How To Take Notes While Reading
You’ve gone to the effort of reading an entire novel, textbook, or interesting article, but then when you try to share the information with your friends, you can barely summarise it – frustrating, isn’t it?
That’s why taking notes while reading is so helpful. It’s a powerful way to engage, understand, and remember the material. But effective note-taking doesn’t just help you remember key points—it can also deepen your understanding of the text, making it easier to apply what you’ve learned later on.
So, if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information in a book or article, you’re not alone!
Let’s go through the best way to take notes while reading to help you make the most of your reading sessions.
1. Start with a Clear Purpose
Before you dive into your reading, it’s important to establish a clear purpose. Why are you reading this book or article? Are you reading to gain knowledge on a specific subject, to prepare for an exam, or to find supporting evidence for a project? When you have a clear goal in mind, it becomes easier to determine which points are most important to note down.
Tips:
• If you’re reading for general understanding, focus on the main ideas and themes.
• If you’re reading for research, highlight data, evidence, and sources that support your project or argument.
• If you’re reading for test prep, focus on key concepts, definitions, and explanations that you’ll need to remember.
• Reading for pleasure? Don’t pressure yourself to make notes; just allow yourself to immerse in the story!
2. Try The SQ3R Method
One of the most effective reading techniques to pair with note-taking is the SQ3R Method. This stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review, and it’s designed to improve your understanding and memory of the text, working best for articles or essays.
• Survey: Skim the text to get an overview. Note down headings, subheadings, and summaries
• Question: Turn headings into questions. For example, a section titled ‘The Causes of the French Revolution’ could be turned into ‘What caused the French Revolution?’. Write down other questions that would help you deepen your understanding.
• Read: As you read, try to answer the questions you posed.
• Recite: Summarise the answers aloud or in writing, capturing key points in your own words. It also helps to pretend that you’re teaching the point to someone who knows nothing on the subject.
• Review: Go back over your notes and the material to solidify your understanding.
The great thing about this type of note taking? It encourages active reading, which is crucial for remembering and confidently explaining any topic.
3. Experiment With The Right Note-Taking Format
Choosing a note-taking format that complements your reading style is essential. Different formats work best for different types of content, so be flexible in your approach.
Common Note-Taking Formats:
• Cornell Notes: This format divides your page into three sections: a narrow left-hand margin for questions or keywords, a wider right-hand section for notes, and a bottom section for summarising the material. This structure helps with organisation and review.
• Mind Maps: If you’re more of a visual learner, mind maps or diagrams help to connect concepts by branching out from a central idea. This is particularly useful for brainstorming or when reading material with many interconnected topics.
• Annotations: If you’re someone who prefers to interact directly with the text, annotating (underlining, circling, or writing in the margins) can be a great option. While this method can be less structured, it encourages real time engagement with the text.
• Outline Method: The outline method uses bullet points and indentation to show how topics relate to each other. This method is great for hierarchical information, such as textbooks or academic readings, where ideas build on each other.
4. Use Technology to Your Advantage
I love the feeling of a paper book, and although there are benefits from annotating on them, there are so many advantages to writing notes on an e-ink tablet.
Tablets such as the Kindle Scribe allow you to quickly highlight important passages, add handwritten notes directly in the margins, or use the tablet’s stylus to circle key themes. I find the dictionary function especially helpful because it breaks your reading flow less than having to dig out a dictionary.
Or you can make your notes on note-taking apps such as Notion or Evernote. This makes it easy to categorise your thoughts by theme, chapter, or idea – perfect for when you need to review or pull insights from your reading. There’s nothing like organising all your notes in one easily accessible place instead of scrambling for an important sticky note.
E-ink tablets like the Kindle Scribe are a one of the best ways to take notes while reading!
5. Highlight Key Concepts and Freely Annotate
As you read, focus on identifying key concepts and supporting details. Key concepts are the main ideas or arguments presented by the author, while supporting details include facts, examples, and explanations that bolster these ideas.
Don’t be afraid to write down thoughts that immediately come to mind as read. They may not be a developed argument yet, but are still worth noting down.
As Francis Bacon said, ‘Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.‘
Tips:
• Avoid the urge to highlight or take notes on everything – be selective and focus on the main points. Otherwise, you’ll have no idea what points you’re supposed to remember when you return!
• Make your notes future-proof. Don’t write random words without any context, ensure that your future self will be able to look back and understand what you meant.
• When you come across a new term, definition, or key concept, write it down in your own words. This will help reinforce the material in your memory.
6. Ask Questions As You Read
While you’re reading and taking notes, make it a habit to ask yourself questions. These questions could be about unclear points in the text, implications of the author’s argument, or how the text relates to other concepts you know.
For example:
• What is the author trying to prove here? Do you agree or disagree?
• How does this concept connect to what I already know?
• Why is this piece of information important? Is there anything you don’t understand about it?
Asking questions keeps your brain engaged and encourages critical thinking, making your note-taking more meaningful.
7. Review and Reflect on Your Notes
Once you’ve finished reading, spend time reviewing and reflecting on your notes. This is an important part of the learning process that many people overlook.Active review helps reinforce the material in your memory and gives you a chance to catch anything you may have missed or misunderstood.
But don’t just review your notes once – come back to them after a few days. You’ll be surprised how much your perspective shifts. What may have seemed difficult or confusing at first might feel like a breeze after giving yourself some space. You’re not the same person you were when you first took the notes, and revisiting them with fresh eyes really does make all the difference.
A More Thoughtful Way to Read
There’s nothing quite like reading a lot and actually remembering the key concepts. It keeps you motivated to read more and feels rewarding to accumulate knowledge. But there’s no need to take it to an extreme – don’t let the joy of reading disappear from anxiety over remembering every detail. Newsflash: that’s not possible!
The goal is to make reading less of a passive experience and more active. By breaking down the material, capturing key concepts, and summarising in your own words, you’ll retain more information and gain a deeper respect for the text, (even if you don’t like it!!
So grab your book or tablet and start taking notes in your reading sessions!