Writing notes people can actually read

Most people use about a tenth of the Notes editor and then wonder why their notes are hard to reread. A handful of the tools genuinely change how usable a note is later.

Structure first

Headings are the single biggest improvement you can make. A meeting note with three headings can be skimmed in five seconds; the same note as one block of text cannot. Add a Divider where a note changes subject entirely.

Then choose the right kind of list. A bullet list is for things that exist, a numbered list is for things that happen in order, and a Checklist is for things somebody has to do. Only the checklist can be ticked off, so use it for actions and decisions — it turns a record of a meeting into something you can work from.

Use Quote when you are recording somebody else’s words rather than your own, and Code block for anything that must be copied exactly, such as a reference number or a snippet of configuration, because it will not be reformatted.

Tables

Tables are inserted by dragging across a small grid to choose how many rows and columns you want. They are the right tool whenever you find yourself writing a list where every item has the same two or three pieces of information.

Beyond text

Notes takes Image / media, plus video, audio and a built-in voice note recorder. The recorder is the underused one. Talking for forty seconds after a call captures far more than you will type, and the recording sits in the note next to your written summary.

Remember that anything you attach to a note counts towards your personal storage, the same as a file in Drive. Photos of documents add up quickly.

Emphasis, used sparingly

You also have underline, links, text alignment, text colour, font size and a multi-colour highlighter. Highlight colours work best when each colour means something consistent to you — one for decisions, another for things you are unsure about. If everything is highlighted, nothing is.

Focus mode

When you are writing something long, the note’s overflow menu offers Focus mode, which clears the surrounding interface away. The same menu turns it off again.