Mindmaps suit the way I think and organise my thoughts and certainly seem to suit many of my students. 

Writing a spider diagram to  work out your approach to an essay question is always a good idea.

Increasingly students are using apps on their tablets or phones to organise their notes both during lessons and as effective revision tools. Here is an example of an excellent one.

Constructed using iMindmap (pro). Although there are many different apps you can use on IOS and Android.