It’s amazing that you want to study the Bible or even take notes—but what matters most is truly understanding what you’re reading. Studying isn’t just about filling pages with notes; it’s about growing in clarity, wisdom, and faith. So how can you build that understanding? It starts with having a clear and simple system for the notes you’re taking.
Use An Electronic Device
Physical notebooks can be great if you’re able to keep everything in order. However, using a phone, computer, or tablet can make organizing your notes even easier. Most devices come with built-in note-taking apps or even provide access to free online tools that can support your studying! One major benefit of digital notes is how quick and easy it is to go back and review what you’ve studied. Remember—we’re digging deeper. This isn’t just a one time thing!
Use an App
One app that we recommend to help you with digital note taking is Evernote. This is great for organization, but it also allows you to search through your notes across multiple devices and tag notes based on topics you choose! This makes studying more efficient, flexible, and stress free.
Eliminate Distractions
While using devices can be helpful, they can also be one of the easiest ways to become distracted. Between notifications, social media, and your favorite apps, it’s easy to lose focus. That’s why it is very important that you put boundaries in place so you can stay disciplined and ensure that you are getting all that God has for you!
Start with turning your notifications off—don’t worry it’s just for a little while. Whether you put your device on Do Not Disturb or switch to silent, we promise you’ll be glad you did! Now if you’re using a computer to study and you don’t need your phone, place it somewhere out of reach. Putting it on silent won’t help if you’re still checking it every five minutes! Stay focused and be intentional with your time.
Categorize
We’ve already mentioned this, but organizing and categorizing your notes can make a huge difference! When you take the time to use titles, tabs, or separate notebooks—whether physical or digital—you’re creating a system that makes it easy to grow and revisit what God is teaching you. You can label notes by topic, character, or theme and as you listen to sermons, label each set of notes with the message so you can quickly return to it later. And don’t forget—you can use our free study notes worksheets in Just Word Academy to help you get started. A little organization now will make a big difference in your spiritual growth!
Having a system for your Bible study notes will help you stay focused, keep organized, and continue growing! God’s word is what we live by and we want to make sure that with all of our getting, we get an understanding (Proverbs 4:7)!
