Ask HN: How do you take notes when reading a book?
Ask HN: How do you take notes when reading a book?
This may sound nuts, but I have actually chosen a three step procedure that primarily includes keeping most notes in my head.
Action 1 is using the technique of loci (MoL) to memorize approximately 30 things throughout the day. For context, MoL is a technique where you picture things you want to remember in a room. I have one “space” for each day of the month, with 10 areas in a space, and will typically picture approximately 3 things in an area (so 10 x 3=30 a day). I have 4 courses that each lead in between 7 rooms, one course per week.
Action 2 is just keeping a page of notes each day in an organizer. This is truly handy for writing various things down (like future things to check out, possible connections).
Step 3 is that often as I’m reflecting over notes from step 1, or checking out new things, I’ll want to sort of “put everything together”, or write something that cuts across numerous days. There, I’ll frequently refer to my coordinator, and might begin a spreadsheet to keep recommendations on.
I think the issue prior to was that I ‘d wanted to write helpful longterm notes when first knowing/ studying something. That’s probably when I’m least qualified to take really insightful notes. It’s been great to let things marinade, and focus on keeping the “foundation” around!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci
I attempt to check out books/papers on mac as it’s faster to google and go deep into things I don’t get. Select text (a area and it queries chosen text on google).
Then it’s unimportant to open any note (with alfred) from my wiki (https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/knowledge) & modify it under appropriate subject.
On the go, I usually note things down in Telegram conserved messages and later on move it to wiki or turn it into short articles. Have macro to open conserved messages immediately (https://github.com/nikitavoloboev/my-ios#widgets). Or I just pass it through share sheet.
https://excalidraw.com & Figma is also excellent for visual thinking (tying principles together).
After I check out a book, I review it in goodreads and recently realized that better evaluations aren’t just ideas on the book but are summaries. So I attempt summarize my learnings from a book there.
For fiction books, I generally listen to it & Audible has nice highlighting feature however mainly the exact same uses. Important things gets noted in Telegram.
And when it comes to apps I use PDF Specialist to check out PDFs on mac (love multi tab assistance), the Files app to read PDFs on iOS. And epub I check out via Books app on mac/ios.
I’m rather thrilled for http://holloway.com since all books need to be online by default. PDFs/Epub is archaic and lose ability to link to specific parts of a book immediately. i.e. just looks at this (https://www.holloway.com/g/alice-in-wonderland), a lot nicer to read.
What would be much more fantastic is when you can take ability to note under any line in a book (as Holloway currently lets you), and see everybody’s notes for any line/chapter of the book/paper you read. Comparable to what https://fermatslibrary.com is doing.
> What would be even more remarkable is when you can take capability to keep in mind under any line in a book (as Holloway currently lets you), and see everyone’s notes for any line/chapter of the book/paper you are checking out.
I don’t keep in mind. I find it distracting. I wind up soaking up less details. The few times I did attempt bearing in mind, I rarely referred back to them, and when I did, found that they weren’t extremely important. I’ve got a great memory, and I’m willing to reread something to take in more, however notes have actually never ever assisted me.
Not slamming note-taking; just offering another perspective.
One secret method to avoid this kind of note graveyard forming is to interlink notes.
The value of interlinked notes is showcased by the late German sociologist Niklas Luhmann’s notetaking system which he used to discover things he ‘d forgotten.
Have you ever discovered yourself looping over a few pages too numerous times, or that a book is too tough to digest?
Some books are not appropriate for note taking.
I feel precisely the same method. Keeping in mind simply distracts me from the initial material and I wind up absorbing less. When I was still in school, the only notes I took were exact copies of what the teacher/professor composed on the board, and only if it was something I could not derive myself with what I already knew.
I wonder if part of it might be since I write slowly and tend to focus on my penmanship (unconsciously).
Yeah I do the very same type of thing. I found that when something is inherently intriguing, I remember it anyways.
I use the exceptional Ulysses composing app that enables me to remember in multimarkdown. I use it as a slide over app so I can just slide from the edge of the screen while reading and never ever forget the book. I produce a sheet for each chapter.
I’ve been scriblling points on 3×5 in note cards which I utilize as a bookmark.
On the front inside cover, I write the page number of each thing I find fascinating/ useful.
If it is essential for me to memorize, the only manner in which works for me is writing down what needs memorizing, like with a pen and paper.
I think highly in continuing education. I have interests in literature, approach, science, math, computing. I study and remember in a different way depending upon my purpose and objectives.
My tech research study mainly collects bits of information. Not awfully stressed over attribution of any offered expression, fact or passage as paraphrase or quote from the author.
( though I am constantly mindful to keep in mind the source, primarily so I can find it again;-RRB-
For academic and believed research study I am very mindful.
Throughout all of this productivity, my reading is remarkably the exact same.
[2]: Marginalia: Sign-posting a text.
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/139 g4uFXFCL1ZYrcWKTShbPsw …
A job I wish to develop some day is a tool that pulls highlights from kindle/ play books and turns them into a morning email to help recall. If you steal the concept I’ll be your first customer:-RRB-
I utilize voice dictation on my phone to transcribe notes into a Google doc, along with the page number or timestamp (for audiobooks)
My note taking process used to be either whatever I might fit in the margin (not much) or need a different note book.
Is there any way I could talk to you a bit more about your note taking procedure?
Trello throughout the day. Each book gets its own list. Each product in the list is something I want to remember.
Yes you need to write it out but this expense:
1. forces you to just conserve what matters.
At the end of a book the trello list is successfully a compressed book and index to the actual text.
I do like Trello. Currently moving over to Idea to tag all bots and products so that ideas naturally coalesce into something brand-new.
In some cases I’ll be very focused on one thing and whenever I experience a tangent/sidequest, I’ll scribble it down so I can feel comfy overlooking it up until I’ve finished reading.
Often I’ll take notes for my own future reference.
I write the bothersome parts on a white boards (well, the wall since I have white boards paint and it makes note taking a fun activity in fact) and after a chapter I read my notes again together with the book hoping now it’s clear. If essential, I will take down my notes into a Google doc. I discovered it exceptionally useful when learning structures to write an article even if noone will ever read it on how I figured out things, it basically seals what I discovered.
One of the best univ classes I went to permitted a single handwritten page “cheat sheet” at the examination– in truth, the only one cheated was yourself because if you in fact put in the work of condensing the term into a single sheet then you normally found out the material throughout the process … tricky.
But what if “I have found a really marvelous evidence of this, which this margin is too narrow to consist of”?
Write down (page number; note counter) in the margin and after that elaborate on several pieces of vellum, parchment, paper or bit( s) that you attach with the book, or keep secure.
I believe they mean that they simply compose their thoughts/arguments for/against whatever topic at hand in the margins. Known as annotating I suppose.
i argue with the text, my previous arguments with the text …
a lot of the notes i take on documents boil down to “underline absurd claim, compose WTF in the margin”.
I highlight and compose in the margin, utilizing my own symbolic shorthand for typical words. I list all the symbols on the title page so I can analyze it in 5 years.
At the end of a chapter, I return and make long-form notes in markdown, then commit to a git repo.
Personal/private notes:
org-mode.
Shared notes:
If the notes are couple of and little, and the source product supports annotations (PDFs and other files), then in-document annotations.
If anybody has an interest in reading books in foreign languages, and after that quickly including notes that are automatically equated, I would have an interest in speaking with you.
Here is a demo, among the most famous Japanese books ever: Kokoro, by Natsume Soseki.
https://public.do/kokoro-by-natsume-soseki/
You can choose a word to catch it, it gets equated for you, and then you can construct Anki cards to review your notes.
It’s still under development, but you can see the concept.
The objective is first and foremost: mobile-first so no internet browser plugins.
If you have thoughts, I would more than happy to hear them: [email protected]
I create a summary file for every new book that I start. I copy and paste the title, authors, cover thumbnail, description, and table of contents if I can discover it inline. I print this 1-2 page file and use it as a beginning point to include hand composed notes.
If I’m reading an eBook, I use the highlighter feature and evaluate my previous chapter highlights prior to starting a brand-new chapter.
For paper books I normally have a stack of plain paper bookmarks that I cut from blank index cards (1.5″ x 5″). I write keywords on the bookmark as I check out so I generally have a tersely annotated bookmark for each ended up book that I staple to my printed summary page.
Action 1: make highlights and inline remarks in my ebook app as I go.
Action 2: batch export all the highlights and comments out and paste them into my notes app as a brand-new note
Action 3: go through that note and highlight the ones that are the most important (i.e., progressive summarization)
Action 4: summarize and re-state those points as notes in my zettelkasten
I find this procedure actually helps me monitor the important things that I find valuable without clogging up my notes with all the fluff. And the last step helps me construct connections to other unrelated ideas.
Hands down among my favorite (non fiction) books I read this year. The book is composed by a scholastic, who I actually connected to for a 1 on 1 assessment to assist me with incorporating Zettelkasten into my everyday regimen.
Ahrens’ composing is amazingly thick. I don’t believe I’ve checked out a book that’s that heavy to check out apart from Aristoteles.
Minimal notes.
While reading I attempted to come up with lots of questions which I am going to experience in reality scenario like while checking out chapter 5 very first para, I come up with concern “why replication is required?” After finishing the chapter, these questions can become an anchor to develop the notes in my own language.
Notes likewise includes concerns so that evaluating the content progress( recalling).
Underline/circle directly in the book, write notes in the margins, and so on.
For long-term storage, I practically always utilize a personal, public blog site, simply in case someone else could discover the notes useful …
Yep I do it in the exact same way. Mostly if I decide to read a book, I print it out buy the book. Then I use (), [] highlight and.x. symbols to make it essential and keep checking out the book and after each chapter I reread the marked point and scratch off if it feels unimportant after reading the whole chapter amd ghen continue on.
I’ve a book where I keep notes on the books I read. The majority of the time, I re-read the notes from the last reading when I get the book again which is a terrific memory refresher. It’s works as terrific notes for the entire book when I need. I likewise make relationship maps to bear in mind anything that has a great deal of relationships.
I utilize a number of various Mac apps. Is the Calibre that transforms ePub to pdf so I can use the Emphasizes app for research. That I can then export to DevonThink3 for arranging and composing of ideas. My favorite writing app is Scrivener and generally the last in my workflow.
Hi!
I compose an article. How?
I split the book by the headings section (not whole chapter), this is typically one or two pages. Then I try to describe what I comprehended in my own words. If the author used an example, then I develop my example.
If the book is about programming, I put code on public GitHub.
After I complete a chapter, I reread my blog posts.
I generally have a pencil with me while checking out. I will include a ‘N’ letter next to the paragraph that is the essential takeaway in the page. Once I end up reading a chapter, I will rapidly skim through the markings and keep a note of it in Evernote. This assists me to bear in mind a book far better.
I’ve explore a few different approaches (keeping a notebook next to me, Gdocs, and so on) however in the end I keep defaulting to simply using notes on my phone because I do not like to have my laptop computer open when I read and when I wish to jot something down, I wish to do it then and there
I don’t like to desecrate the book, I use little stickies keeps in mind to take notes and put them near the margin.
I circle, highlight and star things that I feel were noteworthy directly in a book. One day when my kid inherits my books I desire him to understand what I believed was intriguing. I also write in the margins (or any place there is area) if I need to compose something.
I concur. My service FWIW is to utilize a pencil to put a small dot surrounding to the paragraph or sentence of interest and compose the number of that page on the back inside cover. It permits other individuals to read my books without damaging them. The books that is.
I stopped this since it was simply slowing me down excessive. Takes both the fun and speed out of reading. There are way to lots of intriguing books out there for that
I don’t keep in mind, however I put little colored arrow bookmark stickers pointing at the text on the page to come back to after I’ve finished reading.
Taking an action back: Why bear in mind when reading a book?
Do you remember for each book you read or just some?
digitally doesn’t work well, it’ll stick more in your head if you utilize pencil and paper. my process is read something, attempt to sum up in plain english in my own words, repeat.
As said in other comments, Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book is fantastic for this.
I’ll divide it into 3 parts. First, you would like to know what the book has to do with and whether it’s worth reading. Second, your notes need to summarize the core of it, so that as quickly as you look your notes, you comprehend what it has to do with. Third, and additionally, you want to slam the book and compare it to similar books on the subject.
Before reading: Detail the book
Find out what type of book it is – scientific, practical, philosophical, or historic. Some books, like Flow, are generally read by people for useful reasons, but it’s philosophical in composing. The distinction between clinical and philosophical is that viewpoint anticipates no requirement knowledge, whereas scientific is unreadable without understanding.
If it’s a practical book, your notes must be focused around what to do. If it hasn’t plainly explained what to do, then it’s useless.
Get a summary of the book. Checking out evaluations or online summaries helps. Introduction is excellent. Simplify it into one line what it really teaches you.
Skim the tabulation. A lot of books summarize a chapter at the end of each chapter or start. Get a feel of the skeleton of the book.
By now, you’ve skimmed the entire book, congratulations.
If it’s a good book, it will tempt you read it in detail. If it’s not, don’t lose anymore time on it. There are great deals of books worth reading.
While reading: Terms and proposals
Put aside a section of your notes as a glossary of terms. This is extra helpful for clinical books, where a term is typically duplicated, and approach, where different books utilize the same term to imply various things. Service books can be specifically discouraging without specifying terms.
Every time you see a brand-new term, compose it down in the glossary. You’ll understand a term is important when numerous paragraphs and figures are composed to specify it. The term may serve as a pillar, supporting an entire chapter sometimes.
Next, document propositions. What is the book attempting to discuss? A good book will be extremely thick – a number of propositions in simply a couple of paragraphs. Some bad self-help books may only have one per chapter. The harder books will generally be most details dense and hardest to read, and this determines them. Read them slowly.
After reading: What’s the point of the book?
If you have actually appropriately checked out the book, it must elevate your understanding to the same level as the author. Now you need to slam the book. If you have nothing to criticize, it either said little, or your understanding is unsatisfactory.
Is the book true?
Examine if the book is understood appropriately and dispute is not contentious. If criticizing, show where the author is uninformed, mistaken, or illogical. Otherwise what she states is not false, but insufficient.
What now? How does this change you? What do you do? If the book is practical, it must be acted upon. Otherwise, it is inaccurate. Ask yourself why you do not act upon it.
This last part is really quite stressful to do and I suggest you avoid it if you’re still new or if the book just wasn’t that good.
