I have had the fortune to be enrolled on the excellent MA program at The University Of Nottingham, the same university where a certain Stephen Mumford is currently serving. His work in metaphysics has been highly influential, as well as his more recent work in philosophy of sport, and he is an early adopter of twitter (see @SDmumford) . In fact this is how I came to know about him before I had began my studies, and it was a brief meeting with him that convinced me Nottingham was the place (that and the wonderful campus, it really is so nice!)
The method I am using now is his method. It is known as the Mumford Method, (or #mumfordmethod on twitter) and has a few features which I am particularly impressed with. I had already read about it and was excited to hear that Stephen Mumford himself was to do a presentation. I booked a place and went to watch. (for the official version of the method, see Stephen Mumfords website)
Firstly it is a linear notation format, and as such it is a step on from the built points which we have all (well, I have!) writen out in an attempt to plan essays before I start to write. Unlike those one word bullet points the mumford method has overhung sentances, and rather than a linear list, the page is devided in to columns. This means that you can write much more, and a clear careful statement of each point can be easily captured. For a 2-4000 word essay a single page of A4 is probably enough. For more complex or longer works it might be necessary to use the reverse side, or even extra sheets to capture all the points.
I began by typing each point that had been haunting me down onto this document (Stephen Mumford calls it a handout for reasons I will go into). This process allowed me to have the key points right in front of me all at once, and it was a simple process to see what was there and group them under headings. For my Dissertation I currently have three headings, but I think it may grow as I continue to read and refine.
So once you have your thoughts down, and have arranged them under headings you have already got the skeleton of an essay. Next comes the clever bit; you can take this handout and show people. If you have the opportunity present it and give everyone who comes a copy. Don't worry if they offer criticism as that is the entire point. For each criticism, note something down on your handout, and then go and think about a good response, and add that to the growing document. You can tweet paragraphs to get feedback too! and having the entire thing briefly presented means it is easy to get someone to look at your entire argument, as it is all right there.
I look forward to presenting my shiny new notes, and for me the process has so far helped a lot. I think it is a valuable tool in the study-skills kit, and any writer in the arts would be advised to check it out. The people I have shared this with have all been positive, and at least one educational professional is very excited about the rumours of a book being published.
Have a look here for the offical Mumford method handout. By definition, a very very clear statement of the method: https://sites.google.com/site/stephendmumford/the-mumford-method
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