I’m a note taker. In my college classes, I would always have a notebook to jot down the important stuff… and sometimes I’d doodle to keep myself awake.
I never wanted to throw my notebooks away after the class was over, because what if I needed them later? So they took up space in my parents’ basement for years after I left home, even though there was no way I could reference my notes for that time I really needed them.
Enter Rocketbook.
How I wish this existed back when I was in college!
The Rocketbook is a reusable notebook that can sync with the digital cloud. It’s analog meets digital! You can take your notes longhand (with a special Frixion pen) and then scan it with the app and it sends a PDF file directly to wherever you designate: your e-mail inbox, DropBox, Google Drive (even a specific folder within Google Drive), Trello, Evernote, whatever you choose.
You can set it up so that it transcribes your handwriting so that it’s editable text! Be careful though, you still have to write neatly for it to do its job well.
I mean, sure, you could just type your notes into a doc on the computer, but research shows that taking notes longhand helps you to process and retain information better than typing notes word-for-word on a laptop. 1
I first heard of Rocketbook when my friend gifted me one. She knew I liked to write with a physical pen and paper, but still needed a way to keep organized. She had heard of the Rocketbook from a coworker who saw her continually taking notes in work meetings. We both love using it now! I used mine extensively when writing my book to brainstorm, outline my book, and keep track of my goals and to-do lists. So it’s something that you can use beyond college, too!
There are lots of different sizes and styles of Rocketbook, and while it seems pricey for a notebook (the average is around $35), it’s the only notebook you’ll need. You won’t have to buy new ones each semester, and you have just one notebook to bring to all of your classes. At the end of the unit, you can scan what you’ve written and keep it in the cloud for the rest of your course. Erase it, and you instantly have a new notebook, while knowing that your notes rest securely for the years to come when you “might” reference them.
The notebook comes with a pen, but you can buy other packs of pens with colors to spice up your note taking.
A few things to get used to:
Don’t Rush! The ink takes around 10 seconds to dry. Don’t close your notebook too fast and smear your writing.
Take care of it! I forgot my notebook on our balcony the day it rained, and part of the notebook got wet and I lost my notes. (It was fine, because I had already sent them to the cloud). I also left the notebook in a hot car for too long and the writing faded (although I could still read it). So be careful, because heat and water will both cause your writing to disappear!
These limitations might seem annoying, but I think they’re worth it to have a quality reusable notebook, and to be able to effortlessly store notes in the cloud (or share them with a friend).
Check out the Rocketbook on Amazon!
*I’m an affiliate with Amazon, so if you use my link and end up buying the Rocketbook, I get a percentage of the sale. You can go directly to Rocketbook’s website, too.
For more study tips, and info on health, finances, and social connections, check out my book!
Share this:
- Mueller, Pam A., and Daniel M. Oppenheimer. “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking.” Psychological Science 25, no. 6 (June 1, 2014): 1159–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581.