Do you take notes when reading books?
I have a process of taking notes depending the book format (ebook, audio, physical). Just curious if others take notes while reading or have some process for extracting info and recalling insights from reading.
I have a process of taking notes depending the book format (ebook, audio, physical). Just curious if others take notes while reading or have some process for extracting info and recalling insights from reading.
Whether it's Kindle or a physical book, I just highlight interesting points. After completing each chapters, I used to create a summary on a Google doc. I am maintaining a separate gdrive folder for book summaries. I take notes of what I exactly need, and often I go though the Google doc.
I highlight in Kindle, but rarely go back to my highlights. For the few books that are great, I'll find myself going back to them again and again.
Yes I've found re-reading a very interesting experience. As well as going back and referring to notes.
I've stopped doing that. Used to take notes on the Kindle, and that works pretty well. But, I've never looked back at them after finishing reading, so I don't see point in my case.
Kindle highlights or a good ol' fashioned highlighter if it's printed seem to do the trick.
I take notes too. To avoid letting it slow me down too much I only take notes of insights and thoughts which don't fit automatically into my existing mental models.
This is really good subtle point. To contemplate on things that are not already part of your mental model.
Keeping notes is exactly why I switched from physical books to using a Kindle. I tend to mark the sections that I think are interesting, and when I finish the book I go through them and try to write a little article or review about it. I don't publish these, and they're not particularly good, but I find that writing things down helps my recall.
The reason I don't write things down as I read is because I prefer not to break the momentum I have while reading. Taking notes in Kindle pretty much involves tapping a sentence so it's pretty friction-less and doesn't break my concentration.
I do something similar. I write some summary or review or bulleted takeaways list just for myself - it wouldn't make sense to publish as it's personalized.
I mostly read physical books, and whenever I write out a rebuttal to an author's point, read a unique thought, learn something new, or anything that catches my interest on a deep level, I bracket that section in pen, perhaps write a few words in the margin, then make a note of that page and the associated idea on the blank first page of the book. This functions like a table of contents tailored to my interests that I will then go back years after finishing the book to remind myself the parts I wanted to take away the most.
That is a very interesting idea. A good reason to own your physical books. Majority of my book consumption happens via library though I have purchased books I've already read (via library) just to have them for reference in the future.
Yeah, I really like having my own books for research reference. However, if it's the kind of book that I likely won't read again, yet wrote all over the margins, it can make for a nice personal gift to someone.
Personally not, but interesting take on it.
I do see why it could benefit one.
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