How to lifemaxx IB - Lessons from someone that has to lifemaxx their corporate job

Introducing the Lifemaxxing IB Series: Note-Taking Edition from someone who has sat through the same lectures, missed the same lines, and decided that was avoidable

There is a particular frustration that comes with realising you understood something in the moment, but cannot reconstruct it later. IB has a way of producing that feeling repeatedly. Not because the content is impossible, but because it moves quickly and expects you to keep up without instruction on how.

Note-taking, then, becomes less about diligence and more about self-preservation. When it works, it removes a layer of anxiety you did not realise you were carrying.

Typing speed

If you have ever had to choose between listening and writing, you will know how quickly things begin to slip. A sentence missed becomes a concept half-understood, and the rest of the lesson builds on it anyway.

Increasing typing speed changes that experience quite noticeably. You stop negotiating with the pace of the lesson. You are able to follow it properly, without the quiet stress of falling behind.

What to actually do

• Use sites like monkeytype.com for typing tests (10–15 minutes a day is sufficient) and focus on accuracy before speed

  • sign up for an account and the website tracks your progress over time for you
    

• Learn light shorthand:

  • “w” for with

  • “bc” for because

  • arrows (→) for causation

  • "tf" for therefore
    

• Keep your eyes on the screen, not the keyboard. This alone improves consistency over time

• try to use the same fingers for the same keys, i.e. only use your left ring finger to type [w,s,x], your middle finger to only type [e,d,c] etc. 

Within a few weeks, the difference is not subtle. You stop missing things.

Text replacements

There is something unexpectedly reassuring about not having to retype the same long terms or structures again and again, especially when you are already thinking about the content itself.

Text replacements do more than save time. They give your notes consistency. When you create a shortcut for a concept, you are deciding how you understand it.

What to actually do

On Mac (system-wide):

• Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Text Replacements

• Add shortcuts like:

  • “econ1” → “price elasticity of demand”

  • “lawctr” → “counterargument”

On Windows:

• Install Microsoft PowerToys

• Enable Keyboard Manager or use third-party text expansion tools

On Google Docs:

• Go to Tools → Preferences → Substitutions

• Add your shortcuts there

The key is to add these after you encounter concepts. That way, setting them up doubles as revision. Over time, your notes start writing themselves in a consistent language.

Keyboard shortcuts

Small interruptions during note-taking are easy to ignore, but they add up. Opening a new document, switching tabs, adjusting something minor, each one pulling you slightly away from what is being said.

Learning a few shortcuts removes these interruptions almost entirely. Things happen quickly enough that you remain present.

What to actually do

On Mac:

• Use Spotlight Search (Cmd + Space)

  • Type “docs” → open Google Docs instantly

• Learn a few essentials:

  • Cmd + T (new tab)

  • Cmd + L (jump to URL bar)

  • Cmd + Tab (switch apps)

• Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts to customise

On Windows:

• Use Windows Search (Win key)

• Install Microsoft PowerToys and enable:

  • Run (Alt + Space) for fast app launching

• Learn:

  • Alt + Tab (switch apps)

  • Ctrl + T (new tab)

A practical benchmark: opening a new Google Doc and being ready to type should take under five seconds. Once this becomes automatic, you stop thinking about logistics entirely.

PDF readers

Reading without interacting can feel deceptively productive. You move through pages, highlight sections, and yet very little stays.

A PDF reader that lets you annotate changes this dynamic. Writing even a short note next to a highlight forces engagement.

What to actually do

• Use Lumin PDF (free, integrates with Google Drive)

  • Open PDF → highlight → click to add comment

• Or use Adobe Acrobat Reader (industry standard)

  • Use “Comment” tools → highlight → add sticky note

How to annotate effectively

• Do not just highlight. Always add one of the following:

  • A short explanation in your own words

  • An example

  • A question (e.g. “why is this assumption necessary?”)

This turns reading into something closer to thinking.

Active recall

Active recall often sounds like extra work. Another technique, another task to fit into an already full schedule.

But it can be woven into what you are already doing. If your notes occasionally leave space for you to fill in later, you create moments where you have to think again.

What to actually do

• After writing a concept, add a quick prompt:

  • “Define this without looking”

  • “Example?”

• Leave intentional gaps:

  • “Causes of inflation: 1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___”

• At the end of the day, spend 10 minutes covering your notes and recalling aloud

This is not about intensity. It is about repetition. Small, frequent retrieval builds familiarity in a way rereading does not.

A final thought

None of this requires dramatic change. It is a set of small systems that reduce friction and increase clarity.

You begin to trust your notes. You begin to trust that you can keep up. And that sense of control, once established, tends to carry further than expected.

Written by Andre - Tutor for Lang Lit and TOK