Journaling, Note-Taking, Digital Gardening

the margins are where reading becomes thinking

Literature — contains the finest passages I come across (and my thoughts these passages generate), culled from classic novels, autobiographies, poems, and other literary forms.

Take notes: As I read, I jot down quotes that resonate with me, and keep them organized by chapter title. Sometimes, I’ll read the book and just do underlining and marginalia. Then, when I’m finished with the book, I’ll re-read the marginalia and transcribe only the most valuable passages to the notebook. Sometimes I’ll write the ideas in my own wo... See more

Writing forces clarity.

It’s called Idea Documents, and it’s somewhat similar to a digital brain.

An Idea Document is an online Google or Word doc about one specific topic, where you write the main points you want to remember about it. That’s it. Simple.

„By sitting down to turn them into an Idea Document, I actively organize it in my brain. I also clarify things for myself, making it much easier to communicate this topic to other people in conversation or in writing.“

„The process also enables you to identify any gaps in your understanding of the concepts, arguments, or events in the document. This protects you from the illusion of knowing, which has plagued many students who realize their gaps only on test day.“

Ideas related to this collection