Why Notes Make a Difference
Research on memory is clear: without active reprocessing, we lose about 80% of what we read within a week. Taking notes is not a school exercise — it’s how we transform someone else's words into our own thoughts.
The Active Underlining Method
Underlining everything is useless. Underlining selectively, however, is powerful. The rule: underline only what surprises you, scares you, or changes your mind. If it aligns with what you already think, it probably isn’t worth it.
Add a symbol in the margin to categorize: a question mark for doubts, an asterisk for strong ideas, an arrow for connections to other books.
The Adapted Cornell Method
Originally designed for university courses, it works well for reading too. Divide the page into three sections:
- Right (large): free notes during reading
- Left (small): keywords and questions, filled in afterward
- Bottom: a three-line summary, written 24 hours later
The Zettelkasten Method
Developed by sociologist Niklas Luhmann, it is based on interconnected atomic notes. Each note contains a single idea, expressed in your own words. The notes link with cross-references, gradually creating a personal knowledge network.
Digital tools that support it: Obsidian, Roam Research, Logseq.
Physical Tools
A stack of colored post-its sticking out from the book. A notebook dedicated to reading. A DIY indexing system on the first page. It doesn’t matter which one you choose — what matters is that it’s always there when you open the book.
Digital Tools
If you read on Kindle, highlights sync automatically. Apps like Readwise collect them and email them back to you days later. For physical books, apps like Bookstack allow you to add notes and comments to the book's page.
