How to remember everything you read | Shane Parrish | Big Think

How to remember everything you read
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One of the ways you can deconstruct an argument is being actively attuned to what you're reading.

To better remember content, take a blank sheet of paper and write down what you know about that subject. You can write it in bullet points.

When you later come back to what you're reading, go to that sheet and skim it – it will prime your brain for what you're going to read.
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SHANE PARRISH:

Shane Parrish is a former Canadian intelligence officer and the founder of Farnam Street, a go-to resource that CEOs, athletes, professional coaches and entrepreneurs rely on to find signal in a world of noise.

Shane's work has been featured in nearly every major publication, including Forbes, Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and most recently, the New York Times.
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TRANSCRIPT:

SHANE PARRISH: I think the physical books just work for me. They work really well for note taking. They work really well for annotation. They give you something tangible. And there's something about it that I can't quite explain, right? Like, you can know something's in a book on the left-hand side of the page, between page 80 and 90. But if you're reading on a Kindle, you can't do that. So reading on a Kindle is great. I use a Kindle for traveling. But the vast majority of the reading I do, I try to do in physical books because I can write about the idea in my own penmanship. I can draw arrows, and pictures, and diagrams, and try to connect to the argument that the author is trying to make.

Because how can I agree or disagree with somebody if I don't understand the fundamental principles of the argument that somebody is trying to make? One of the ways you can deconstruct that is just sort of being actively attuned to what you're reading. I find when I read on the Kindle, I'm not necessarily as actively engaged in the book. But if I'm taking notes and I'm following along with the article, or I'm occasionally underlining a word that I don't even know what it means, and I want to go look it up later. But it means that I'm actively reading, that what I'm paying attention to, which is super important. And also one of the other things that I find easier to do with a physical book, although you can do it with a Kindle book, I call it like the blank sheet. And what we do there is before you read a book, you take a blank sheet of paper, and you write down what you know about that subject.

You can mine map it. You can write it in sort of like bullet points. And then you read maybe a paragraph — or not a paragraph. You read a chapter of that book. And that's all the reading time you have for that day. Well, now you go to that sheet and use a different color pen and you just fill in, like, what gaps did I learn? Did I learn a different terminology for the words? Can I connect it to what I've already read? And then before you pick up the book for the next chapter, you just skim the sheet. And it sort of primes your brain for what you're going to read. And I think that that's a really effective way to sort of not only build on the knowledge you have, but connect what you're reading to the existing knowledge. It's going to show you what you learned while you were reading because it's going to be a very visual distinction.

It's going to be a different color of ink. And I think that that allows you to sort of connect it to the book. And I often do that in the jacket of the book where, if I don't have a physical piece of paper, that's O.K. because I can just do it on the front cover. That is so much harder when you try to translate that to electronic. It's possible. But it's a lot more difficult.
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FOLLOW BIG THINK:

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[fabled.]

This is why attending lectures AND taking your own notes is so important. Half the time you never even read them but the combined effort of listening, watching, trying to summarize in your words and writing it down is what enhances learning. So no more skipping class and taking someone else's notes, it never helps.

[ivaibhavsharmaa]

Tips are:
1. Prefer physical books over Kindle books
2. Take notes while reading.
P.S. Don't waste your two minutes on this video, just go read!

[WordUnheard]

I can't even remember what the guy said in the video.

[Seboo]

The explanation for this is relatively simple:the more senses you use when doing something (touch, hearing, etc) the stronger your memory will be about that thing.
This is particularly why our most memorable memories are also the ones that involve the strongest emotions or the ones containing as many emotions. More into detail explanations are found in how the amygdala and the hippocampus work.

[m.st.]

The idea of writing your thoughts about the topic down before you start reading is pretty good! Than you'll get an idea of what you can actually learn from this book and expand your knowledge immense. Thanks, great idea!

[mrnarason]

With digital books, you can still take notes and highlight(without destroying the physical book with your ugly pen marks). You have a built in dictionary, so you can look up it instantly. Not to mention how much more infinitely convenient reading a book on your phone, read it at night without bright lights, invert colors, have thousands of books not just one. I only read physical books if there doesn't exist a digital copy of it.

[tmderizal]

What I have learned from this video:

1. Physical books for deep learning, e-book for casual reading.

2. Take notes while you're reading to better memorize the content.

Thank you, Big Think!

[ossen]

*Repetition is the mother of skill*
Reading at least a couple of times is good enough and we become better each time. WIn-Win.

[f.demascio]

This is similar to the method I used to study when I was in college. Managed to keep straight A's. Was a C student in middle and high school.

[mohanvamc]

In Recent Kindle update was pretty awesome..! They've notes taking option tooo.. Kindle reading really a better experience comparatively Normal books.. to me! 🙂🙂

[JustAGuyWithThoughts]

As a recent Uni student with ADHD in my late 20's, attending lectures DID NOT work for me at all. Watching the recordings was the only way that I could make it work because it's too distracting trying to tune out the other people who attend, you miss things etc., recordings were a godsend because I could rewind for specifics or if I missed something and I could do it at the time and in the places that worked best for me.
I also took my notes down manually, but kept all of them stored digitally on Obsidian. I'd take manual notes on the day I'd allocated, then 1-2 days later transcribe them to Obsidian so they were stored digitally too. This worked well in reinforcing the learning and letting me go over the notes again. By the time exams came, a quick skim of the notes was all that was needed.
I've now graduated, and I still take manual notes and transcribe them digitally after the fact for things that I am working on.

[noface]

Kindle or physical, I still have a hard time keeping focus when I read.
I can't be alone with this problem...

[Misserbi]

Virtue. Meditation. Practice. Faith. Belief. Awareness. Mindfulness. Action.

[joshuatoa]

bottom line up front: bias. I don't see why this has to be for physical books only. Even with a Kindle book, you can have a piece of binder paper and actively take notes on that. For me, I listen to a ton of audiobooks. When I listen, I have a binder for paper. And within these pages, I keep track of notes/thoughts etc I had when reading each book. At the end of the book I revisit all my notes and write a summarization. Then as years pass, I revisit my summarizations. if I feel I need more clarity I go back to my chapter notes. Sometimes I even reread the book.

[DeltaInferno]

"ACTively" - rip fellow headphone users

[flyingguitarist]

Yeah it's true even I use this technique, however we cannot remember everything, so write the main points /main theme from the chapter in the paper.

[rainravenlabanza]

I completely understand what you mean, so I'm thankful for this Vid. Thanks a lot😊 I learned something today

[ArianrhodTalon]

I can highlight on the Kindle, make notes on the Kindle, and view all of them summarised for me in a central location. I'd like to think Kindles can also actively engage you.

[austinkelly]

Keys to recollection and understanding. Takes notes Big Think. Pun intended.

[Sidelinefighter-expert]

Love the blank page knowledge base aspect. Nice tip