Lately I’ve been attempting the various note-taking systems we learned in writing skills class. So far, the only one that can competitively keep up with my somewhat erratic train of thought is the mind map. The mind map has allowed me to take notes on things I would have usually missed due to its connective nature.
Compared to the other systems it feels a lot less restrictive – it does not make feel as though I have to write down entire sentences to force the topic to make sense. It has been particularly helpful in literature lectures, where the lecturers are not always the most planned individuals; they tend to wander a bit through their ideas and topics, but the mind map is not restricted by this.
It might just be my short attention span, but I feel that using the mind map has helped me stay balanced instead of just sinking into my notes, or not taking notes at all.
