Sure, it’s fun writing pretty notes and annotating the margins of your textbook. But as the semester progresses, handwriting becomes sloppy, handouts accumulate, and textbook pages get wrinkled. Hauling books becomes a burden, and it’s nearly impossible to bring everything you need in a standard backpack.
You need to consider going paperless.
But it sounds daunting. How the heck do I give up on paper?
First of all, decide if you really need to do it. There is a wide variety of reasons that might make you less suitable to this way of studying.
1. If your school/major relies heavily on actual paper, then don’t.
2. If you can’t afford the equipment, then don’t.
3. If you don’t have enough self-control, then don’t.
Do not force something onto yourself just because it sounds “cool”.Okay. Now that you’re ready to try this, make a list of ways going paperless will be helpful (and, if necessary, show this to whoever will be financing your decision). Examples include…
1. Less strain on the back
2. Better organization
3. Saves trees and energyNext, make your gadget decision. Do you want to type, write, or do both? What system are you familiar with? Do you want an iPad? Pro or regular or mini? Or perhaps a Surface? What keyboard/stylus are you going to use? Portability is key.
Cool. Now that you have what you need, it’s time to choose your apps. Personally, I use a 256GB iPad Pro 10.5 inch with Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, so I will be talking about how these apps work in this setting.
For Notes I use both GoodNotes and Notability. I do this because sometimes I need to open and annotate two documents at the same time, and it is only possible with the split-screen function that comes with iOS 11. These are two different apps with different advantages, so if you must choose one, I recommend watching review and videos before deciding. Personally I prefer Notability as it feels more streamlined for me.
Before every lecture, I use Scanner Pro to scan any handouts that I haven’t already downloaded from my university’s student portal. I then copy these to Notability to take notes on like I would with pen and paper.
For homework, I type up essays, reports, and make slideshows with either Google’s suite of apps (Drive, Docs, Slides, and Spreadsheets) or the iWork ones that are included with the iPad (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote). I always use Google’s collaboration function for group projects.
To keep track of my life, I use Google Calendar. I always have an analog planner (from Muji) to write down appointments, obligations and deadlines because I still like writing with pen and paper.
Other apps I use and love include:
1. Files (with iOS 11)
2. Forest (for self-control)
3. Spotify (music)
4. Kindle (books)
5. Canva (making infographics)
6. Procreate (art)
7. Calculator 2 (cool thing that solves written equations)
8. YouVersion Bible (self-explanatory)
9. Quizlet (to quiz thyself)
10. Social media apps that are related to schoolI go through my files periodically and name them properly (date, topic, course) to stay organized. This way, I am able to keep all my materials together without actually bringing any stray papers. I do still have a few paper-related things in my backpack though. I always have a clipboard to write stuff on the go, a folder to hold important documents and filler paper, my planner/journal, and a notebook. However, I’ve managed to dramatically cut down on the amount of paper I use, and it’s been great so far!
