Reading aids learning. But you need a system to make it work. This is how I do it.
I like to read, a lot. It helps me learn and become a better person and professional.
What I've realized is that reading is futile unless I can apply the learning from books to real-world problems. And for that to happen, I need to organize and remember what I read.
The below system helps me organize, retain and remember the content I read:
- I underline excessively—everything I find inspiring and worth remembering.
- I dog-ear all pages which have underlined text. This helps me find the relevant pages quickly.
- After completing a book, I re-read the underlined text, summarize it in my words, and type it into an online app. All this helps me review the learning and remember it for longer.
- If I am reading on Kindle, I highlight instead of underlining, and refer to the highlights very often.
- I use Pocket to save and categorize online content, which makes the content easily accessible. I scan my pocket lists very frequently.
- If there are quotes or sections of text that I like, I copy-paste them into my note-taking app. I link each snippet to the original article.
This system helps me quickly find the appropriate content. It also helps me retain the teachings for more extended periods.