How to Move from Paper Notes to a Note-Taking App

There are lots of advantages of switching to digital note-taking—no extra flipping by tons of paper, your notes change into extra organized, straightforward to seek out (more often than not), accessible throughout units, and secure from put on and tear.

But, regardless of how nice it sounds, the transition can really feel fairly daunting. Nevertheless it doesn’t should be.

1 Begin Gradual

You don’t must go 100% digital from scratch; relatively, ease into it.

Start by deciding which notes you need to digitize first—possibly those you utilize most frequently or these which might be the toughest to maintain monitor of on paper. Once I made the swap, I began with my brainstorming notes since I’m that woman who carries a journal in every single place she goes as a result of concepts simply gained’t cease popping up. Your go-to notes could be assembly minutes, to-do lists, or tough drafts.

At first, I didn’t even use a devoted note-taking app. I simply typed my concepts and despatched them to myself on WhatsApp. As soon as I received comfy, I transitioned totally to a correct app that works nice for me (we’ll get to that quickly).

The way to Digitize Your Current Paper Notes

When you’ve determined which notes to begin with, there are a number of straightforward instruments you need to use to scan and digitize them.

For Android customers: Recordsdata by Google has a built-in scanner that detects paperwork mechanically and allows you to scan a number of pages in a batch. For iPhone customers: Apple Notes makes scanning tremendous easy and mechanically syncs your scans throughout units. For Microsoft followers: The OneDrive cellular app helps you to scan immediately into the app, and it syncs together with your desktop.

Most of those apps—like Apple Notes, Google Lens, and Microsoft OneNote—additionally include OCR (optical character recognition) options. This implies you’ll be able to convert your handwritten or typed notes into editable textual content, so that you gained’t be restricted to simply photographs or PDFs. You possibly can simply copy, paste, and set up the textual content out of your scans in your app of alternative.

As you scan—whether or not as photographs, PDFs, or textual content—make sure to set up your notes into digital folders or notebooks instantly. It is because digital muddle could be a lot tougher to handle than paper muddle, so it’s greatest to remain organized from the beginning.

2 Select the Proper Observe-Taking App

With so many note-taking apps out there, every with its personal distinctive options, it’s essential to seek out one which most accurately fits your fashion and desires.

If you happen to’re already within the Apple ecosystem, you’ve received some standout choices. Apps like GoodNotes 6 are excellent in the event you want to take handwritten notes with a stylus, which is a extra pure transition from paper to digital. One other stable alternative is Apple Notes, which is nice for jotting down classes, concepts, or to-do lists wherever you might be, because it integrates easily with macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.

If you happen to use Android, you aren’t left behind, both. Evernote is especially nice for taking examine notes, with its strong group options, assist for importing handwritten notes, and the flexibility to transform them into editable textual content. My private favourite is Microsoft OneNote, which helps stylus enter through the Draw menu for these of us preferring handwriting for digital note-taking.

Though OneNote does not mechanically convert handwriting into textual content, it integrates nicely with the Microsoft ecosystem (the place I’m deeply rooted).

Apps like Notion, Obsidian, and Joplin are unbelievable options if you wish to set up your notes extra like a digital submitting system. Obsidian takes it a step additional by permitting you to hyperlink your notes in a method that mirrors how concepts join in your thoughts.

If you happen to’re nonetheless uncertain which app is greatest for you, our information on selecting your subsequent note-taking app may help.

3 Get Acquainted With Your Most well-liked Observe-Taking App

As soon as you have settled on a note-taking app, the subsequent step is to familiarize your self with its core options. Understanding these fundamentals will make your transition smoother and show you how to get probably the most out of your note-taking app.

For example, after I first began with OneNote, I discovered it tough to arrange my notes accurately. The house web page has a plus icon to begin a brand new word, nevertheless it wasn’t clear which pocket book the web page was being saved in. Studying learn how to create and set up notebooks, sections, and pages took a while, nevertheless it made an enormous distinction as soon as I received the cling of it.

Every app has its personal methodology for organizing notes, so it’s value spending time studying learn how to create notebooks or folders and learn how to type your notes inside them. Many apps additionally provide classification instruments like tags or labels, which may help you retain issues much more organized.

You’ll additionally need to discover different useful options, like including reminders, creating to-do lists, or highlighting key factors in your notes. If you happen to’re utilizing a stylus, it’s value studying learn how to convert your handwriting into textual content for simpler looking and modifying, although you’ll be able to all the time select to maintain it in handwritten kind.

To additional improve your note-taking expertise, you may discover structured strategies just like the Cornell note-taking methodology. This methodology presents a easy template so that you can pen down your ideas. It is particularly useful when confronted with a clean digital web page, which might seemingly really feel unfamiliar.

One other useful method, interstitial journaling, encourages you to jot down your ideas as they arrive to you whereas additionally noting the time. It’s all the time nice to see how my concepts evolve over time.

4 Use Options Like Voice Memos, Photos, and Extra

One wonderful thing about digital note-taking is that you could transcend easy textual content. For example, I typically get my greatest concepts in probably the most random locations, like within the bathe. If I do not seize them instantly, they’re gone. That’s the place voice memos come in useful. With OneNote, I can file voice memos immediately into my notes.

It’s also possible to embed photographs, charts, sketches, and a lot extra into your notes. Many apps, like Notion, even provide a Net Clipper, which helps you to save total net pages on to your notes.

Collaboration is one other massive perk. Apps like Notion, Microsoft Loop, and Evernote permit for real-time collaboration. You possibly can share your notes with colleagues, associates, or classmates and work on them collectively, which is very helpful for staff tasks.

Every app presents distinctive options, so take time to discover those out there to you.

5 Keep Constant With Your Digital Observe-Taking

The important thing to efficient digital note-taking is consistency. Preserving your notes organized and up-to-date ensures they continue to be helpful and don’t change into a digital mess.

I spend a couple of minutes every day reviewing my notes and organizing them into the correct folders or notebooks. This day by day routine has change into second nature, very similar to reaching for a pen was once. Due to options just like the OneNote floatie, it’s straightforward for me to jot down concepts at any time when they strike.

Nonetheless, if I don’t set up these notes, I’ll be unable to make sense of them later.

One other key to staying constant is guaranteeing your app syncs throughout all of your units. This manner, your notes are all the time accessible, whether or not you’re in your cellphone, pill, or pc. In case your app permits for reminders, make sure that they’re synced as nicely, so that you’ll get notified even whenever you’re not on the gadget the place you created the reminder.

It’s additionally essential to maintain your organizational system easy and true to you. Some folks want one or two normal classes with plenty of pages, whereas others (like me) discover it simpler to make use of a number of folders and notebooks. I usually use not less than 5 separate folders as a result of it helps me find particular notes quicker. Nonetheless, having 5 separate folders may not be just right for you. No matter system you select, make sure that it’s intuitive and works for you.

On the finish of the day, the essential factor is to maintain updating your notes and staying organized. Keep in mind, digital muddle could be worse than paper muddle—not less than with paper, the whole lot is littered proper in entrance of you.