Why should I stay organised when learning a language?
First, we need to consider what we are trying to do, and why it is important.
We are trying to learn and remember a language. There are many complex parts to learning a language, so if we can stay organised we can save brain power for learning rather than using that energy to try and find things.
When we know where things are, it’s easier for us to find them. If we can find our notes easily, it helps us save time when studying. It also helps us when we simplify our process and keep organised.
This allows us to keep our brains organised too. Our brains like patterns. If we give our brain some simple patterns and places to store things, we will actually remember the content much better.
Should I Organise My Study Notes Using Traditional Paper or Computer?
Regardless of which system you use, the main thing is that you have one single place where you store everything. Keep everything in one place and over time you will find that it becomes easier to find the notes you require.
There are different benefits to each system. These will be covered below.
For either note system, have a set day or time weekly to go over your notes – this helps you continue to stay organised while also allowing for spaced repetition.
You can mix your systems. Some people prefer to use paper and then type those notes up on their computer. You can also use different systems for different parts of the learning process.
For making quick notes in class, or for making mind maps connecting concepts, paper might be better. For organising big pieces of information, or for keeping good examples of writing or reading materials, a computer will work well, too.
The Benefits of a Paper-Based System When Learning a Language:
Your mind can remember things much better when you write using a pencil. It also feels quite nice to write notes using a pencil or pen.
You can move notes around quite easily. If you have a piece of paper, you can just pick it up and move it to a different location within a few seconds.
You can flick through your notes quite quickly, allowing for a quicker recollection of what you have studied.
You can easily cover the note and try to remember what is on the page
The Benefits of a Computer-Based System When Learning a Language:
(like a basic computer folder, a Google Drive folder, or an online notebook or database like Evernote or Notion)
You can access the notes anywhere even if you don’t have your own computer with you. You can still login and see all of the information that you have saved. This is especially convenient if you travel / visit home / study in different places during the day.
You can choose which categories to organise your work, and you can change this quite easily by copying and pasting:
- storing by category (food, travel, conversation etc)
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- storing by date (for example, saving everything you learned in June in the same folder)
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- storing by unit in your study book
You can tag notes or have html links within notes that allows you to connect different notes to each other.
photo credit: Dmitry Mashkin