Beginner’s Guide to The Flow Notes Method

Flow Notes can be a valuable tool if you are interested in active learning. The primary difference between Flow Notes and other note-taking methods is that you tend to take notes first and learn later, whereas, with flow notes, you learn while you take notes. Below is an example of how Flow Notes would look in practice.

Advantages of Flow Notes

Efficient with time since you learn and take notes simultaneously

• Encourage active learning, which most of us don’t practice enough
• When you try to learn things actively and make connections between the information shared, you are more likely to remember that information

Using the Flow Note-Taking Method

Start on an empty page with the core idea of the session at the center

• Take down ideas you think are essential, in your own words, in the empty spaces
• Remember to leave ample space at the beginning while writing down the main ideas
• After writing, glance at the topic for the session and take down sub-headings to help manage space
• Once done, back-connecting helps you zoom out a bit and put your learnings into a story format

Things to remember

Flow Notes can be a valuable tool if you are interested in active learning

• The goal is not transcribing but rather understanding what is being taught
• Make your notes simple
• Visual – create a quick flow diagram with essential ideas and connections
• Use spaced repetitions to make your notes memorable

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