How to Take Notes While Reading

Taking notes while reading changes how you absorb information. Here is how to do it without ruining the experience.

Use sticky notes for books you do not own. Write a keyword on the sticky and put it on the page. Minimal, removable, effective.

Write in your own books. Marginalia is a conversation with the author. Underline passages. Write questions in the margins. Star the best parts.

Keep a reading journal. After each chapter or section, write a few sentences. What did you learn? What did you feel? What do you want to remember?

Highlight on e readers. Kindle lets you highlight and export. Review your highlights after finishing the book. That is the real value.

The goal is not to document everything. The goal is to engage. Notes force you to think instead of passively consume.

Your notes are for you. Do not worry about making them perfect.