The first thing I do when I pick up a book is read the preface, the table of contents, and the inside jacket. Often, I'll glance over the index too.
This doesn't take long and often saves me time, as a lot of books do not make it past this filter. Maybe it doesn't contain the information I'm trying to gain. If it seems crappy, I'll flip to a few random pages to verify.
This filter is a form of systematic skimming. This isn't my term. Mortimer Adler, a guy who literally wrote the the book on reading, came up with it.
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Adler says there are four levels of reading. I tend to blend inspectional reading and analytical reading together for most books.
Thanks to my systematic skimming, when I start reading the book, I have an idea about what it's about, the main argument, and some of the terminology involved. I know where the author is going to take me and the broad strokes of how they will bring me along.
While reading I take notes. I circle words I need to look up. I star important points that I think are critical to the argument. I underline anything that strikes me as interesting. I comment like a mad man in the margins. I try to tease out assumptions.
Essentially, I'm trying to engage in a conversation with the author.
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Maybe my questions will be answered on the next page or in the next chapter. Maybe I'll need to find another book to answer them. Who knows? But I write them down.
At the end of each chapter, I write a few bullet points that summarize what I've just read.
When I'm done, I let the book age. I put the book on my desk and I won't touch it for anywhere from a few days to a week.
When I pick the book up again, I re-read every scribble, underline, and comment I've made (assuming I can still read my writing).
I'm not the same person I was the first time I read the book. Two things have changed: (1) I've read the entire book and (2) I've had a chance to sleep on what may have seemed earth shattering at the time but now just seems meh.
If something still strikes my interest, I write a note in the first few pages of the book, in my own words, on the topic. Often this is a summary, but increasingly it's ways to apply the knowledge. I index this to the page number in the book.
Sometimes — and this depends on the book — I'll create a sort of mental summary of the book's main arguments and gaps that I think exist. Sometimes I'll cross-link points with other books.
Then I wait a few days. I go through the book and copy out excerpts by hand, and put them into my repository or common place book. And there you have it: my preferred note-taking system. It's not magic, but it works for me.
Shane Parrish is a Canadian writer, blogger, and coffee lover living in Ottawa, Ontario. He is known for his blog, Farnam Street, which features writing on decision making, culture, and other subjects.
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