Note-Taking System: Drive + Keep + Voice Notes
Capture fast, file once, and find it later. Build a simple system using Google Drive, Google Keep, and quick voice notes.
What you’ll set up (10–15 min): a clear Drive folder structure, a Keep board with labels for quick capture, and a voice-note workflow that saves to the right course folder.
Step 1 — Create your Drive “College OS”
- In My Drive, make a folder named College OS (or just use My Drive).
- Create term folders: Fall 2025, Spring 2026.
- Inside each term, create a folder for each course with subfolders:
01 Syllabus, 02 Notes, 03 Assignments, 04 Docs. - Naming rule:
YYYY-MM-DD_course-topic(e.g.,2025-09-18_MTH129-lecture-notes).

Term and course folders keep everything one click away.
Step 2 — Build a Keep board for quick capture
- Labels to add: #inbox (default), Task, Class, Reading, Ideas.
- Pin your #inbox — Capture note to the top for rapid jotting.
- End of day: move anything important to the correct course folder in Drive.

Step 3 — Save voice notes to the right place
- Open your voice-memo app and record. Start by saying the course + topic (helps search).
- Share → Save to Drive, choose the term → course → 03 Assignments (or 02 Notes) folder.
- Filename:
YYYY-MM-DD_course-topic-voice.m4a. - Optional: add a Keep note labeled Class with a link to the file.
Sunday Reset (10 min): empty your Keep #inbox into Drive, rename anything that breaks the rule, and star this week’s key docs.
Need help? Book a setup session
Tip: Add Brightspace links inside Drive files or Keep notes so everything is one click away.