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“I admit that Post-it note sheets that adhere to virtually any surface are now my substitute of choice for retention.” -Candice Bergen

I like to read, I read a lot, and I read EVERYTHING. Books, newspapers, magazines, blog posts, cereal boxes – you name it, I read it. When I don’t have a book or magazine handy (which is rare), I read internet articles on my phone. I even read the apartment guides and tray liners at McDonald’s when nothing else is handy.

I really enjoy reading – I use it as a tool to learn and a tool to escape. But over the last few years, my all-out assault on the written word has taken it’s toll. I have been struggling to retain what I read. To be honest, with all the material I bombard my sponge with it’s amazing that ANYTHING sticks. So, it’s not surprising that I began seeking changes.

The first thing I began to do was follow a low(er)-information diet as per Tim Ferriss’ recommendation in The Four-Hour Work Week. I cut out a lot of the non-essentials and focused more of my energy on those materials that were truly beneficial to me. This hasn’t proved too difficult (although I still read the cereal box from time to time – it’s a guilty pleasure) and it has helped somewhat but I still have trouble retaining information that I want to use at a later date, especially as it concerns information found in books. So I decided to search for a better way to take notes

I have tried numerous ways of taking notes in the past but none have really proved effective. I have tried highlighting and / or underlining passages, I have tried outline summaries, and I have tried mind-maps. I have tried Tim Ferriss’ approach, I have tried the Cornel method, and I have tried various GTD suggestions. All of these methods work for a time but none of them have proved sustainable to me. This is because I either (1) quit reading the book before I am finished and end up with half-a-book full of notes rendering them relatively worthless or (2) I end up with notes that are virtually as long as the damned book itself making them completely ineffective.

But then I came across this great article at Study Guides and Strategies and I realized I had been WAY over-complicating my note taking. The whole point of notes is to serve as a reminder for things you have learned. Effective notes act as triggers for information recall. Though the article speaks specifically how to take notes from a textbook, it outlined a couple of strategies that simplify the note taking process in any form. I have added my own wrinkles to the process and, so far, my note taking has dramatically improved in effectiveness. Here is a quick list of the steps involved:

(1) Skim -

First, skim or “speed-read” the book to ensure it’s worth your time to take notes on. There’s nothing worse than wasting time taking copious note on a book that sucks. You don’t have to retain everything (or anything for that matter) on your first read through. Try to go through it as quick as possible to get an “overall” feel for the style, and value, that the book provides. If you realize it’s full of information that will prove beneficial to you, go ahead and move to the next step. If not, go through it quickly and forget about it.

(2) Read Only for Understanding of the Material; No Notes -

Put that damned highlighter down! After you have determined the book is note-worthy, read one section (I prefer a full chapter) at a time and focus on understanding the material WITHOUT taking notes. Focus on grasping key points and arguments and don’t spend too much time getting caught up in the examples.

(3) Grab a Pencil and Mark the Margins –

Once you have an overall understanding of the material presented in that specific section, go back and make a mark next to any really important key points. Make sure to use a pencil . If you are like me, you will have to fight a tendency to mark EVERYTHING. Keep it to the essential points only.

(4) Paraphrase in Your Own Words -

Grab a sheet of notebook paper and paraphrase the main concepts in YOUR OWN WORDS. Don’t just rewrite what the author has written. Try and combine all the main points in paragraph form (no one actually enjoys data transcription so paragraph form, as opposed to bullet format, actually minimizes how much information you write down). It is absolutely vital that you write the concepts in your own words as it improves understanding of the material as well as retention of the material. Go back and erase the pencil marks when you are done (this allows you to retain a “clean” book next time you, or someone else, reads it) and then re-read your notes.

(5) Grab a Notebook and Cut Down to Triggers –

Take a notebook that you are using specifically for “book notes” and whittle down ALL the information that you paraphrased into quick and easy bullet points that act as triggers and throw the other sheet away. Limit these triggers to no more than 1/2 page per chapter or section. The actual process of writing out the key points in your own words is what allows you to retain the knowledge. And the triggers do nothing more than remind you what you already learned.

(6) Final Cut –

This part is easy. After you have gathered all of your main bullet points from each section / chapter, you should only have a few pages of notes even though you have effectively retained much more of what you have read. But, to simplify even further, go over your bullet points and see if you can either combine or cut down repetitive points even more. The more you can cut out, the more effective your triggers will be.

That’s it – that is my simple method of note taking. I realize that it actually sounds like a lot of work. But, if you are serious about retaining the information that you read, this process saves a lot more time in the long-run and is much more effective than other bloated and drawn-out note-taking methods. So far, I have used this method on one medium book with great results (176 pages – only 2.5  hand-written pages of bullet point triggers) and am in the process of using the same method on a large (500+ pages) and very detail-oriented book.

I’d be interested in hearing if you have any other tips regarding effective note taking. Please don’t hesitate to comment your suggestions!

Paul

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