The boxing method of note-taking is a simple way to keep your notes organized by grouping related ideas into separate boxes. This makes everything easier to read and review, especially for complex topics. It’s great if your notes tend to get messy or unorganized, helping you quickly find key points without scrolling through a cluttered page for crucial information.
Whether you're a student trying to study or a professional taking meeting notes, this note taking strategy can save you time and make your notes more useful. Keep reading to see how it works and why it might be the best note-taking style for you.
What Is The Boxing Method Of Note Taking?
The boxing method of note-taking is a simple and effective way to organize information by grouping related ideas into separate boxes. Each box focuses on a specific topic, making it easier to see key points at a glance.
This method works well for visual learners and helps keep notes structured and easy to review and easier to retain information. It’s great for both paper and digital note-taking, but it can be time-consuming for fast-paced lectures. Many college students use it to break down important points into clear sections, making studying more efficient.
How To Use The Boxing Note-Taking Method
To take notes using the boxing method, start by choosing your format - either paper or a digital device. Next, draw boxes to separate different topics or main ideas, keeping them neat and organized. Add a heading to each box so you can quickly see what it's about.
Inside each box, write short sentences or use bullet points to highlight the most important points. If you're using digital notes, tools like the lasso tool can help you move and adjust boxes easily. This is a great alternative note taking method for visual learners who want well-structured notes that are easy to review.
Boxing Method Example
Lecture Notes Template
This template is great for organizing all the key takeaways from your lecture. You can easily jot down the main topics, important examples or facts, and then summarize the key points at the end, so everything is neat and easy to review.
Project Planning Template
When you’re planning a project, this template helps you break everything down into clear, manageable sections. You’ll cover goals, deadlines, resources, and action steps, making sure you stay organized and on track throughout the project.
Meeting Notes Template
Keep all your meeting details in one place with this template. It helps you note down the agenda, key decisions, and any follow-up tasks, so you don’t miss anything important and can easily track what needs to be done after the meeting.
Research Notes Template
This template is perfect for keeping your research organized. It gives you space to note the main question or topic, how you’re conducting the research, key findings, and what could be explored next, making it easier to stay focused and move forward.
Book Notes Template
If you’re reading for learning or enjoyment, this template helps you capture the important stuff. You can write summaries of each chapter, note character details, dig into key themes, and jot down memorable quotes or personal reflections, helping you digest and reflect on what you’ve read.
When To Use The Boxing Method
The boxing method is best used when you need to organize information clearly and visually. It works well for visual learners who prefer structured notes over traditional outlines. This method is especially useful for subjects with different topics that need clear separation, like history, science, or business studies. It’s also a great choice for effective note-taking, where you can easily move and resize boxes.
However, it may not be the best for fast-paced lectures, as drawing boxes and structuring content can be time-consuming. If you want aesthetically neat and well-structured learning materials, the boxing method is a solid choice compared to the outline method.
Pros & Cons Of The Boxing Method
Pros
- Keeps notes organized – Everything is neatly structured, making it easier to review later.
- Great for visual learners – Breaking information into smaller clusters helps with understanding.
- Easy to separate topics – Each box focuses on a specific topic, so you don’t mix up information.
- Works well for digital minutes – You can easily resize and move boxes using digital tools.
- Looks neat and clean – Notes are aesthetically pleasing and easy to skim through.
Cons
- Takes more time – Drawing boxes and organizing content can slow you down.
- Not great for fast-paced lectures – It’s hard to keep up when a lot of information is coming at once.
- Doesn’t show connections well – Unlike the mapping method, it doesn’t link ideas together as easily.
- Can take up too much space – If not planned well, your notes might look cluttered.
Conclusion
The boxing method is a great way to keep your notes organized and visually easy to follow. It works especially well for learners and teams who prefer digital note-taking, but it might not be the quickest option during fast-paced lectures where you need to write notes down quickly.
If you're looking for a more efficient and all-in-one solution, Bluedot is the way to go. It does more than just transcribe your Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google meeting notes - it records your meetings, including when someone is screen sharing, so you never miss any important details. Bluedot automatically transcribes, summarizes, and generates meeting agenda templates while also sending auto-generated emails to keep everyone in the loop.
Plus, it securely saves your recordings for later reference. With the addition of an AI chat feature, Bluedot makes note-taking and meeting management easier than ever. It’s the perfect tool for anyone who wants to stay organized and never miss a thing.
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