How to Make Notes and Beat Study Boredom!

• Tell Me -What to Do!
• Sometimes studying is not difficult because the subject is hard - it is difficult because we simply don't feel like doing it! And then there is the great mystery of school life: How do you turn a huge chapter into short, useful notes? Daksh Kotak, a Class 7-8 student, has two very real questions. Let Uncle Fix-It bring out his toolbox!

Dear Uncle Fix-It,
I have two questions about studying: (1) How do I make good notes for Classes 7 and 8? I often feel confused about how to make notes from my school textbooks. Should I write everything? Should I make them very short? What should I include, and what should I leave out? (2) What should I do when I feel bored and don't feel like studying?
Thank you,
Daksh Kotak

Hi Daksh!
Excellent question. And here is the first secret:
Making notes does NOT mean copying your textbook into a smaller notebook!
If you write every sentence from the chapter, congratulations - you have created… another textbook!
Good notes are like a movie trailer. A movie may be two hours long, but the trailer gives you the important bits. Your notes should do the same thing.
Try this simple 5-step Notes Formula:

1. Read first, write later
   Don't start making notes the moment you open a chapter.
   First, read the chapter once to understand what it is about. Look at the headings, pictures, diagrams, examples and important words.
   Then ask yourself:
   "If my teacher gave me a test tomorrow, what would I definitely need to remember?"
   Those are the things that belong in your notes.
2. Turn big paragraphs into small points
   Suppose your textbook says:
   "Plants prepare their food through a process called photosynthesis. During this process, green plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce food in the form of glucose and release oxygen."
   You don't need to copy all of that.
   Your notes could simply say:
   Photosynthesis
   Process by which green plants make food
   Needs: sunlight + water + carbon dioxide
   Produces: glucose + oxygen
   Takes place mainly in green leaves
   Much easier to revise, right?
3. Use headings, arrows and boxes
   Your notebook does not have to look like a boring government form!
   Use: Headings to divide topics
   Arrows - to show connections
   Tables - to compare things
   Diagrams- when they explain something better than words
   Keywords - to help your brain remember
   For example:
   Causes of the Revolt ? Political + Economic + Social + Military
   Four words can sometimes save you from reading four pages!
4. Don't write notes for EVERYTHING
   This is important.
   You don't need detailed notes for every tiny fact. Some information is already easy to remember.
   Make notes especially for:
   Important definitions Dates and names Difficult concepts Formulas Differences between two things Causes and effects Processes and steps Things you repeatedly forget
5. Make your notes useful for REVISION
   This is the final test. Close your textbook and look only at your notes. Can you remember the chapter? If yes - Well done! You have made good notes.
   If your notes are so short that you have no idea what they mean, you have gone too far.
   Think of notes as your study GPS. They should help you find your way through the chapter without making you travel through every sentence again.
   When you feeling bored and don't feel like studying
   Daksh, welcome to the Human Student Club!
   Almost every student - and, frankly, plenty of adults - has days when the brain says:
   "Homework? No, thank you. I would prefer to stare at the ceiling."
   The good news is that you don't have to wait until you feel like studying.
   Here is the trick:
   Don't fight the whole mountain. Climb the first step.
   Tell yourself:
   "I'll study for just 10 minutes."
   That's it. Not two hours.
   Not "I will finish the entire chapter."
   Just 10 minutes.
   Open the book. Write the date. Read one page. Solve two questions. Make five points of notes. Very often, once you start, your brain says: "Hmm… this isn't so terrible."
   And you continue. If you stop after 10 minutes, that's okay too. You have still defeated the biggest enemy: not starting.
   Try the "Tiny Target" trick
   Instead of saying:
   "I have to study Science."
   Say: "I will read two pages of Science."
   Instead of: "I have so much homework!"
   Say:
   "I will finish these three maths questions."
   Instead of: "I need to study History for one hour."
   Say:
   "I will learn five important dates."
   Small targets make the brain much less nervous.
   And here's another trick: change the environment!
   If possible, put your phone away. Keep your books, water bottle and stationery ready. Sit somewhere comfortable but not too comfortable - your bed has a mysterious ability to turn "five minutes of reading" into a two-hour nap!
   You can also use a simple cycle:
   25 minutes study - 5 minutes break - 25 minutes study
   During the break, stretch, walk around, drink water or look out of the window.
   But don't make the "5-minute break" secretly become a 45-minute YouTube expedition to discover how penguins sleep.
   And remember something important, Daksh:
   You do not have to be perfectly motivated every day. Some days you will study happily. Some days you will drag yourself to the desk like a sleepy buffalo. Both are normal.
   What matters is learning to say: "I don't feel like doing it - but I'll start anyway."
   That is a superpower.
   One final Uncle Fix-It formula
   Whenever studying feels boring, remember:
   START SMALL - REMOVE DISTRACTIONS - STUDY A LITTLE - TAKE A BREAK - COME BACK
   And whenever you make notes, remember:
   READ - UNDERSTAND - SHORTEN - ORGANISE ? -REVISE
   Daksh, your questions are actually signs that you want to become a smarter student, not merely a student who studies for longer hours.
   So don't aim to study all day.
   Aim to make your study time count. And if your brain occasionally whispers, "Let's do homework tomorrow…", smile and tell it:
   "Nice try, brain. We're doing just ten minutes today."

• Uncle Fix-It