your notes.

Easy Digital Editing

You can edit your notes easily (if you take them digitally). If you want to move text around or resize it, use the lasso tool in note-taking apps.

Aesthetic Appeal Draws You In

Notes taken using this method are aesthetic. You can add colors and diagrams to make your notes more visually appealing.

Related Reading

• Charting Method of Note Taking
• Sentence Method of Note Taking

1. Use Constella for the Boxing Method of Note Taking

Constella is a powerful digital tool for mastering the boxing method of note-taking. It's so helpful because it completely reimagines note-taking with an infinite canvas that lets you capture and connect ideas effortlessly, powered by AI search that makes finding information instantaneous.

Whether you're a researcher trying to draw connections across numerous papers or someone who wants a more intuitive way to organize their thoughts and files, Constella's AI assistant helps you build and navigate your knowledge base without the constraints of traditional folder structures.

For busy knowledge workers and researchers who find themselves limited by conventional note-taking tools, Constella transforms how you capture, find, and connect your ideas. Research 10 times faster with Constella's AI notes manager.

2. Split the Paper into Columns and Add Headings

To begin using the boxing note-taking method, you’ll want to split the page into columns representing individual topics. To mark the subject of each column, add headings to the top so that you know what notes you’ll be taking in each of them. Using horizontal (portrait) pages, use two columns side-by-side. Using vertical (landscape) pages, use three to four columns side-by-side.

You don’t need to draw any lines – just keep these columns in your head and try not to cross over these imaginary lines. Or, if you prefer, you can draw vertical lines to separate the columns. However, I would advise against this as you won’t know precisely where the line should be until you write your notes.

3. Write Your Notes into the Columns

Start writing down thoughts, ideas, and concepts in the appropriate columns for this step. Whenever you get a new piece of information, summarize it and place it under the most relevant heading. Pay attention to the placement of your notes – the boxing method only works if the topical clusters of information are separated.

To save space and time, use telegraphic sentences when possible. Use abbreviations, symbols, short sentences – anything to reduce the size of your notes. Boxing method notes work best when written in a brief but information-packed manner.

4. Move, Edit, and Resize Your Notes (Optional)

This step is only relevant if you use the boxing method on a digital device. One significant advantage of using the method on a device such as a tablet or a touchscreen laptop is the lasso tool. All note-taking software has a lasso tool, allowing you to select a written sentence and place it somewhere else on the page. It also allows you to resize if needed.

This seems like a straightforward feature, but it’s a godsend for boxing method notes. Sooner or later, you’ll realize that one of your columns needs to be broken up or that a note must go into another. Instead of having to rewrite your notes, the lasso tool will allow you to pick up the sentences and move them to the correct location.

5. Draw Boxes Around the Topics

Now, it’s time for boxing. This is where the column separation you did in step one comes in handy. As you already have each column separated topic-by-topic, all you have to do is draw all borders for the columns, and you’ll have your boxes all set and done. You can go back to step three and move, edit, and resize your notes if needed. Often, this is done because of massive size differences between the boxes.

If you see that one of your boxes has 20 notes in it while another has two, it can sometimes be a good idea to separate that large box into multiple smaller ones. This is where the strength of the boxing method shows itself. The boxes will visually separate each topic from its neighbor and allow you to distinguish between clusters of information clearly.

6. Review the Boxed Notes

Now, the note-taking part of the boxing method is finished. All that's left to do is to review the notes. This step is by far the most crucial. Without a proper review of your notes, you’ll memorize very little, if any, of the information. What’s also important is when you review your notes. Note reviewing is best done within 24 hours of note-taking. Otherwise, the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve starts setting in, and you’ll lose retention and memorization rapidly.

When reviewing your boxing method notes, try to cover the information topic-by-topic. After thoroughly reading a topic, cover the box with your hand and try to recite the information. Then, do the same for all the other boxes. You should have a clear mental and visual overview of all the boxed topics by the time you're done.

1. The Outline Method: Finding Structure in the Chaos

The outline note-taking method is one of this list's most intuitive and simplest options. As the name suggests, this method turns notes into a hierarchy of information, providing a logical flow of content on the page and keeping it highly organized. With this strategy, you can take notes by hand or digitally and use headings and subheadings to create a clear structure, which is particularly effective for organizing complex or lengthy information.

Here’s how to take notes using the outline method:

• Title the main topics on the far left of the page
• Use bullet points to add subtopics below each topic, indenting them toward the right
• Expand on each subtopic with supporting facts, notes, or questions, indented even further to the right
• When using the outline method on paper, you must gauge how much space
• I need each subtopic heading below for all my notes.

With a digital note-taking app, I can always create more or less space as I go. With practice, I can become highly efficient at taking notes this way while keeping them neat and professional.

Pros

The advantages of the outline note-taking method include:

• Visually clean and organized notes
• Naturally drawing connections between topics
• Easily converting outlined notes into summaries or study questions for easier review
• Because of how clean and straightforward the outline method is, it can help people save time when reviewing and learning later.

Cons

The disadvantages of the outline method of note-taking include:

• Complexity when trying to add graphs and diagrams
• Requirements that content be highly structured
• Lengthier notes, as this method can lead to more detailed sections.
• Since the outline method requires you to leave space for subtopic notes, you may focus more on filling the space rather than narrowing down the most critical content.

2. The Cornell Note-Taking Method: Structure for Effective Review

Cornell University professor Walter Pauk designed the Cornell note-taking method for students. Like the outline method, Cornell encourages note-takers to keep clean, organized, and condensed notes. It’s beneficial to revisit your notes, review what you learned, and consolidate your new knowledge. The Cornell note-taking method includes a cue column, a note-taking area, and a summary section at the bottom.

Here’s how to take Cornell notes:

• Divide your page into two equal vertical columns
• Leave the lower one-third to one-quarter of the page divided from the columns, creating an upside-down T on the page
• Use the left column to cue keywords or ideas, and the right side for expanded notes
• Summarize the material in the space at the bottom of the page.

While the Cornell method is well-known for being handwritten, it can also be done with digital note-taking tools. Cornell is also a practical note-taking approach for self-testing, a proven way to learn and retain new information.

Pros

The advantages of the Cornell method include:

• Encouraging people to review and summarize information for better retention
• Keeping notes organized and easy to review
• Helping note-takers learn the most essential ideas and terms.
• The Cornell method focuses heavily on summarizing information, which helps people save time when reviewing in the future.

Cons

Let’s explore the disadvantages of the Cornell method:

• Not suitable for sessions with heavy terminology and statistics.
• Requires summarizing information immediately following the lecture, meeting, or conference
• Contingent on preparing notes pages before the lecture
• The Cornell method is typically geared toward abstract subjects with central ideas rather than facts and data.

3. The Charting Note-Taking Method: Organizing Information for Memorization

The charting method of note-taking is one of the most effective for fact- and data-heavy content. It involves creating a diagram or chart representing the relationships between different concepts or ideas. When the content is highly structured and uniform, the charting method provides an efficient way to keep up with the material. Because this method is based on facts and keywords, it’s a beneficial way to memorize information and test yourself with recall exercises. It’s less ideal for abstract concepts and ideas—the charting note-taking method.

To follow the charting method, take the following steps:

• Determine what topics the lecture will cover
• Divide the page into multiple columns, each with its relevant keyword
• Record relevant notes under each applicable keyword
• You can take charting notes by hand with a ruler or another way to divide your page neatly.
• You can also take charting notes digitally using a document management system that integrates with your text editor or a spreadsheet application.

Pros

The advantages of the charting method of note-taking include:

• Relevant for content that requires memorization and keeping track of facts and statistics
• Useful for summarizing and reviewing content in preparation for exams
• Effective for promoting concise, clean, and organized notes
• Charting is one of the best note-taking methods for comparing and contrasting similar terms or ideas.

Cons

The disadvantages of the charting method include:

• Incompatibility with sessions that don’t provide the structure beforehand
• The necessity of spending time preparing your note pages in advance
• Unsuitability for use during lectures or meetings with heavy discussions
• If it’s difficult to categorize the content, then it will be challenging to apply the charting method.

4. The Mapping Method for Note-Taking: Visualizing Relationships to Aid Understanding

Mapping is one of the favorite note-taking strategies in education and business. This visual approach involves creating a diagram or map to represent the relationships between concepts or ideas. Mapping can help eliminate the fuzziness around highly involved topics when learning or covering complex, abstract information. While visual learners tend to prefer this method, it’s useful for anyone trying to connect big ideas and themes and discover how they flow from each other—the mapping method for note-taking.

Here’s how you can put the mapping method of note-taking to use:

• Write the main topic at the top of the page
• Create one branch for each subtopic, stemming from the topic before it
• Continue dividing the subtopics downward and outward on the page
• Add relevant notes directly under each subtopic
• The final result should be a web or hierarchy of information, similar to a flow chart.

Mapping allows you to be creative. You can use colors or symbols to represent how ideas compare or relate. You can map notes by hand or digitally.

Pros

The advantages of the mapping method of note-taking include:

• Effective review and study through reorganizing original notes into a map
• Deep learning and understanding of complex topics
• Visual learning and memory recall
• The mapping method is visually appealing and a great way to rewrite your original notes during a study, meeting, or review session.

Cons

The mapping method also has some limitations:

• Space is constrained, requiring careful placement to ensure all notes fit within a single map
• Notes need frequent revision to prevent confusion
• Mapping takes up time if relationships between ideas aren’t clear to the note-taker
• The mapping method is not always ideal for taking your first round of notes, since it can be challenging to gauge how much space you need.

5. The Sentence Method of Note-Taking: The Basic Approach

The sentence method of note-taking is the most straightforward and least structured strategy. It involves writing each idea as a complete sentence. When the content is not outlined, the sentence method can help give your notes a slight structure that the topic is missing. The sentence method is beneficial for fast-paced conferences, workshops, or meetings that cover a lot of content. It works for either handwritten or digital notes. The sentence method of note-taking

To practice the sentence method, use lined paper and follow these steps:

• Record content, such as terms, facts, or ideas, in sentences
• Move to the following line for each new point.
• Number each new sentence as you progress through the content
• People with nothing prepared before a lecture or session tend to jot down notes in sentence form, making this one of the best methods for taking notes, as it's natural and straightforward.

Pros

The advantages of the sentence method include:

• Recording information that stands out in an easy way
• Keeping track of content in chronological order
• Converting notes into any other method
• The sentence method is a spontaneous way to keep notes without advanced preparation.

Cons

The disadvantages of the sentence method include:

• Lack of the visual structure that many people need
• Difficulty in reviewing later if the material appears disjointed. Incompatibility with content, graphs, and charts
• The sentence method is often a last resort when it’s impossible to prepare for a meeting or lecture, and when the content is too all-over-the-place to slot into any of the above methods.

Research 10 times faster with Constella's AI notes manager.

Related Reading

• Benefits of Note Taking
• Outline Method Notes Example
• Microsoft Loop vs Notion
• Notion vs Notability
• Notion vs Google Docs

1. Constella: A New Way to Capture Ideas

Constella transforms note-taking with its endless canvas that allows for the easy capture and connection of ideas. The AI search feature makes finding information instant. Whether you’re a researcher trying to draw connections across numerous papers or someone who wants a more intuitive way to organize your thoughts and files, Constella’s AI assistant helps you build and navigate your knowledge base without the constraints of traditional folder structures. Constella can help you research 10 times faster if you find conventional note-taking tools limiting.

2. Notion: A Powerful All-in-One Tool

Notion’s note-taking experience supports various content types, including images, text notes, bookmarks, videos, and code. You can add these to your notes with intuitive controls like drag-and-drop and slash commands. We loved its customization options. They allowed us to tailor our workspace for different personal and team needs, such as changing privacy settings to keep confidential meeting notes private or sharing them with team members when needed.

One pet peeve the team had with Notion is the maze of organization; you’re sometimes lost in the app, and the breadcrumbs aren’t always helpful. On the other hand, it is pretty popular with people who want to create databases and wikis.

Notion best features

• Create custom templates and integrate your database into notes
• Access important information quickly via the sidebar
• Write and format notes using Markdown
• Focus on what you’re writing with an immersive experience that makes everything else fade away for the time being

Notion limitations

• The complex feature sets and UI can be daunting for new users
• Does not offer any screen recording or transcription feature

3. Microsoft OneNote: The Best Free Note-Taking App

Even as a free app, OneNote is the best note-taking app we've tested. It has every feature you could want, from organizational structure to cross-platform syncing to voice notes and optical character recognition (OCR). It also comes with the best web clipping tool we've seen.

Pros

• Free version includes all features
• Excellent organizational tools
• Free-form placement of text, drawings, and attachments
• Excellent web clipper

Cons

• Local storage is only offered under Windows
• Limited OCR

4. Rodeo Drive: A Project Management Tool That Supports Note-Taking

Rodeo Drive is a project management tool with multiple features that support creative teams. It ends fragmented workflows and guides your projects from beginning to end using one data-driven interface. Rodeo Drive emphasizes organization and financial management. You can take notes on your projects, manage your team’s workload with accurate task scheduling, and use calendar-based project management to keep everyone on the same page.

Pros

• Streamline team collaboration and project management with straightforward task assignment features, project timelines, and a simple note-taking app
• Get insights on your projects using the reporting function to oversee tracked time and team performance
• Integrate with QuickBooks and Xero to streamline your bookkeeping process
• Take advantage of the budgeting and financial reporting features to monitor the economic health of your projects throughout their lifecycles

Cons

• The free plan is limited to 10 users and lacks access to some advanced features
• Some users report a lack of features compared to other note-keeping apps

5. Apple Notes: The Simple Note-Taking App for Apple Users

Apple Notes is a simple but efficient note app that works across all Apple devices. This could become your go-to tool if you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem. It’s still the most straightforward app if you work within the Apple realm—summon it anytime on your Mac from the bottom right corner, and it pops up earnestly. Syncing is mostly great; copying something on the phone and pasting it on your desktop is magic. The little things that boost the experience.

Ask more of the app, and you’ll be disappointed. Moving the text around, formatting, and indenting are not easy. Any more advanced use cases are not supported. You can save multiple types of content, including images, web links, handwritten notes, maps, PDFs, and sketches. I prefer Apple Notes’ scanning feature to scan documents directly from my iPhone—there is no need for third-party scanners! The documents are saved directly within Notes as PDFs.

Pros

• Create notes, edit lists, organize notes into folders, and manage attachments
• Pin priority notes on top for quick access
• Add tags to sort and find notes easily

Cons

• Limited to users within the Apple ecosystem

6. Evernote: A Longstanding Leader in Note-Taking

With Evernote, it’s a case of never forgetting your first love. I spent years tinkering with Evernote to build my ideal experience and workflow, but it never came together. From notes, tasks, and schedules to your favorite resources from the web, Evernote makes it easy to save anything you want on your chosen device. I could quickly integrate Evernote with ClickUp, Google Calendar, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, so all my standups, client meetings, and reminders automatically synced with Evernote.

The tool is also available offline, so it’s comforting to know I’ll still be able to access my notes if I’m camping or traveling without internet access. Evernote’s AI-powered search functionality is quick and intuitive. It works across PDFs, documents, and images, so searching through many notes and content is never an issue. The Tasks feature lets you outline project steps and assign responsibilities to others—a great way to collaborate with your team on the go.

Pros

• Save snippets from the web directly into their notes with Web Clipper
• Scan, digitize, and organize paper documents with your phone’s camera
• Edit notes and tasks in real-time and keep all contributors on the same page

Cons

• A limited free version that pushes users towards a premium subscription.

7. Joplin: An Open-Source Note-Taking App

Joplin is an open-source note-taking application that helps you put your thoughts into words and securely access them across Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS. The tool supports multimedia notes, including images, videos, PDFs, and audio files. Its sharing and collaboration features are smooth. It allowed me to share my notes with friends, family, and colleagues and work alongside them on the notes without hassle.

There was also an option to save a note (on the internet) and share the link with others—an easy way to share task lists, company wikis, or meeting notes with a large group of people. Joplin offers extensive customization options through plugins, custom themes, and text editors (such as Rich Text and Markdown), ensuring you can tweak the tool to your liking. While it’s an open-source app, it maintains data privacy with End-To-End Encryption (E2EE). Your notes will be accessible only to you unless you choose to share them.

Pros

• Format your notes with Rich Text or Markdown
• Save web pages or take screenshots directly with the Web Clipper extension (available for Chrome and Firefox)
• Work offline and take down notes on the go

Cons

• The interface is not as user-friendly as some commercial options, limiting its appeal to less tech-savvy users
• Syncing requires a bit more setup compared to other mainstream note apps

Constella transforms the note-taking process with its infinite canvas. This unique approach allows users to capture and connect ideas smoothly and intuitively. The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) search means you’ll be able to find information instantly. This flexible note-taking tool is helpful whether you’re a researcher trying to draw connections across numerous papers or simply wanting a better way to organize thoughts and files.

Constella’s AI assistant helps you build and navigate your knowledge base without the constraints of traditional folder structures. Constella will transform how you capture, find, and connect your ideas if you find conventional note-taking tools limiting. Research 10 times faster with Constella’s AI notes manager.

Related Reading

• Apple Notes vs Google Keep
• Notion vs Apple Notes
• Evernote vs Apple Notes
• Obsidian vs Notion