By: Annalise Gutenberger

Note-taking: one of the earliest and most basic skills we learn in life. Grade school teachers always told us the importance of taking notes, because they can help you remember parts of a story. As a PR major in college, teachers emphasize the importance of note-taking if you’re interviewing someone; to get all the details. This importance still carries over into the professional world.

As my summer internships have come to an end, I reflect not only with memories but with my journal, full of notes. Here are my tips from my new-found appreciation for note-taking:

Create a key for yourself

I’m thankful to have earned two internships this summer, but with one in the fashion industry and one in the travel industry, there were several key terms I didn’t know in either industry. The first page of my journal has a key, where I wrote down all the new terms I learned throughout the summer. Having this makes you more efficient in your field, and it is helpful to reflect on how much you’ve learned!

Draft yourself a timeline

This might not seem pertinent to anything about note-taking, but trust me, it is. A timeline will keep you on track during the course of your internship, but as we all know, life happens. Especially in communications, things can change on a whim, but if you can write little adjustments into your timeline, you will stay organized and accountable, and will have something great to look back on!

Write down every idea

Ideas come to us at the most random times, and it’s crucial to write them all down. Even if it’s not a full-blown master plan, it can be the start of something great. I often found myself pairing my ideas together and creating a tangible plan. If you share these ideas with colleagues and/or your boss, this says a lot about you as a member of the team: your wheels are constantly turning. Who knows, it could turn into something great!