The 7 Ways a Note Taking App Can Help Your Career

Note taking apps are popular because they make it easier to take and organize notes in a variety of situations.

00:18 01 September 2021

But many people underestimate just how much the right note taking app can help your career.

 

How a Note Taking App Can Benefit Your Career

 

These are just some of the ways a better note taking app can improve your career:

 

1. Better meeting participation. With a better note taking app in place, you’ll be able to perform better in meetings. You’ll walk in with a clear agenda and readable notes. You’ll pay more attention to the conversations unfolding, and you’ll be able to point to earlier meeting points when it’s time to contribute.
   
   
2. Higher recall. It’s also been shown that taking good notes can improve your memory. If you become consistent at writing things down, paying closer attention to things happening around you, and organizing your thoughts into words, you’ll have a much better memory of your experiences. Whether you’re preparing for a professional exam or just trying to impress a client, this can behoove you.
   
   
3. Organization and convenience. Good note taking apps are also highly effective in helping you stay organized. No matter what type of system you use personally, you’ll have the tools you need to keep your notes easy to find and recognize. That could mean applying labels, sorting your notes in folders, or just using keywords in combination with a search feature; in any case, you’ll be able to find your materials much more easily than you did before.
   
   
4. Productivity. People who rely on good note taking apps to record information and stay organized tend to be much more productive than their counterparts. They’re able to learn more in meetings, retain more information about clients, and find information quicker when in a pinch. Ultimately, that means less time wasted duplicating effort, fewer mistakes due to forgetfulness, and a much more streamlined mode of work.
   
   
5. Potential for brainstorming. For millions of people, note taking apps are ideal for the brainstorming process. Before you have any solid ideas, you can jot down your initial thoughts and abstract concepts, then flesh them out. With the right note taking system, you can easily organize and consolidate those thoughts, eventually coming up with better concepts or improving upon your initial vision.
   
   
6. Sharing and collaboration. Note taking apps are highly valuable for sharing and collaboration as well, especially if your coworkers are using the same app you are. With the click of a button, you can share your meeting notes with all the other participants, or invite a coworker to contribute their own thoughts on your work in progress.
   
   
7. Conceptual thinking improvements. Some people take notes in a straightforward, linear fashion. But the more time you spend taking notes and using the features in note taking apps, the more you’ll learn to think conceptually. That abstract, creative thought process can help you come up with better, more innovative ways to solve problems – which is valuable for any career.
   
   

Choosing the Best Note Taking App

If you’re in the market for a note taking app, or if you’re looking for something different than what you already have, consider the following variables and dimensions when making your decision:

• Functionality and modes. First, you’ll need to pay attention to the different functions and modes that are available to you. Every note taking app will have some way to type or write notes, but can you draw freehand? Can you record audio? Are you able to launch a whiteboard-style brainstorming mode? Different people will have different needs here.
  
  
• Design and intuitiveness. Good note taking apps are designed to be intuitive. You shouldn’t have to watch 20 tutorial videos just to figure out the basics – nor should it be a headache to navigate the app.
  
  
• Platform accessibility. Cloud hosted note taking apps typically allow you to write, save, read, and retrieve your notes from any device, regardless of where they originated. For example, you should be able to take notes on a laptop, then access them on a smartphone later.
  
  
• Organizational tools. You may also have a need for tools that can help you keep your notes organized and easy to find – such as a search feature that can help you track down notes that include certain keywords.
  
  
• Cost. Of course, you’ll also want to think about cost. There are very robust note taking apps out there – but you might be able to get most of the same functions with a free version.
  
  

Unfortunately, there isn’t a single note taking app that’s perfect for every professional. But if you can find the best note taking app for your style of thinking and your needs, you can use it as a springboard to improve your career trajectory dramatically.