Pulling the Most Out of Your Books
Why should I try this?
I started a new note-taking process with my books that makes reading more:
- interactive
- impactful
- personalized
- ready for you to take action on your newfound knowledge
To demonstrate, I’ll use an example to explain how you can reap all the benefits of your books and then some.
If you haven’t read Austin Kleon’s “Show Your Work,” I highly recommend it. I come back to it often. It has 10 chapters and each contains a few pieces of actionable advice. When I’ve read it in the past, I would fly through the book. I would either come away inspired or with one random piece of advice at best. We can make this process more targeted and organized without much work.
How do I take notes this way?
From the book’s 10 chapters, I discovered 34 actionable practices. We can start by listing them on paper or in a spreadsheet. You can add notes to these list items if it helps in understanding them. You can also rephrase the author’s words into your own so you’re certain you understand it now and when you’re rereading this list in the future.
- After listing your items, insert a column next to the practice. It should ask the question “In Practice?”
- You will then answer yes (I do practice the advice) or no (I don’t practice the advice)… or whatever else makes sense in the moment.
- Sort the advice to see which pieces matter most to you. The advice you don’t follow will likely be the most valuable because you may have something to gain by trying or following it.
- Out of these practices that you can follow, find one to circle or check off. This should be a practice that you think would be realistic for you to first put into action and most useful for you personally.
Next, do any additional writing needed to make sure you perform said action. Usually this means carving out a generous block of time in your calendar some time in the week to engage in this particular practice.
In Conclusion
If you give this a go, let me know how this method works for you or if you do anything different.
