Become a Better Reader in 8 Minutes

To make your life easier:
0:00 Intro
1:44 Part 1: Impressions
2:41 Part 2: Actionable Takeaways
5:18 Part 3: Quotes
5:51 Part 4: Bonus Section
7:00 Outro

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Or leave a comment, I (try to) answer 100% of comments :)

[pranjal]

I'm currently living with my parents and I disturb them all day by telling what I read everyday 😉. I think unknowingly it is a great way to remember what you read.

[heymiokka]

i thought i was on 2x speed haha
i apprecite the quick pace and your helpful tips to engange with the medium ! definitely something i will apply on my next read 😊

[RohanYesudian]

MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS VIDEO: we read too passively and do not reflect on what we have learnt from a book, so we forget its main points. There are 3 steps we can take to reflect on books better
1. Write short impressions e.g. 3-5 sentences, as we go along reading the book
2. Summary of the main actionable takeaways - applying them to your own life
3. List your favourite quotes from the book (usually 3-5 books)

[adritrace]

I think we don't "forget" what we read. I actually think we store what impacts us on our subconscious and use it whenever we need it. Nevertheless, your tips are really useful and I'll be using them on my next reading.

[daviddassow]

Very Thought Provoking! My mentor at 30 taught me that the best gift I could give myself was personal development. He also taught me to read for 15 minutes (8-10 pages) a day and in that process to read a book a month. At 70 I have read a lot of books. I wished I had stumbled on these ideas sooner, but I will definitely give them a try. Thank you.

[sophiejames]

In my opinion, (pls don't hate) I'd rather actually enjoy the book than take notes on it. There are many reasons for reading, for example, improving your imagination, reading skills, looking at things from a different perspective and enjoying it. I prefer reading to enjoy because reading something because you have to is boring and is known to ruin someone love for reading, and sure it can improve your imagination (which for me plays into te enjoy part) but if you're doing it to improve your skills read a non-fiction book because it will improve your knowledge on the topic you choose to read about and the vocabulary contained in the book and if you want to read look at someone's perspective yes fiction books do that (they also better your empathy and I've found that people who don't read have less empathy) but so do philosophy books, the whole point of them is to change your perspective. So if you buy a book that doesn't fall into the categories I've named and if you don't read to enjoy them or improve your imagination they could be worthless and meaningless to other than to make look pretty which is a pleasure in itself but unnecessary and a waste of money. I like aesthetic annotated books but I would want to read it first and maybe go back and annotate it if I like it. This is just my opinion and I am curious about and support your opinions even if they differ from mine. Have fun reading!

[originofpetunia]

Elizabeth, thank you so much for this video! I have been struggling with reading lately because I keep forgetting things that I have read and just highlighting favourite moments is no help. Your way of organizing this process is like a breath of fresh air, I found it very helpful and feel that my curiosity for new information is coming back because now I understand how to turn reading into the great adventure. So thank you for this once again!
Btw, the quality of the video is on point, it was great watching it, so aesthetic and beautiful✨

[funkymonkey]

Thank you Elizabeth. This is so interesting and helpful. Your
Love for reading comes through and it’s contagious.

[abeedahdiab]

I think this is a really nice way to actively engage with things you're reading. We forget sometimes how much energy and forethought goes into writing books, especially when there are so many out there, and we often end up not giving them their due attention. In my own approach I also try to know more about who the author is, what drove them to write the book, and knowing a bit about the context at the time. There's just so much that I want to get through though and these deep reflections are so time consuming, dunno if I'll be able to commit to it fully for all books I read!

[ChrisInmanDrums]

I've been "mindlessly" making notes on books for years now. Reading a chapter, marking important points, then re-reading (more like skimming through) the chapter again and making Notion notes. I guess this is better than nothing and has certainly helped me with absorbing information from the books (I read almost exclusively 'sciencey' books, so I read very similarly to studying out of textbook!) but isn't great for a quick referral back to the book. I'm gonna implement this template and see what a difference it makes!

[davidhand]

"Don't believe everything you think." I thought this was worth repeating. Great tips that I look forward to applying in my readings.

[martio.o]

When I read a book, watch a tv series or a movie, I always write a small review of the chapter I read/saw and my impressions of it (the characters, the plot, the music, etc). This really helps me put my ideas together and understand fully the piece.

[xxxjmgxxx]

I usually listen to audio books while doing other things (driving, house chores, etc.) - Can't really think of a way to actually make any reasonable/sustainable notes on the books I read.
But I also think - in a way - just digesting books without notes (unless needed for research/content creation/citations) allows me the freedom to simply enjoy the content.
I found that many important ideas that I "wish I could take a note of" I come across in multiple books, so the ideas "stick" naturally, either because I notice them more naturally, or since they are very popular and appear in many different books.

[harrydaplatypus]

Love it. A prime example for active reading. By not merely swiping through information but actively interacting with it, the process of trotting down all those notes is already good for internalizing the books. The result is great - a notion page for the book so that you can look back at any time. But the process of making it is the discussing with the writer themselves.

[martinak]

This has completed revolutionized the way I read. I have always had the problem of not remembering absolutely nothing I have read. Now I am using your Notion template for the second book so far, and I love it. Thank you so much 🤩

[jadetan]

I appreciate your speed of talking, keeps me engaged listening to you!

[nadiarh]

Thanks Elizabeth! Most of the book templates I found are so complicated, even just looking at it makes me discouraged to take the summary lmao. Yours is simple but comprehensive at the same time. Love this.

[morganskiski]

I've never watched your videos before and I'm not even finished with this one yet; but thank you so much. Any video I watch about either doesn't talk about taking notes or underlining OR says its a waste of time and I've always been intrigued by the notion of doing it. It makes the book feel personal. I housed an exchange student and she gave me the best present I've ever received, it was a book that she highlighted and wrote notes for me in. I wish it was easier to understand how to do it in the first place and i just love how simple you make it feel.

[Sirentian]

Loved this video if only to discover the treasure trove that is your book notes on your site! You just saved me dozens of hours in reading (especially of the books that I wouldn't have enjoyed). Reading your "Actionable Takeaways" on the screen was amazing stuff and lol I had actually read one of the books and forgotten everything, so you helped me re-learn it through your notes (to your point!) ❤

[kadriabdelatif]

There are 3 steps we can take to reflect on books better

1. Impression: 3 to 5 sentences about the book along we r reading
2. Actionable Takeaways: Rewrite my 10 favorite highlighted quotes or sentences and ask myself how can i applying them to my own life
3. Quotes: 3 to 5, maybe 10 Quotes too powerful
4. Bonus section: answer the question the author ask them to the readers