Which is Better? Handwriting VS Typing Notes (the Science of Note Taking) 

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I think I will handwrite my notes in class, then go home and pull info from different sources to understand better (typing is better for this step because I can change the notes when I see a better explanation)

what i would recommend is, when you are actually studying and trying to understand concepts, use paper and pen. once you have mastered the concepts of the topic make a finalized copy digitally so you can store it. i find taking digital notes very time consuming because you end up using images and making sure everything is placed in the right spot etc. the more important thing with taking notes is, the point of it should not be rewriting every single word on the page. most of thinking should be done in your head and transfer the key words and relationships of the topics onto the paper. if you are writing whole sentences down constantly you are wasting major time.

I just came across your guys’ page today, but how much effort you put in there, the visualisations, the fact your videos are science based, sharing personal experience to guide us how we can implement the different learning methods, absolutely incredible. You deserve so much more views while helping so many students, so here‘s a comment for the youtube algorithm!! 👏🏼

Typing is better for the speed but handwriting is better for active recall.

This video actually makes me miss studying. I used to take digital notes, print them and then when revising/reviewing them I would make notes in the margins etc. On a separate note, your videos look so good!

It took me a looong time to finally find a way for me that works. I finished studying a few years ago, but still use the dual system I established in university: I mostly take notes by hand, then later transfer them to my laptop. Writing the things down AGAIN really helps me remembering them. I do the same with my To-Do-lists at work: I got one in our team's Asana but write all of what I need to do each day on a piece of paper again (plus other non work related to-dos). It causes extra work, sure, and my colleagues probably think I'm nuts that I basically write down everything twice, but in the end it usually actually saves time.

I found this video very helpful! I am still in middle school but my schedule tightens every day, so I wanted to study less without sacrificing my grades. Taking better notes is helping me a lot. I, sadly can only use paper notes, since our school doesn't allow to use computers during lessons. I decided to re-type my notes in Notion and making flashcards with it. Thanks!

This is very interesting. When I was in high school and college laptops and I pads didn't exist. We either had to write notes or use a tape recorder and transcribe them later. The disadvantage to taping lectures was that you had to have a long enough tape or multiple tapes and good batteries. There was also no way to know for sure that the tape recorder was picking up what the teacher was saying. For those of us who handwrote notes, myself included, it was popular to type your notes as soon as possible after the lecture which made them easier to read later, it also gave you a chance to condense them.

I wrote the notes on paper ( to remember better ) and type on rem note ( repetition ) , and practice calculation based questions on I pad ( saves paper , and can practice anywhere ) . Note taking , and learning them makes my eyes stick on screen and gives me headaches . So I use tech for repetition , testing , scanning notes and calculation based questions . Paper notes for the learning and byhearting .

I didn’t have a laptop for my first two years in college and what I did was hand write them first and then transcribe them onto google docs later. This forced me to review my notes and synthesize the material into a more condensed and searchable form factor.

so the most important thing is not what way you choose to take note, it's about how you review what you took afterward 😊

Pro tip: Place the pen between your toes and practice toewriting. This allows you to use your hands to research why you are making life difficult for yourself.

Definitely handwriting for me 'cause typing is hard an time consuming (Latex) in physics and I can easily add colors, highlight stuff, personnalize and structure my notes the way I want with handwriting.

The video I was waiting from like a eternity thank you 🙏

Agreed that reviewing the notes is probably the most important step. Typing definitely works better for me.

Thank god I found this, it really helped me in the issue with my confusing thoughts that had been building up for a while now

If you take notes diligently and Actually use them. Why should typing vs writing make a difference. Yes, your style shouldn't physically hurt your note taking. I would suggest if you're a FAST BOI in typing, go for it. The notes look a lot cleaner and you don't waste paper. (Tablets are also an option, if you want digital but also handwritten)

I started using remnote this weekend (im a law student) and i definitely want to really get into it, but i just found it difficult to get used to the aesthetic, specifically the lines to distinguish the levels of indentation. I found it to be an nuisance since i used to take notes on ms word and i really loved the clean look and easy customizability (portrait, landscape, two columns etc). Then they were easy to print afterwards and review, and annotate/spot errors etc. hope you can do something about that, just because it’s cleaner to look at. maybe an option to hide the lines or make them white (for those who want to hide it) to make them match the bg? love you guys and your content and definitely love discovering remnote 🥰 ps: the landscape view and multiple column thing is just something that i rly love abt ms word, but im really okay w the setting of remnote. 💙✨

I'm just starting med school, I'm glad I found you guys soon lol xD

Interesting video. I still take notes at work when I'm researching stuff. I switch between handwritten and typing. It's cool to see all the study's. 👍

I feel that most important than how you take your note, is how you deal with it. To practice memorization, periodic recalls, and effective synthesizing (with rich content, like charts and images) looks a lot more impactful in the information retaining to me, at the point that choosing between handwriting or typing seems irrelevant. And I really questionate myself, if that more natural fit for handwriting for someones is not related to the fact that in the school, we grow up use handwriting. Maybe our brain adapts to the way we usually retrieve information. For example, blind people can have an different approach, with typing and audio.

My professors in Germany all (and I really mean all) suggested to take notes by hand with pen and paper during the lecture even if you're not going to look at them again because it will help you to really listen and understand (or not understand) what was said during the lecture. But then again I study Journalism and English so it might be a little different from med school X3 Anyways nice video!

I wrote my notes in class, and typed it when I got home as a form of review and study, as well as to add info I missed.

Great Video! 👍🏾 I’m glad you emphasized the studies that show typing can be more effective than handwriting and it’s hard to distinguish based on variables we can’t account for. Fundamentally I take typed notes myself, because it offers me a lot more flexibility and saves a load of time.

Man that was the best transition to a plug that I have ever seen.

Since my handwriting is horrible, it’s a no brainer🌚

For me I see two main drivers on note taking: 1) The type of learner you are - I'm the one who learns from actively taking notes. - It helps me to get concentrated. - You're from the visual learners team? Notes are unlikely to add value for you. 2) The mindset you have 2.1) Notes just to register the material. - You're simply copy and pasting manually. - The information is written better, deeper, somewhere else (books and slides provided). - This way, it's a low-value activity. 2.2) Notes taken consciously, actively - You're re-building the content structure. - The content is adapted to your own learning needs. - You can merge the current lesson with previous ideas, examples, contents in your memory. - This is the mindset that will make TOTAL difference in the way you take notes. - This increases a lot the quality of your notes, the clarity and retention you have about the content. When in college, I used to be more like (2.1) and as a professional, I'm definitely (2.2). Makes total difference.

Mike and Matty, hope you are well. I've trialled a new technique and found it works for me. I'd like your views on it. Instead of writing/typing notes during lectures, I listen and think about the meaning, then dictate in my own words onto a dictaphone (ensuring the original meaning is retained) in a question and answer format. At home I listen back to the recording of my own voice and type it out on remnote to do retrieval practice and spaced retrieval.

My Samsung tablet has handwriting to text on the Samsung Note app. I can type 140 wpm, but when it is not something coming out of my own thoughts like an essay or coding, then I pick up nothing and have to review typed notes more. With this draw to text method, I get the best of both worlds.

I usually type my notes then write all my notes out before exam but I am considering getting an iPad for digital notes then before exams, write it out with pen and paper

i lovee you guys . i can see the effort you put in your videos

If you do decide to take up typing then 'touch typing' is a must learn skill Basically being able to type with all your fingers without looking at the keyboard, your fingers guided via muscle memory

See I type my notes for speed then I refer back to them on my tablet and connect questions and lectures back in my own handwriting. I also listen back to my lectures and highlight points they make.

If you need a search function for your notes, how good were you at organizing your notes when you were taking them? That being said, one wonders how much of this would be determined by the individual rather than the technology?

So I personally love the handwriting when I revisit my 📝 *****notes

My point is that in my school we dont write notes we just read from textbook so I pull up home and write my notes on my tablet of what I have learn in my class without looking at the textbook then if I don't get something I recall it again...

I did Flashcards in Knowt because Quizlet is payed now. It took a lot of time and my resit exam was yesterday and I think I did well.

More noting methods please

I will keep using notes, but I still need to refine how to relate the information as I keep typing. Great video though

Handwritten all the way. I draw a lot when I make notes and I circle things, underline etc It would take me forever to type And for whatever reason, my head doesn’t process computer fonts the same way it does my handwriting Plus I remember pages I WROTE something rather than where I typed a thing

This video has answered my question which has been in my head for YEARS

My game changer now is google Drive. I take my notes, and I use my phone or iPad to read while lying down, at a party in my gym anywhere I go.

here is something else you could possible do is since a lot of people can type faster than they write, You can type notes while in class and then if you want go home and then write them down if you do prefer writing over typing.

u didnt discuss how the subject dictates the style of note taking

The biggest disadvantage of digital notes is that many institutions don't let students use mobile/tablet/laptop to take notes in class.

I have a question about a different perspective of the writing process. However first some thoughts of the matter at hand! The question is at the bottom if you want to jump down to that first! If we take the notes by hand, it uses deeper cognitive processes thus aids in long-term retention and deeper understanding. But it does not show differences in learning performance if we compare longhand notes and computer notes on factual information, and when students got the task to connect factual information within different perspectives the individuals who typed on the computer performed slightly better than the people taking notes by hand. why is that? (This is usually what the science of note-taking brings up and not the creative process of writing). Does this mean that, when we have learned something deeply by taking notes by hand at first, does the use of computer free writing (writing about the information that you have already understood and processed) aid in divergent thinking or creative thinking?? My thoughts on why I ask this question: - Writing by hand requires more focused approach of writing, thus blocks out the flow of thoughts. When we use executive functions is deactivates the resting state of the brain. The resting state of the brain takes care of the process of connecting information form new input to old input. - When we type at higher speeds on the computer we can let the thoughts in our mind flow out. - And when I personally work on an idea I use pen and paper because of aid in focus and understanding. - When we daydream (adaptive daydreaming) we can connect and create new ideas out of those connections etc. - Or we can be more creative when we are tired etc, because of the increase of the flow of our thoughts and unfocused mode of the human brain. If we have full understanding of concepts and facts, is it better to use longhand or typing on a computer for divergent-, creative- and free thinking on those concepts and facts for connect and relating the information???

why not do both, typing what the lecturer lectures and rewrite it on your notebook for better understanding

Hey Mike, great video! Love the calmness and humbleness from both of you. This is why I hate roam just because the founder is a snob (and their cult). Resources permitted, if you can make remnotes more robust (it is admittedly more buggy than roam), all you guys lack is just marketing and I see it as a superior product in every way just because of the seamless SRS integration alone. Regarding note taking during lecture, your promise is that the notes you took is perfect for studying (thus organizing the paper notes is a down side) but I found that most of the time when you go back you have to do 2nd, 3rd round of note taking (aka learning) anyway. During the lecture, just write down any fleeting insights so you don't forget, and questions so you can follow up with teachers/peers/research, and focus on understanding what the lecturer is saying, that's already plenty of attention spent, IMO.

This guy could just make he's videos ads for he's app, but no he actually cares. Fair play man 🙌🙌

To be very honest, this video deserves millions of views, such a comprehensive approach to all the studies with citations, I wonder why people watch ali abdaal when you tubers like you exist. You cleared majority of my doubts as I was juxtaposed between digital and traditional handwriting.

depends. for things like languages where all you need to do is write typing is better. for things like physics you NEED a stylus because you need to solve equations

I'm in high school, idk if it is just because i live in the UK or if its my teachers but most of them don't let us take notes in class, and if they do they are in our books which stay at school

I'm having trouble making a decision. Like I've always used the writing notes but this class has over a hundred of slides and it takes me a few hours to write and go through it but its also a power point and I dont want to go back and forth. The struggle.

My hand writing is atrocious so I think I'll go with laptop. Wasn't aware there was different ways to take notes though, is there a video of that?

glad I’m not too late discovering your channel

Excellent video as always. How would you suggest to create note/flashcards from a textbook using RemNote? Which method did you use to go through 2 Volumes of the Harrison? This sounds like a whole lot of time to create these flashcards especially during residency

I haven't students handwrite Cornell Notes because they simply can not Resist the distractions. Moreover, when done right, Cornell notes minimize the lack of command F searches because the students are creating their own searchable organization and cues as they review what they've written

i personally feel handwriting is superior when it comes to memory because it's just way more cognitively engaged ( you could found bunch of evidences backing up this online). When i tried to taking note by typing it immediately feels different from taking not by hands- it feels just a bit off, and it just does not stick compare to the traditioonal hand-writings

This Question its like asking a handyman if a screwdriver its better than a hammer.

I always read my notes from a chapter before the chp test so it’s all fresh in my mind

Exactly what I needed to hear.

Ypu have to look at meta studies. Comparing one study to another is a common technique to validate a lesser or study pf bad quality. This is usually done because your presentation on notes are thesis driven.

i write notes what i teacher gives (mainly here in india we write exercise part not notes if u got that )anyways i practice maths , code java and the rest just type points whenever it is necessary . i personally never liked notes i prefer text book only over making notes and learning

I use my tablet only for study. I don't have Facebook, games etc. there. For relax I use my computer, phone or second tablet.

I think it heavily dependent on the subject and the person. Some subjects do better with handwriting, like math (writing done problem examples). Or like History: more facts and sentences. And when it comes to a person, some struggle with spelling or handwriting. And if your not a fast writer.. you can get left behind

Love this video, so helpful!! Xx

Thank you so much. I want to read more in research paper.

My hand gets tired from writing too much so I prefer to type. Maybe if I wrote more, over time, my hand would get less tired

I say if it's a professor that goes by power points than I say ipad, that way, you can typed any information that's not listed in the PowerPoint. If it's a proffesor that just talks and goes through the book ,I say write.

How long do you take to write notes?

Do you recommend making my own slides and making a video teaching it? By the way Im a psychology student

Timestamps for myself 0:36 - 1:06 Should you even take notes? 4:28 Disadvantages of digital notes and methods to overcome them 5:20 How to study from notes and actually remember it? This video is more like how to study from digital notes effectively because you rarely said anything about handwriting notes

Personally I can only find the spend and neatness I need for my notes on paper. I tried handwriting on iPad and I tried typing and neither of them truly worked for me during lectures, especially given that my style of note-taking includes a lot of bubbles with annotations and spider-diagrams.

0:50-Students who take notes perform better 4:50-Typing the Lecturer's verbatim is the biggest mistake on the process of note taking 5:10-Types of Note Taking Methods: 1.Cornell Notes 2.Outline Method 3.Charting 5:40-

I prefer to listen in class without taking notes. I take notes during study sessions, or when I'm researching.

Hi bro I have one doubt Is it useful to study other notes by downloading notes about particular topic all internet source and combine the notes and make it one perfect notes is it useful please help me bro i am confused with taking notes 🙏🙏🙏🙏..... Make a separate video for this comment.

Where can I found the video related to this part? 5:42 Best regards, and thanks for the content.

First of all grades don't come with study skills it comes by actually sitting and studying delicately.

Where's the fookin app

Thanks for Sharing!

is graphics tablet any good for note taking??!?!!?

Another quality video

doing both is better ... i write my notes from books and lectures with pen and then i rewrite them with keyboard

Hi! I have just started using remnote! Although it is quite simple to use, I’ve come across a problem while making notes. I accidentally selected a portion of my notes and pressed backspace. I was trying to undo the damage but when I pressed the icon on the top left( which looked like an undo button) it took me to an error page. How to retrieve deleted documents and how to undo an action on Remnote? Kindly help me out with this.

how to use remnote

Lol im getting confused how to use Remnote But i will work hard to learn the app And thanks for developing Remnote i think it will be helpful in the future studies

Guys Can you make an update in the rem note app to write down points not just type down the points thanks!!!! @Mike and Matty

Is RemNote applicable to law students as well?

Thanks for great video

So I do Something Called Condensing of notes. I first write the Notes From the Books or Ppt or Anything. Be it Digital or Pen or paper (Digital Prefered Here) I will Remove every Word From the Notes To a Diagrams. Suppose The Anatomy Of Heart and The I will Draw That heart With the Reference and Draw it multiple times and Making Sure that everypart of the Diagram Contain All the Necessary Labelings, Pathways and Everything. (Prefered Pencil/pen and Paper) Then I will add one of the Best Diagram out Of all to Anki use Close Deletions and Full pathway Remembering( typing) So When the Exam Comes (we have Essay type) I draw first and Then Just Need to explain the Diagram. Over.

great video!

Is there an app for remnote? Like to use it offline

Hi, where can I start using RemNotes? Is there a link?

Does anyone know any good ipad apps for writing notes? Just please please ones that don't turn you writing into words because I don't take them in English :((

When is REM note coming to app store ?

Why I prefer typing notes: I can't understand my handwriting...

are you guys programmers? When did you start coding?

My question is you have a video saying you shouldn’t take notes at all, then you have this? I respect you and what you do but I only see contradiction here

IN CONCLUSION, DO WHAT YOU LIKE