Note Taking Prompt: Clean Up Raw Notes Into Cornell Notes

Prompt

Act as a learning coach and note taking specialist who restructures messy raw notes into the Cornell format, keeping every fact from the notes and adding nothing that is not in them.

Inputs:
- My raw notes, pasted as typed, fragments and all: [RawNotes]
- Where they came from: lecture, meeting, book chapter, podcast, or video: [SourceType]
- What I will use them for: exam, project, decision, or writing: [NotesPurpose]
- Where my notes live: Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, Google Docs, or paper: [NoteApp]
- Terms or names I know are spelled right: [KnownTerms]

Generate:
1. Clean main notes: grouped under short topic headings, one idea per bullet, numbers and terms kept exactly as written, abbreviations expanded only when the meaning is certain. Mark anything unclear as [UNCLEAR: original fragment].
2. A cue column: one recall question for each main idea, worded so I can test myself with the notes covered.
3. A summary of three to five sentences in plain words, written for NotesPurpose.
4. Follow ups: action items with owners and dates for a meeting, or things to look up for a lecture, book, or podcast.
5. Key terms with definitions taken only from RawNotes. When the notes do not define a term, write [DEFINE FROM SOURCE].
6. The finished Cornell page formatted for NoteApp: a two column table for Notion, Obsidian, or Google Docs, a cue and notes layout for OneNote, or a ruled page sketch for paper.
7. Five self test questions drawn from the cue column, each pointing to the heading where the answer sits.

Rules:
- Do not add facts, examples, or explanations from outside RawNotes.
- Keep my wording where it is clear.

Instructions

Replace every [bracket] with your own raw notes and where you keep them. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Check the cleaned notes against your slides, book, or recording, since the model only knows what you typed.

Generated Output

This image was generated using the prompt above.

Note Taking Prompt: Clean Up Raw Notes Into Cornell Notes - Result

Examples

Example Input

RawNotes: econ 101 wk6 inflation. CPI = basket of goods, measures avg price change for consumers. inflation = % change CPI yr over yr. prof example basket $200 -> $210 = 5%. demand pull vs cost push?? demand pull = too much $ chasing goods. cost push = input costs up eg oil. real vs nominal wage: nominal = $ amount, real = adjusted for infl. if wage up 3% and infl 5% real wage DOWN ~2%. Fed target 2% (prof said, check slides). hyperinflation - mentioned Weimar, didnt catch details. quiz thurs ch 7 + these notes. TA office hrs moved to wed 3pm
SourceType: Lecture
NotesPurpose: Thursday quiz on chapter 7 and this lecture
NoteApp: Obsidian
KnownTerms: CPI, Weimar, Fed

Example Output

1. CLEAN MAIN NOTES
Measuring inflation
- CPI: a basket of goods that measures the average price change for consumers.
- Inflation: percent change in CPI, year over year.
- Example from lecture: basket rises from $200 to $210 = 5% inflation.
Causes of inflation
- Demand pull: too much money chasing goods.
- Cost push: input costs rise, for example oil.
- [UNCLEAR: "demand pull vs cost push??"] You may have wanted to compare them further.
Real vs nominal wages
- Nominal wage: the dollar amount.
- Real wage: adjusted for inflation.
- Example: wage up 3% with inflation at 5% means the real wage falls about 2%.
Policy and history
- Fed target: 2% (professor said; check slides).
- Hyperinflation: Weimar mentioned. [UNCLEAR: details not captured]

2. CUE COLUMN
- What does CPI measure?
- How is inflation calculated from CPI?
- What is the difference between demand pull and cost push inflation?
- How do real and nominal wages differ?
- What happens to a real wage when wages rise less than inflation?
- What inflation target did the professor give for the Fed?

3. SUMMARY
Inflation is the year over year percent change in CPI, which tracks the average price of a consumer basket. It can come from demand pull (too much money chasing goods) or cost push (higher input costs). Real wages adjust nominal wages for inflation, so a raise smaller than inflation is a real pay cut. For the quiz, know the CPI calculation and the real wage example.

4. FOLLOW UPS
- Check the slides for the Fed target and the Weimar details.
- Read chapter 7 before Thursday.
- TA office hours moved to Wednesday at 3pm.

5. KEY TERMS
- CPI: basket of goods measuring average consumer price change.
- Inflation: percent change in CPI year over year.
- Demand pull: too much money chasing goods.
- Cost push: input costs rise.
- Hyperinflation: [DEFINE FROM SOURCE]

6. OBSIDIAN CORNELL PAGE
# Econ 101, Week 6: Inflation
| Cue | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| What does CPI measure? | Basket of goods; average price change for consumers |
| How is inflation calculated? | % change in CPI year over year; $200 to $210 = 5% |
| Demand pull vs cost push? | Too much money chasing goods vs higher input costs (oil) |
| Real vs nominal wage? | Dollar amount vs inflation adjusted; +3% pay at 5% inflation = about -2% real |
| Fed target? | 2% (check slides) |
**Summary:** paste section 3 here.

7. SELF TEST
1. Calculate inflation if a $200 basket costs $210. (Measuring inflation)
2. Name the two causes of inflation from lecture. (Causes of inflation)
3. Your pay rises 3% and inflation is 5%. What happened to your real wage? (Real vs nominal wages)
4. What is the difference between a nominal and a real wage? (Real vs nominal wages)
5. What target did the professor give for the Fed? (Policy and history)