Apply this template to a note, and you’ll see a lot of work has been done for you. The template follows a classic Cornell format, with sections for notes, questions, a summary, and a heading.

Whether you’re learning from a lecture, book, or some other media, write down important information in the “Notes” section of the template. Add blank space between key concepts, and use abbreviations to keep things concise. Quickly create additional pages by simply applying the template to a new note.

When you’re finished taking notes, think of questions or cues that prompt you to recall each important piece of information. Let’s say you’re taking an English course and one of your notes reads, “An essay outline should include all main points.” A question you could write beside this note would be, “What should an outline do?” Or an appropriate cue might be, “outline requirement.”

Cover your notes and try responding to each of your questions or cues. Peek at your notes if you have to, but keep trying until you can respond correctly without looking. Using your own words in your responses will help you grasp the material better than reciting the notes verbatim. When you’re done, summarize your notes in the space provided.

Study your notes to prepare for a quiz or exam. Start by reading your summaries for each relevant topic. You can also cover the notes and practice reciting, as you did before. Since you’re doing this in Evernote, you can use search to quickly find any note, which helps you spend less time hunting things down and more time learning what you need to know.