Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and ...

Mind mapping, a form of visual outlining, may seem superficial, but once mastered it provides a powerful tool for managing information overload and the hyperbolic multitasking of the modern world.

If your class notes are unclear at first glance, you're not going to get much use out of them. This has nothing to do with how neat your handwriting is — it's all about how your notes are structured.