Outline: Strategy for Remembering and Using Key Insights from Books 0:00 Introduction Problem Statement: Many people struggle to remember what they read due to a lack of strategy. Solution Overview: A three-part strategy combining various methods, scientific insights, and personal practices. 0:52 Part 1: Taking Better Notes Common Mistake: Highlighting passages (e.g., on Kindle) can give a false sense of understanding. Recommended Approach: Use “literature notes”: Combine direct quotes with personalized summaries. Ensure notes are concise, properly cited, and written in the reader's own words. Benefits: Improves comprehension and retention through active engagement. 2:22 Part 2: Organizing and Categorizing Notes Purpose: Identify essential vs. non-essential information and facilitate connections. Methodology: Categorize notes into meaningful groups (e.g., "life advice," "health," "writing"). 3:39 Part 3: Writing a Summary Importance of spaced repetition and retrieval practice: Write the first version of the summary without looking back at the book. Review and refine the summary afterward to ensure key ideas are consolidated. Aligns with cognitive science principles on strengthening neural connections. 5:00 Conclusion Emphasis on the value of active engagement, spaced repetition, and connecting new information to existing knowledge. Acknowledgement of time investment required, but highlights long-term benefits of deep understanding and retention.
really enjoy this video. I take notes while reading in a notebook as well. I have to stop myself sometimes when I write to much. I try to summarize up sections of a chapter into my own words with some reference points from that section. Applying knowledge is more than acquiring knowledge. I recently just started reading last year and really glad that I have taken notes since I started. Its nice to see the change in my note taking from the beginning to now. Also the Art of Re-Reading which I saw from Mr. Holiday. Your not the same person now as when you read said book. So really looking forward to go through my books again sometime this year. Nice Video thank You! Just watched it again and took notes this time. I started to add a short summary after each reading session. Really enjoyed the video again. I do need to get into the habit of rereading my notes from past books and summarizing those throughout the year. Something I didn't do when I did read them.
Brilliant video. I put index tabs in the back of every book i start because i always want them handy for flagging ideas, new words, passages, and things i have questions about
I have been reading 50+ books a year over recent two years. I copy and paste my kindle’s highlights to my notion book note, and analyze highlights and write blogs about what I learned. However, I forget the 90% of information. Thanks to your video, I realized I should write it down on my own words, and start the note card system on my pc!!! Thx!!
Some ancients said memory is the mother of learning suppose if you can not recall a thing you can not think about. Asking & answering questions I noticed the 5W1H kinda match the parts of speech = Who What Where When Which Why How - person place thing idea time reason method.
Studying has a place for learning memory, but it is inferior to teaching. I have one technique which is an ancient one. I started doing it myself and then learned decades later that it was nothing new. In essence, teach what you're learning. Sit back in your chair, close your eyes if you want, pretend you're in front of a class, and teach what you just read, whether a page, or pages, or a chapter. imagine students challenging you with hard questions or challenges on those things which are hardest for you to understand and remember. Let students refute you in your imagination and then defend your information. I guarantee you will remember for the long haul because you taught it and had to reason it out to someone else, even though it is in your imagination.
@@JoelSnape1oh wow amazing. So glad to have helped you. I passed my grade 4 with a day to spare just! For my one year playing anniversary! That was my target I gave myself. It was a tough one.
All the ones I read! Unless I start them and abandon them because I don't get on with them for whatever reason (this is like 10-20% of books). So anywhere from 50-100 a year
Sometimes! My wife loves autobiographies narrated by the people they're about, so I sometimes listen to them - and I super recommend Werner Herzog's latest
I found point 2 on making connections hard to understand.You were talking too fast and too softly on a fuzzy explanation so you lost me. I could go over it sentence by sentence to try to understand, but I'm just pointing this out to you. It may be obvious to you, but you glanced over the idea without formally and clearly stating them.
Appreciate this feedback! I can see how it might have gone by a bit too fast. So to clarify as much as I can, the process is: 1. Go through what I've highlighted (whether that's by writing it down, marking pages, or highlighting passages on Kindle). 2. As I go, I 'file' these highlights in one of several documents I already have set up, to make it easier to connect them to other ideas (for instance, one book might have insights on art history, which I'm interested in, but also have stuff about creativity that I'm interested in for the newseltter). 2a. Sort of related, at this stage I might decide that some highlights aren't worth keeping/filing. 3. If I want to, I connect on and expand on these ideas in the docs. Hope that's helpful. Will try to slow down and clarify things in future videos!
That's why I said *almost* everything! Honestly though, I think there are a tonne of good reasons to read fiction: experience and adventure as you say, adventure and a sense of what it would be like to live a different life. But I do think it's helpful to remember some of that stuff - without my notes on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, for instance, I'd probably have already forgotten some of the parts that had the biggest impact on me.
To be fair if you’ve read a fiction book and there wasn’t a single quote in there that you’d like to remember at some point in future, was it even worth it?
@@judegrindvoll8467 yes it is... but to your point, I read LitRPG, this is maybe one step above love novels, but some has such life lessons and advice that is mind blowing.
If you liked this video, you should probably subscribe to my newsletter: joelsnape.substack.com/
Thank you for the reference to my channel, Joel. Someone told me you used footage of one of my videos, and it was lovely to see 🤭 Happy reading!
Ahh I'm glad you saw it! Good luck with your channel, and happy reading to you!
@@JoelSnape1 Thank you so much. You too!
Outline: Strategy for Remembering and Using Key Insights from Books
0:00 Introduction
Problem Statement: Many people struggle to remember what they read due to a lack of strategy.
Solution Overview: A three-part strategy combining various methods, scientific insights, and personal practices.
0:52 Part 1: Taking Better Notes
Common Mistake: Highlighting passages (e.g., on Kindle) can give a false sense of understanding.
Recommended Approach:
Use “literature notes”:
Combine direct quotes with personalized summaries.
Ensure notes are concise, properly cited, and written in the reader's own words.
Benefits: Improves comprehension and retention through active engagement.
2:22 Part 2: Organizing and Categorizing Notes
Purpose: Identify essential vs. non-essential information and facilitate connections.
Methodology:
Categorize notes into meaningful groups (e.g., "life advice," "health," "writing").
3:39 Part 3: Writing a Summary
Importance of spaced repetition and retrieval practice:
Write the first version of the summary without looking back at the book.
Review and refine the summary afterward to ensure key ideas are consolidated.
Aligns with cognitive science principles on strengthening neural connections.
5:00 Conclusion
Emphasis on the value of active engagement, spaced repetition, and connecting new information to existing knowledge.
Acknowledgement of time investment required, but highlights long-term benefits of deep understanding and retention.
really enjoy this video. I take notes while reading in a notebook as well. I have to stop myself sometimes when I write to much. I try to summarize up sections of a chapter into my own words with some reference points from that section. Applying knowledge is more than acquiring knowledge. I recently just started reading last year and really glad that I have taken notes since I started. Its nice to see the change in my note taking from the beginning to now. Also the Art of Re-Reading which I saw from Mr. Holiday. Your not the same person now as when you read said book. So really looking forward to go through my books again sometime this year. Nice Video thank You!
Just watched it again and took notes this time. I started to add a short summary after each reading session. Really enjoyed the video again. I do need to get into the habit of rereading my notes from past books and summarizing those throughout the year. Something I didn't do when I did read them.
Brilliant video. I put index tabs in the back of every book i start because i always want them handy for flagging ideas, new words, passages, and things i have questions about
Now this is a good idea! Not sure I'm organised enough to do it with everything I read, but it'd be neater than all my page-folding...
Perfect for what I want to do after reading and underlining ideas in “Getting Things Done” and how I want to move forward with retrieval.
Fantastic! Hope it's helpful
I have been reading 50+ books a year over recent two years. I copy and paste my kindle’s highlights to my notion book note, and analyze highlights and write blogs about what I learned. However, I forget the 90% of information. Thanks to your video, I realized I should write it down on my own words, and start the note card system on my pc!!! Thx!!
update: I am writing highlights on my own word and it’s a game changer!! I feel I am understanding much better!! thank u!!
This is amazing to hear. Glad it's working!
Some ancients said memory is the mother of learning suppose if you can not recall a thing you can not think about. Asking & answering questions I noticed the 5W1H kinda match the parts of speech = Who What Where When Which Why How - person place thing idea time reason method.
Studying has a place for learning memory, but it is inferior to teaching. I have one technique which is an ancient one. I started doing it myself and then learned decades later that it was nothing new. In essence, teach what you're learning. Sit back in your chair, close your eyes if you want, pretend you're in front of a class, and teach what you just read, whether a page, or pages, or a chapter. imagine students challenging you with hard questions or challenges on those things which are hardest for you to understand and remember. Let students refute you in your imagination and then defend your information. I guarantee you will remember for the long haul because you taught it and had to reason it out to someone else, even though it is in your imagination.
I'm about to become unstoppable fr
is that Akuma in the background???
Hahah it's Hanma Yuujiro (probably an even worse guy than Akuma)
@@JoelSnape1 LOL. Akuma was my jam in Marvel vs Capcom 2. is the show Baki? Never watched anime much before
Finally someone telling us something to simple to follow through
Hope it's helpful!
Highlighting always works for me
Rightio, I like this. Let's see how it goes for a few months.
Best of luck! Would be interested to hear how you get on (also nice to hear from a fellow rightio-sayer)
@@JoelSnape1 No problem, will let you know how it works out by Feb next year :)
This is great 👍
Thank you!
Love this greta ideas. ❤😊😊
Thanks! (I ordered that piano music book BTW)
@@JoelSnape1oh wow amazing. So glad to have helped you. I passed my grade 4 with a day to spare just! For my one year playing anniversary! That was my target I gave myself. It was a tough one.
@@JoelSnape1did you like the book?
I've been meaning to ask this for a while. Have you read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy?
Yes; decades ago.
Never read any Tolstoy, I keep meaning to. Is that the best one to try?
@@JoelSnape1 amongst the best for sure.
So how many books do you iterate thru this system?
All the ones I read! Unless I start them and abandon them because I don't get on with them for whatever reason (this is like 10-20% of books). So anywhere from 50-100 a year
Do you listen to audiobooks?
Sometimes! My wife loves autobiographies narrated by the people they're about, so I sometimes listen to them - and I super recommend Werner Herzog's latest
active recall a skill i want desperately to develop
I have Cal Newport's "how to become a grade a student" book coming tomorrow and I plan to read deep work in the future
@@aqueleAntonino Haven't read grade A student! I enjoyed Deep Work (though the ideas are simple) and Digital Minimalism
# All most everything
I found point 2 on making connections hard to understand.You were talking too fast and too softly on a fuzzy explanation so you lost me. I could go over it sentence by sentence to try to understand, but I'm just pointing this out to you. It may be obvious to you, but you glanced over the idea without formally and clearly stating them.
Appreciate this feedback! I can see how it might have gone by a bit too fast. So to clarify as much as I can, the process is:
1. Go through what I've highlighted (whether that's by writing it down, marking pages, or highlighting passages on Kindle).
2. As I go, I 'file' these highlights in one of several documents I already have set up, to make it easier to connect them to other ideas (for instance, one book might have insights on art history, which I'm interested in, but also have stuff about creativity that I'm interested in for the newseltter).
2a. Sort of related, at this stage I might decide that some highlights aren't worth keeping/filing.
3. If I want to, I connect on and expand on these ideas in the docs.
Hope that's helpful. Will try to slow down and clarify things in future videos!
You read fiction for the experience and adventure... not to remember everything
That's why I said *almost* everything! Honestly though, I think there are a tonne of good reasons to read fiction: experience and adventure as you say, adventure and a sense of what it would be like to live a different life. But I do think it's helpful to remember some of that stuff - without my notes on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, for instance, I'd probably have already forgotten some of the parts that had the biggest impact on me.
To be fair if you’ve read a fiction book and there wasn’t a single quote in there that you’d like to remember at some point in future, was it even worth it?
@@judegrindvoll8467 yes it is... but to your point, I read LitRPG, this is maybe one step above love novels, but some has such life lessons and advice that is mind blowing.