Microsoft ® Office OneNote ® 2003 Training Organize your notebook

Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2003 Training

Organize your notebook


Course contents

• Overview: Notebook organization methods

• Lesson 1: What's what: pages, sections, folders

• Lesson 2: Examples of notebook organizations


Find out the best way to organize your notebook for the way you work. Explore the benefits of using and rearranging pages, sections, and folders for keeping your notes in order.

Overview: Notebook organization methods

There are many ways to organize a OneNote notebook. None of them are right or wrong. It's a personal choice. Which is best for you and for the way that you work?


Course goals

• Organize your notebook in the way that suits you best.

• Explain the difference between folders and sections and use both when organizing your notebook.

Lesson 1

What's what: pages, sections, folders


What's what: pages, sections, folders

If you're traveling to a new place, you're likely to look at a map or to ask for directions. The journey's a lot easier if you know where you're going. It's the same with OneNote.

If you know your way around OneNote and understand the building blocks of a notebook, then you'll find it easier to choose an organization for your notebook that works for you.


What do you see?

1. Tabs down the side are for pages.

2. Shorter tabs down the side are for subpages.

3. Some tabs across the top are for sections.

4. Other tabs across the top are for folders.

5. Click the arrow next to the active folder's name to see the folder and section list.


What do you see?

The first thing you notice in OneNote is the blank content area. This is a page. You can move from one page to another by clicking the tabs along the side.

Some tabs on the side are shorter than others. These are subpages, which are grouped by connecting them to a main page.

The tabs across the top of the page are for sections and folders.


Sections and folders

Sections are where you keep pages (and subpages). You must create a section before you put pages in it.

Folders are where you keep sections — if you want to. Folders are totally optional.

There's one folder that isn't optional. Everything in OneNote is in a folder called My Notebook. All folders, sections, pages, and subpages will be in the My Notebook folder.

Pages and subpages are kept in sections; sections can be kept in folders.


How sections work

Sections are the basic files of OneNote. Each section is a OneNote (.one) file.

Each OneNote section can contain many pages. In OneNote many sections are open at the same time.

Each OneNote section (.one file) is in the My Notebook folder in the My Documents folder on your hard drive.


How folders work

A folder you see in OneNote folder and section list is the same as the folder you see in the My Documents folder list.

1. The My Notebook folder in OneNote.

2. The My Notebooks folder within My Documents.

3. The sections in OneNote don't show in the Windows folder list as they're files rather than folders.


How folders work

Folders in OneNote help you organize sections.

With folders, you can create a multilevel filing system. Without folders, all sections are on the same single filing level. The advantage of a multilevel system is that you won't be overwhelmed by many sections to look through. The disadvantage is that you might forget which folder a section is kept in.


Multiple notebooks and archiving

There is only one My Notebook folder, just as you have only one My Documents folder.

If you have notes that you only want to access occasionally and that you don't want in your notebook permanently, details about last year's vacation for example, then archive the relevant sections.

Use the plus and minus signs to display or hide the folder contents.


Suggestions for practice

1. Create new sections and pages.

2. Explore sections in Windows Explorer.

3. Explore folders in OneNote.

4. Create a section in a folder.

5. Explore folders in Windows Explorer.

Click this link to do an OPTIONAL

Online practice

http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=RP011940711033


Test 1, question 1

What is a folder in OneNote? (Pick one answer.)

1. A way of organizing sections.

2. A way of organizing pages.

3. Another name for a .one file.


Test 1, question 1: Answer

A way of organizing sections.


Test 1, question 2

What is a section in OneNote? (Pick one answer.)

1. A subunit of a page.

2. A way of organizing folders.

3. The basic unit of organization in OneNote. Pages are kept in sections.



The basic unit of organization in OneNote. Pages are kept in sections.

Every page is in a section, and each section is a .one file.


Test 1, question 3

Which of these is optional in OneNote? (Pick one answer.)

1. Page.

2. Section.

3. Folder.



Folder.

You don't have to use folders if you don't want to. But they are very helpful.

Lesson 2

Examples of notebook organizations


Examples of notebook organizations

People have many different ways of organizing their notebooks. We're going to show you some examples that may give you ideas. Remember, there's no right or wrong. Whatever works for you is good.

The notebooks you'll see here all have organizations based on activities.


One customer, one section

Sanjay is an account representative. He uses OneNote only for work, keeping track of his customers.

Sanjay's My Notebook folder has a section for each of his customers.

• The sections are not in folders.

• The first page in a section contains customer contact information.

• Other pages record meetings with customers, one page per meeting.

• Notes from one meeting typically run into several subpages.


A folder for every part of life

Ekaterina is an IT consultant/manager. She's a dedicated OneNote user who keeps notes about various aspects of her job and her personal life.

This notebook has a series of folders, all at the same level, with multiple sections in each folder. There are no folders within folders. Ekaterina's notebook

contains several folders and just one section (Side Notes).


Folders for functions

Humberto is studying for a Ph.D. in chemistry. As well as his own research, he works on other projects in his department, and he attends lectures and labs. He also acts as a lab mentor for first-year undergraduates.

Humberto uses OneNote only for his work. He has a simple single-layer folder structure, with one independent section.


Standardized sections

Adriana researches family history in her spare time.

This notebook contains only sections. Adriana designs her structure first, setting up sections and pages before taking notes.

She starts by naming a section with the name of her direct ancestor. She then creates pages for the various types of information about that person that she wants to research.

Adriana creates a page for each type of information she wants to research.


So many folders, so little time

Andy is a technical writer. She writes training courses. Sometimes she writes articles. She has young children. Her notebook is packed with details of work and personal life.

This notebook contains a multilevel folder structure.Andy's notebook

contains folders within folders, such as the Courses folder within the Work folder.


Suggestions for practice

There's no practice in OneNote for this lesson.

Instead, why not spend a little time looking at your notebook to see if any methods of organizing it occur to you in light of all you've just read?


Test 2, question 1

If you're an account representative, which of these methods should you use to organize your notebook? (Pick one answer.)

1. Separate folders for each client.

2. In order by date.

3. Any old way you like.



Any old way you like.

There's no right or wrong way to organize your notebook. You should use the method best suited to the way you work.


Test 2, question 2

You should choose the notebook structure from this lesson's examples that is most like the way you work, and you should use that structure for your notebook. (Pick one answer.)

1. True

2. False



False.

The examples in this lesson are just that, examples. You should use them for ideas of what you can do and then create your own structure based on exactly what you need.


Test 2, question 3

To have a truly organized notebook you must use folders. (Pick one answer.)

1. True

2. False



False.

As you saw in the lesson's notebook examples, you can be very organized without using folders.