How to Take Notes on Computer While Reading

There are 3 steps to effectively taking notes while reading:

1. At the finish of each affiliate write a few bullet points that summarize what you've read and brand it personal if you lot can — that is, apply it to something in your life. Besides, note any unanswered questions. When you're washed the book, put it down for a week.
2. Pick upwardly the book once more and become through all your notes. Near of these will exist garbage just at that place will be lots you want to recollect. Write the good stuff on the within cover of the volume along with a folio number.
3. (Optional) Copy out the excerpts past hand or take a motion picture of them to pop into Evernote. Tag accordingly.

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I've been asked to how to accept notes while reading a lot. Often what people are really getting at is how can I improve focus, retain, and use what I'yard reading. And taking notes while reading can supercharge all of these things if y'all do it right. However, when we're taught how to read read, we're not allowed to write in books. So nosotros never really learn a system for taking notes that we can employ as adults.

The first step to taking notes is to figure out why you are taking notes. If you're studying for an exam your notes are going to await different than if you're reading for entertainment. The way you have notes depends on the reason you're taking notes.

Learning something new every bit an adult is a function of consuming information (what yous read and how you read), the information you retain, and your ability to put what you learned into exercise (recognize patterns). For this, I use a simple three-step notation-taking process that scales upwardly to 150 books a year.

Like most everything in life, there is no magical respond that fits anybody. Y'all'll have to do a bit of trial and error and take what works for y'all.

Taking Notes While Reading

Pace One.The start thing I do when I option up a book is read the preface, the table of contents, and the inside jacket. Oftentimes, I'll glance over the index too. This doesn't take long and often saves me time, equally a lot of books practice not make information technology past this filter. Maybe it doesn't contain the data I'k trying to proceeds. 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 upwardly with it. Adler says there are iv levels of reading. I tend to alloy inspectional reading and analytical reading together for about books.

This manner, when I starting time reading a book, I have an idea what information technology's about, the primary argument, and some of the terminology involved. I know where the author is going to take me and the broad strokes of how they will bring me forth. That'southward very useful data.

While reading, I take notes. I circle words I need to expect upwards. I star points that I think are disquisitional to the argument. I underline annihilation that strikes me as interesting. I comment like a madman in the margins. I try to tease out assumptions, etc.

Essentially, I'm trying to engage in a conversation with the author. Peradventure my questions volition be answered on the adjacent page or in the next chapter. Possibly I'll need to observe another book to respond them. Who knows. But I write them down.

At the terminate of each affiliate, I write a few bullet points that summarize what I've just read. When I'm washed, I write a brief summary of the entire volume and and then I practice something few other people do. I let the book age.

I put the book on my desk-bound and I won't touch information technology for anywhere from a few days to a week. This is very important.

Footstep two.
When I choice the book up once again, I re-read every scribble, underline, and annotate I've made (assuming I tin nevertheless read my writing). Sometimes I can't.

I'chiliad not the same person I was the first time I read the volume, ii things have inverse: (1) I've read the entire volume and (two) I've had a chance to sleep on what may have seemed world-shattering at the fourth dimension but at present just seems meh.

If something still strikes my interest, I write a annotation in the first few pages of the volume, in my own words, on the topic. Often this is a summary but increasingly information technology's ways to apply the knowledge. I index this to the page number in the volume.

Sometimes, and this depends on the volume, I'll create a sort of mental summary of the book's main arguments and gaps. Sometimes I'll cross-link points with other books.

Step 3 (optional just highly effective).
Wait a few days. So go through the book and copy out excerpts by hand and put them into your repository or commonplace book. I use these notes to connect and synthesize ideas equally I read.

To aid call back, connect the ideas to something you already have in your listen. Is it a continuation of the idea? Does it supersede an idea? Is it the same idea in a different discipline? I add together these connections to my notes and percolate them in my mind. Frequently I turn out to be mistaken but that's the process.

Nearly of the time, you lot become to run into the ideas on Farnam Street. You can see how I connect and contextualize ideas, linking them beyond disciplines. I notice writing about the ideas really helps me develop my understanding.

Even if you don't share your thoughts with millions of people y'all tin practice the same thing with Evernote, which is searchable, easy to use, and complimentary. Personally, I practise not use applied science as a substitute for the not-technological arroyo mentioned higher up but rather every bit a compliment.

I rarely mind to books but if you are listening to a book, create a new note for that book and type in notes as you lot are listening. I know a few people that do not take notes as they are listening because they listen in the auto on the style to work. They find that sitting down right away when they become to work and typing upwardly notes is an effective fashion to improve recall although the notes are less accurate.

If you liked this article, you'll honey our helpful guide to reading better.

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Source: https://fs.blog/taking-notes-while-reading/

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