Mistral Spirit
  • Home
    • about
    • get in touch
    • print shop (inactive)
  • organization
    • bullet journal
    • digital organization
    • note taking
    • resources + printables
  • lifestyle
    • productivity
    • journaling & balance
    • academia
    • books
    • fitness
  • ideas
  • creativity
  • links
  • ☕ newsletter
  • academia
  • videos

organization || how i take notes as a 4.2 GPA student: complete digital system for success

IoanaSeptember 10, 2020

I LOVE a good organization and productivity system. GOOD systems are what have helped me get a 4.2 GPA (we use a 4.3 scale), land career projects (intern, teaching assistant, freelance marketing consultant), and have time for personal relationships (family, friends, colleagues) and personal goals (I workout nearly every day).

Note-taking in school and university should be efficient and bring you RESULTS. It should also be adaptable for any type and format of course you take. The one I’m sharing today is a refined version of my Mistral Method note-taking system. I like my notes to be pretty, but being FUNCTIONAL and saving me time while also ensuring that I’ve grasped and internalized the concepts I learn is KEY. Going into my 3rd year in Commerce studying at Queen’s University, I use these tools and systems in all my courses, but I’m confident you can apply them to your courses also. Watch the full video (or use my timestamps below) to learn it for yourself!

Pearson Canada has kindly sponsored + provided me textbooks for this video!

Start studying with Pearson eText: pearsoncanada.ca/mistralspirit-etext


why do I love digital study tools?

  1. Easy to search.
  2. Much faster.
  3. Easy to re-organize.
  4. LIGHT!
  5. Accessible from anywhere!

top tips for digital note taking

This video demonstrates (with examples) my complete digital & analog note-taking system. The focus is on being EFFICIENT, ADAPTABLE, and EFFECTIVE.



Is your note taking digital or analog at the moment?
What top tip would you share with other students to help them get more out of their class and textbook notes?

You might also like...


Comments (2)

  • organization || 5 study tools you should be using for success – Mistral Spirit

    September 16, 2020 at 2:05 pm

    […] For more on study strategies, take a look at my most recent video, “How I Take Notes as a 4.2 GPA Student” on my YouTube channel: […]

    Reply
  • blog || digital study tip | doing readings directly in OneNote – Mistral Spirit

    October 13, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    […] you haven’t yet, check out my video in collaboration with textbook and learning company, Pearson Canada. In it, I walk through my entire digital system for studying and taking […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

Latest posts

  • Writing 50k words in ONE month: National Novel Writing Month 2022 Prep Vlog + Goal Setting + Events

    November 1, 2022
  • "Company" on Broadway in NYC

    July 25, 2022
  • what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

    April 26, 2022

Instagram

ioana.pitu

ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
Load More Follow me on Instagram

Latest recipes

No Recipes Found

Search

Tags

featured ideas & perspectives

Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market t Caught the @evergreen_brick_works farmers market this Saturday for another @usktoronto sketching meetup! Always a great time with this group. 🥳 I’ll admit I didn’t do much sketching this time around… was *very* busy making the rounds at the farmers market. 😜

#usktoronto #torontosketching #evergreenbrickworksmarket #urbansketching #travelsketch
little cup, GIANT smile 🥳 Totally in my elemen little cup, GIANT smile 🥳

Totally in my element at the @usktoronto exhibition reception event at @atoriginto a couple weekends ago. The exhibit showcases sketches by local artists that are primarily done on-location in places we travel to or live in. I’ve tagged a few of the artists so you can tap through to their profiles!

You might remember helping me choose which two sketches to submit to the show application back in December. Check them out hanging right there on the wall in slide 3! 

And HUGE thanks for helping me narrow it down. 🥰

If you’re in the area come check it out. (Or better yet, let’s go together!) 👯‍♀️

#urbansketching #travelsketching #urbansketchers #usktoronto #usk #travelsketchtoronto #urbansketchersexhibit
Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketch Some more photos from our @usktoronto urban sketchers meetup this Sunday in Toronto at @theonlycafe!

Instantly loved the interior of this cafe. 👌 I feel like maximalist interiors speak to my soul. Its late and maybe this isn’t quite it, but … they sort of remind me of my favourite people.

#urbansketchers #torontoart #urbansketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #watercolor #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #watercolortraveljournal #watercolordrawing #traveljournal #travelwatercolor
The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup w The most perfect Sunday morning sketching meetup with @usktoronto at @theonlycafe 🥰 Art + chill + new friends + coffee = happy soul

Thanks for organizing @satori3000! Check out these talented artists: @deshpande.shardul @maragulens @aish_cj @april.sketchedthis @sarawenn17 @beverleydaniels5 @hirtescufineart @sonalipraharajarts @satori3000 @sonyapadovani @michaeltsouras
So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward th So glad I overcame my initial hesitation toward this book being about video games. It’s a delight for my brain so far and I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent all of this morning and afternoon reading (it was glorious) and I’ve learned 3 new words I adore:
- dilettante
- Weltschmerz
- palimpsest

Pls note: photos taken “while reading” are obviously not as impromptu as they may appear on Instagram. They’re usually when (a) you’re on a reading intermission because you either haven’t started or are getting a bit tired of reading for so long or (b) there’s a long period of descriptive text that doesn’t necessarily represent the quality of the book and is a good time to hashtag let-me-take-a-selfie. So don’t read this one page and form an opinion about the book. Instagram isn’t reality. 😜

Pls also note I’m only 40% through the book so my review isn’t definite. I’ve been burned before by jumping too excitedly to recommend a book (in this case, TV show) to everyone around me before realizing it gets WEIRD later on. So take my moment of excitement with a grain of salt - more thoughts to come!
Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and Just received this new pen from @bulletjournal and @leuchtturm1917 @leuchtturm1917canada! 👀 Here’s a closer look!

Can you tell I had so much fun unboxing this 😅 It’s my new desk pen for days that I want to feel a little ✨fancy✨

#gifted #pen #amwriting #bulletjournalleuchtturm1917 #gelpen #journal #journaling #planner #studygram #aestheticstudy #bujo #bulletjournal #bulletjournalpen #bujopen #minimalistplanner #bulletjournaling #bulletjournalcommunity #penlover
Load More Follow me on Instagram

Mistral Spirit © 2022. Designed By Lucid Themes.