How to Take Notes on a Book While Reading
At that place are three steps to effectively taking notes while reading:
- At the end of each chapter write a few bullet points that summarize what you've read and arrive personal if you lot tin can — that is, utilize it to something in your life. Also, annotation any unanswered questions. When you're washed the book, put it downwards for a week.
- Pick up the book once again and go through all your notes. Most of these will be garbage but there will be lots y'all desire to remember. Write the good stuff on the inside comprehend of the book along with a page number.
- (Optional) Copy out the excerpts by paw or have a movie of them to pop into Evernote. Tag accordingly.
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I've been asked to how to have notes while reading a lot. Frequently what people are really getting at is how can I better focus, retain, and use what I'm reading. And taking notes while reading can supercharge all of these things if you do it right. However, when nosotros're taught how to read read, we're not allowed to write in books. And then we never actually learn a system for taking notes that we tin use as adults.
The showtime stride to taking notes is to effigy out why yous are taking notes. If you're studying for an examination your notes are going to expect different than if you're reading for amusement. The fashion you accept notes depends on the reason yous're taking notes.
Learning something new as an adult is a office of consuming data (what y'all read and how y'all read), the information you retain, and your ability to put what you learned into practice (recognize patterns). For this, I employ a simple three-step notation-taking process that scales upwards to 150 books a yr.
Similar well-nigh everything in life, there is no magical answer that fits everyone. You'll accept to do a bit of trial and error and take what works for y'all.
Taking Notes While Reading
Pace One.The first thing I do when I choice up a book is read the preface, the table of contents, and the within jacket. Oftentimes, I'll glance over the index too. This doesn't take long and often saves me time, equally a lot of books exercise not make information technology by this filter. Possibly information technology doesn't contain the information I'm trying to gain. If it seems crappy, I'll flip to a few random pages to verify.
This filter is a form of systematic skimming. This isn't my term, Mortimer Adler, a guy who literally wrote the book on reading, came up with it. Adler says there are four levels of reading. I tend to alloy inspectional reading and belittling reading together for well-nigh books.
This fashion, when I beginning reading a volume, I have an idea what it'south about, the primary argument, and some of the terminology involved. I know where the author is going to have me and the broad strokes of how they will bring me along. That'southward very useful information.
While reading, I have notes. I circle words I need to await up. I star points that I think are critical to the statement. I underline anything that strikes me as interesting. I annotate like a madman in the margins. I attempt to tease out assumptions, etc.
Essentially, I'1000 trying to engage in a conversation with the writer. Possibly my questions will exist answered on the next page or in the next chapter. Perhaps I'll need to find another book to answer them. Who knows. But I write them down.
At the end of each chapter, I write a few bullet points that summarize what I've just read. When I'm done, I write a brief summary of the entire book and then I do something few other people do. I allow the book age.
I put the book on my desk and I won't affect information technology for anywhere from a few days to a week. This is very important.
Step ii.
When I option the book up again, I re-read every scribble, underline, and comment I've fabricated (assuming I can still read my writing). Sometimes I can't.
I'm non the same person I was the first fourth dimension I read the volume, two things have changed: (ane) I've read the entire book and (2) I've had a take a chance to sleep on what may have seemed earth-shattering at the time but at present just seems meh.
If something still strikes my interest, I write a annotation in the beginning few pages of the volume, in my own words, on the topic. Often this is a summary just increasingly it'south means to apply the cognition. I alphabetize this to the page number in the book.
Sometimes, and this depends on the volume, I'll create a sort of mental summary of the book'due south main arguments and gaps. Sometimes I'll cantankerous-link points with other books.
Step 3 (optional simply highly effective).
Look a few days. Then go through the book and copy out excerpts past paw and put them into your repository or commonplace volume. I use these notes to connect and synthesize ideas every bit I read.
To assist remember, connect the ideas to something you already have in your mind. Is it a continuation of the idea? Does information technology supplant an idea? Is information technology the same idea in a different subject? I add these connections to my notes and percolate them in my mind. Often I plow out to be mistaken merely that's the process.
Most of the time, you get to see the ideas on Farnam Street. You lot can run into how I connect and contextualize ideas, linking them across disciplines. I find writing about the ideas really helps me develop my understanding.
Even if you don't share your thoughts with millions of people you can practise the same thing with Evernote, which is searchable, easy to utilise, and free. Personally, I do non use technology every bit a substitute for the non-technological approach mentioned above but rather equally a compliment.
I rarely listen to books but if you are listening to a book, create a new note for that book and blazon in notes equally you are listening. I know a few people that exercise not take notes as they are listening because they listen in the car on the way to work. They find that sitting down right away when they go to work and typing up notes is an constructive way to improve call up although the notes are less accurate.
If you liked this article, you'll love our helpful guide to reading amend.
Source: https://fs.blog/taking-notes-while-reading/
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