Hello! This is Deb at Zapier. One of my favorite pastimes is having big plans to start a new habit and then never, ever starting it. Note-taking is one of those habits.

I’ve always wanted to be a note-taker. I have an atrocious memory, and taking notes would likely help with that, at least a little. Plus, I’m generally super organized, so it feels like a good fit. And yet—I have a few sticky notes lying around, and otherwise, I’m note-free.

Once in a while, I read something that makes me want to change that. Chris Thomas, content marketer at Talkative, wrote a blog post for us about how he finally stuck to a note-taking (and note-reviewing) habit, and it brought me back to that “I should totally takes notes!” mindset. Maybe this time’s the charm?

5 tools that improved my note-taking and changed how I learn

Part of the deal is that you automate the process. Make sure all the notes you take end up in one place, and then set up automations that remind you to review your notes. Our staff writer Krystina has some tips for how to automate your note-taking. Whatever apps you use (Chris has a few suggestions), you can connect them to be sure that most of the note-taking onus is on your apps—not on you.

Do you have any magic tricks to get me to start taking notes? Send help!