Hello all.
I have a problem with keeping my notes in one place for when I need to study.

I have tried the clipboard technique, but the notes never made it to the binder afterwords... and I lost track of them.

I have tried using spiral bound, but I usually end up late to my classes, so I have to leave spaces for stuff I missed.
Or, I run out of pages because I didn`t but a notebook with enough pages in it.

I have started a system where I colour code the binder with the spiral notebook, with a folder that I keep the textbook and all the rest of the stuff in.
It`s a pain to lug it all around, but it keeps things nice.

So I need some ideas.

What is your step by step routine for lecture notes?

How disciplined do you find you have to be to keep your notes in order and organized?

The whole situation becomes harder when you add in work that needs to be done for papers, and reading notes....

Reading notes are hard to incorporate with lecture notes... but that is probably just because I don`t do the readings much.


Any help would be appreciated!

Let me know what system you have come up with and what you like and don`t like about it.

Thanks everyone!

3 hole vs. spiral?
clipboard?
audio recording?
laptop typing?
mind maps?

I use pocket folders to keep all my notes, hand-outs, etc. I usually have a separate one for each subject. I take my notes on looseleaf and they're usually jumbled up in the folder.

To keep them organized, I use a simple indexing system. At the very top-centre of each paper I write down the week (or class) number followed by a letter. For example "Week 5b" would be the second page of notes for week 5 of the class. On the top-right I put the class, for example URBS 230. I put a rectangle around each of these to make them more prominent.

This system makes it much easier to find notes for a specific class/week by just thumbing through them.