11 Ways Taking Notes Can Boost Productivity at Work
While you won’t be fired for not jotting down everything that happens at your daily meetings, it will boost your productivity. That’s right, taking notes isn’t just for school anymore!
You’ll probably be surprised by just how much note-taking can affect your workday (in a positive way, of course). This is especially true with ProofHub’s smart note-taking solution that makes it easy and efficient to take notes, both as an individual or team.
Are you ready to get to the nitty-gritty?
Great, let’s jump right in with 11 ways note-taking can improve productivity at work.
1. Say Bye-Bye to Stress
After a meeting (or any activity at work, who are we trying to kid?), your brain will be swarming with loose ends, ideas, and just a boatload of information. This isn’t good for your stress levels (as we’re sure you know!).
Having a cluttered mind can feel like you’re on a very unpleasant ride at the fairground. One that you try (and fail) to get off many times throughout the day but you are firmly planted in your seat.
Well, that stops right now. Trust us, taking notes is a sure-fire way to unbuckle that theme park brace and regain control of your thoughts. Yep, even if it might not feel like it to begin with.
By now you’re probably sitting there thinking something along the lines of this:
“Okay, cool, but how on earth is this helping me to be productive? I’ll be feeling less stressed, which is clearly a plus but I’m here to learn how to get more done!”
If that sounds like you then it’s okay. We understand. However, there have been many studies that prove stress-free minds are more productive.
Take Dr. Sara W Lazar’s et al 2005 study where she concluded that meditation physically increases your brain’s density in the prefrontal cortex. In simple terms, it maximizes your brain’s power (i.e. improving your ability to be productive).
Unfortunately, Western offices don’t tend to take regular meditation very well. Although they definitely should! So, taking notes is a great way to relieve your brain’s load (and therefore stress) in an office-friendly manner.
“When it comes to beating stress and being super productive at your job, ProofHub is the way to go. Get started now!”
2. Stick to The Plan (That’s What It’s There For)
You have a plan. You need to stick to it. That’s why you (or your boss) made the plan, right? But it is all too easy to get sucked into a whole host of conversations, “busy” activities, and, of course, the ever-addicting world of social media.
In fact, you might even be reading this as a form of procrastination. Yep, we see you! Don’t worry, we’re changing that as we speak.
Taking notes can help you stay on track and do the things you need to do rather than put them off for “tomorrow” (or get sidetracked by the never-ending flow of emails, text messages, and phone calls).
Jotting down as and when you get more requests piling in helps you prioritize them. This allows you to focus on the activities that are really urgent, rather than those you feel are urgent. You don’t have to constantly derail your day because someone thinks their request is the most important thing you’ve heard all day. The world doesn’t work like that, and you shouldn’t either.
3. Notes Equal To-Do List
Speaking of to-do lists, your notes can help you make one in the first place! This is especially useful if you have a bunch of meetings to attend — on Zoom or otherwise — since you don’t have to fiddle about with your planner while everyone is talking over each other.
Let’s put it into a scenario to aid your understanding:
Imagine that you are in a brainstorming session with your colleagues. You are trying to come up with ideas for a new advertising campaign selling bamboo toothbrushes and charcoal toothpaste to the older generation. There are a bunch of ideas being chucked around.
The guy next to you is writing everything up on the interactive board thinking that it’s helping everyone. And while it is allowing all members of the meeting to see and remember the specifics at the time, as soon as you walk out of the room, that’s it. Your brain will automatically forget it (yes, there’s a study proving this too). So, how do you stop this from happening?
Take notes. Whether it’s on your phone, iPad, laptop, or a good old’ fashioned paper notebook, you need to write things down. Especially since your boss will be giving you (and your coworkers) tasks as the meeting progresses.
Allowing yourself the time to jot some things down gives you a base to work from when trying to plan out your day (or week). We don’t need to tell you how important this is for productivity.
4. More References, Fewer Problems
If you’re not trying to climb a career ladder here, you might not give two hoots about this one. So, we encourage you to skip ahead. However, if you are interested, we’ll get into the details here.
Becoming the best in your field is hard work but attainable if you go about it the right way. The best way to start? Take notes. Take a lot of notes.
Now, we’re not necessarily talking about references that you’d find at the end of some articles, dissertations, or reports. No; we’re talking about making references for yourself.
Your notebook can act as a “refresher course” on all the things you have picked up through training days and just day-to-day life in your industry. It can be a real help as you progress up the corporate ladder.
5. Collaborative Working Is Key
Nothing spells “productivity” quite like “collaboration”. High-quality notes are the beginning of not only your knowledge weaponry but your team’s arsenal too.
Not everyone will be as confident as you are in their role. So, your notes could be the difference between a colleague’s stress-free workday and them having a panic attack. In many roles, you can’t be productive unless your team is, so help them out!
That way, you can all have a great work-life.
6. Boost Work Quality
It doesn’t matter what task you’re doing, taking notes will help you improve the quality of your work. Whether you are writing emails to a new client, putting together a Facebook ad campaign, or training an apprentice, notes will be your savior.
Yes, it does take some forward-thinking and the right equipment (note-taking app, pen, and paper, whatever you fancy using). But, you will quickly realize just how valuable they can be to the material you handover at the end of the day.
7. Look Good, Feel Good
Of course, this can apply to your appearance, but we’re not getting into that here. Instead, we’re looking at how taking notes can make you look good from your boss’s point of view.
If you’re in a meeting and are seen to be writing all the key factors and ideas down, this is a subtle hint about your character. It shows you have determination, can self-motivate, and take great care in the details. Not to mention that it displays how efficient you are!
While you might not care too much about this, there’s nothing wrong with aiming a little higher up on the corporate pecking order. Notes are guaranteed to get you to where you want (or need) to go.
8. The Calm Before The Brainstorm
What’s a brainstorm? It’s a great way of rapidly jotting down your ideas to set out into an order later. It’s a method used to get your inspiration down on paper before too many enter your brain and overwhelm you. There’s no judgment nor prioritization. You just get everything out in a fun, easy manner.
As long as you carry your notebook pretty much everywhere with you, brainstorms will be your new best friend. If you decide to go with a paper notebook, the ideal format will be a pocket notebook with a spiral binding, enabling you to fold it in half if necessary.
You won’t have to remember every single idea for that new marketing strategy. You’ll just need to jot it down in your notebook. You might be shocked by just how many CEOs and corporate big-wigs do this.
9. Got Big Ideas? Save Them!
Our previous point is very closely connected to this one.
How often have you had a grand idea one moment and it’s gone the next? We’d imagine that this happens almost too often. Yep, it’s a sad fact of life that great ideas are often fleeting. If you don’t have anywhere to write them down, you will forget them as soon as you enter the office or sit down at your desk.
Carrying a notebook with you, or keeping a note taking app like ProofHub in your smartphone, can change this!
Whether you are on the train, walking to grab a bagel, or sitting reading a good book at the end of the day, a fab idea may flash across your mind. But there’s nothing to worry about because you have a notebook and pen in your bag. It won’t be forgotten! Instead, you can just scribble it down and carry on with the task at hand. Perfect!
10. Make A Brain Dump
Again, this one is pretty close to our “Calm Before the Brainstorm” point. But, you won’t be using your brain dump page for any work-related happenings.
We tend to title our brain dump section in our notebooks but you don’t have to! Some people like to use colored markers, stickers, and washi tape to make it look lovely. Others just like to scribble about and make marks. And the rest prefer to write down all their thoughts, feelings, and concerns.
Your brain dump page (or maybe even an entire notebook!) is for your eyes only. A place where you can just empty that overflowing head of yours to find at least a semblance of peace. It’s another great way of relieving stress to increase productivity. (Don’t worry, we won’t quote the scientific study again!)
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11. Apply Some Feng Shui
Everyone and their dog seem to be talking about feng shui these days. But it’s more than an aesthetic. Adding a little bit of this prettiness into your notes will increase productivity.
It’s no secret that being in an environment that is attractive and easy on the eyes is good for the soul and work ethic. This applies to your notes too! If you want to look at them, you’re more inclined to reap the benefits that jotting them down has to offer. It’s a foolproof technique (even if we do say so ourselves).
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and take some notes! You’ll thank us later.
Author’s Bio: Lori Wade is a journalist & content writer from Louisville, who has experience in small editions. She enjoys creating news and conceptual articles about efficiency and productivity in life. You can find her on LinkedIn. Hope you appreciate Lori’s useful insights!
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