Do THIS, Not THAT: Reading Notes

In this continuing series, I provide concrete dos and don’ts for a variety of writing and reading practices.

Do THIS: Take notes right after you finish reading.

Not THAT: Tell yourself you’ll take take notes later.

Explanation: Because reading can be mentally draining, the thought of following an intense mental workout with more mentally draining writing can be daunting.

Remember, the material you’ve just absorbed will never be fresher than the moment is after you’ve just read it.

So what exactly do you write down?

If you don’t have a template for your notes, I would suggest jotting down these three things:

  • 3 things you already knew
  • 3 things you didn’t know
  • 3 things you have questions about

The above categories are not intensely analytical. They simply ask you to take what you can immediately remember about what you read and put them in three non-evaluative boxes.

It may take time for you to know how you feel or what you think about what you’ve read. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write something down immediately after reading, however.

If you make reading then writing a habit, you’ll have a head start on the harder work of making sense of what you’ve read.

Reading and writing are ideal partners, and one of the best habits you can form is firmly connecting your input (reading) with output (writing). When you follow your reading with notetaking, you’re both consuming and producing.