This note-taking technique has made me a better reader.

Reading is love and so are the books. Personally, I don’t like writing in books and, more often than not, they would look like new copies even after two readings. I believed my forgetful memory to remember what I read until I stumbled upon note-taking articles and worked out what works best for me.

A note-taking technique that has helped me:

• Generously, highlight the paragraphs you can relate to/ learn from. I also prefer writing them in a learning journal, more like recording them in a Pandora box.
• Upon completion of a chapter, write a succinct note in your own words.
• If you are reading books on mental models/ domain-specific exercise books, go slow. Read. Digest. Write. Implement. Pick up what suits the situation the best and be liberal in trying out.
• Understand that it is ok to not implement everything from a book, wait for the right time. Note down what you love and keep it for future reference.
• Daily on the breakfast table, I share learning with my family, which helps me revise what I read.
• Writing helps raise questions like never before. I think more about it in-depth, thus creating curiosity for my own understanding of things and questioning things.
• Towards the end of the book — I write 3 takeaways and things I will implement immediately and for the long term (long term things are also mentioned in the calendar).
• Go back to journal notes once in 2–3 months and skim through it.

I have some favorite books that I read in the past without taking notes and obviously have forgotten about them by now. This calls for re-reads with my new found love, note-taking.

What is your note-taking technique?