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Some people-particularly those that recommend it as a college study tool-subscribe to an elaborate set of rules about recording, reciting, reflecting, and reviewing. “There is one principle that should guide you if you’re going to take notes using the Cornell Method: write less, not more.” Opinions differ wildly on what should happen with your notes section. The left-hand margin is your key points and key questions section.The largest section is for note-taking.The Structure of the Cornell Methodĭividing your paper gives you three sections: You are all done getting ready to take notes Cornell-style. You can also design one online and print it, or you can purchase Levenger pads optimized for the Cornell Method. You will end up with something like this: Then draw a horizontal line all the way across the paper about two inches from the bottom of the page. To arrange your notes in Cornell fashion, take your standard legal pad and draw a thick vertical line down the left-hand side of the paper, approximately 2-3 inches from the side of the page. That large left-hand margin turned out to be my introduction to the Cornell Method, and I have been a devotee and an evangelist ever since. I figured I’d live with that, and plunked down $25 in 2001 dollars for a five-pack. The catalog waxed rhapsodically about the weight of the paper and the smooth as silk feel you’d have written on it with your fountain pen, but never explained the weird huge margin at the left-hand side. Well before law school, I’d developed a completely unnecessary fondness for the Levenger catalog, which carried within its pages nice pens, some lap desks, and some legal pads that cost approximately five times any other legal pad I’d ever seen. I stumbled upon it because I wanted some really nice legal pads. I didn’t pursue the Cornell Method as some sort of lifehack or magic productivity enhancer. The Cornell Method has you separate your notes into a note-taking portion, key points, and a summary.
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That is where the Cornell Method comes in. Handwriting forces you to slow down and focus on what is important. Taking notes by hand is better than typing your notes on a computer. Partnerships & Advertising on Lawyerist.Virtual Receptionist & Outsourced Staffing.Law Firm Client Reviews & Reputation Management.Law Firm Data & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).Virtual Legal Assistant-Delegating to Freelancers.
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