I have struggled over the years to find a note-taking system that works for me. I like writing physical notes, but they can be extremely bulky; especially since I have been taking intensive college courses for years. I hated how when color-coding my notes, the pens would bleed through the page and I had to only write on one side of the page, making my notes even bulkier. By the end of the semester, I would often have two full notebooks for each class; leading to clutter and stress from the mess. I also had a hard time finding past notes because, with all of that bulk, pages would often rip out or just get ruined.
I started looking into note-taking alternatives last summer and was not liking what I was seeing. I was seeing two options: getting a tablet that could download OneNote and use a stylus to write my notes; or using a small tablet-like piece of paper that would send the documents to my computer. The problem was that it had to be plugged into a computer to be able to be used. Both of these options were over $150 and had short lifespans. As someone going into college, I really didn’t want something I would have to require every two years. Towards the middle of the fall 2020 semester, my friend recommended me the Rocketbook.
I looked into the Rocketbook and loved the idea. It’s a reusable notebook with erasable pages. The pages are a special type of paper that is extremely durable, but yet still feels like paper. My favorite part about this notebook is that you can use your phone to scan the pages into a PDF and send it wherever you want straight from the page. This makes looking at my notes extremely easy, as I save all the files to my Google Drive. If your handwriting is neat enough, the app can also read your handwriting and make flashcards of your notes, allowing studying to be even easier. This notebook is also extremely versatile, as it could be used in many situations and careers with ease. My counselor began using the notebook because it’s much more secure when it comes to patient confidentiality, as the notes can be scanned and erased immediately after an appointment with a client. I absolutely love this notebook and have made my own adjustments; such as printing and adding pages.
Like all things, there are cons to this notebook. First, the notebook isn’t great for all types of weather and temperature. If the notebook gets accidentally wet, then all the ink will smear and erase. If the weather is a bit on the humid side, the same thing can happen. The notebook itself can be expensive. For a 40-page notebook, it costs about $40 USD each. I bought two of these notebooks and rebound them together. On top of this, you do need to use special pens that are more expensive than your average pen. As someone who loves to color-code notes, I had to buy a whole rainbow of pens. The pens also run out of ink faster than your normal pen, requiring you to buy refills more often. On pens alone, I have probably spent around $40 on the initial pens and extra refills.
The cost so far has been around $120 for this note-taking system, but I believe it is well worth it. Not only is this system much less bulky, but it’s also long-lasting. Last semester alone I took over 400 pages worth of notes using the notebook, and the pages aren’t showing any wear. I also am much more comfortable bringing around a much cheaper notebook to all my classes than my expensive, potentially delicate laptop.
This notebook has changed my note-taking system for the foreseeable future. I love how sleek and easy it is to use, along with how durable it is. And despite the high cost of a notebook, I would rather replace smaller parts of this notebook and its parts than a whole tablet or computer. Whenever people ask me for a recommendation for note-taking, I always recommend the Rocketbook.