Monday 20 August 2018

Should I highlight/underline while reading?

Jordan Peterson says no. About everybody else says yes, you should. So this is what I am struggling with currently.

So far, the reading methodology picked up from the internet (Farnam Street/ Derek Sivers/ Motimer Adler/ AoM) says you should:


  1. Do an inspectional reading (30 minutes per book)
  2. Do a superficial reading of the book, marking all the passages you want to remember or investigate further. 
  3. Then come back to the book later to really study the marked passages. 


But JP says reading and note-taking should really be separate activities. While reading, your focus should be absorbing. And if you really feel like note-taking, you should read as much as you can absorb/internalise, and then note that down in your words. What you have taken away from the book. And then continue reading. Depending on the density of the book, this could be small or large. This I think is somewhat similar to what Ryan Holiday also suggested. Writing it down yourself, with pen on paper. That helps in committing to memory. And therefore promotes better learning.

But my investigation hasn't ended there. I would like to know what Barbara Oakley has to say about it.

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