Taking notes while reading helps reduce the bulky and irrelevant content in some books. Before you can actually be interested in taking notes, you must have a reason for reading and what you hope to achieve at the end of it. This prompts you to take note of the book you are reading. Note-taking’s primary purpose is to write down your thoughts in your own words. The fact that everyone needs to learn how to take notes makes it easier to have a quick summary of the book when you next pick it up for study; this is one skill you are supposed to have. However, there are various ways you can take notes on books you are reading, which are explained in detail in this post.
How to Take Notes on a Book You Are Reading tips.
Highlighting with a different pen
This is one of the simplest and best methods to take notes on books you are reading using different colors of the pen, like using the red pen for definitions and the blue or black for short explanations will help you understand better. Taking notes using this method should only be done if the book belongs to you; it is a quick and easy way to take notes if you want to read a book and know it well thoroughly. The advantage of using this method is that whenever you pick the book up to read, primarily if you want to remember a phrase quickly, you know exactly where to look because of the highlight. It is mainly for books like novels, dramas, literature, and those that are large in volume but require a summary.
Notes making
This note-taking method is highly recommended for courses like chemistry, physics, mathematics, and those challenging science courses that sometimes require math and diagrams, knowing that only by constantly solving or making these diagrams will you fully master them. This method is best for such studies because you get to write with your own hands on the notes, which is also one of the ways to study and remember. Note-making helps you organize not just your studies but so that you can reference them more easily to pick up facts or ideas where you put a pause in your studies. Students who wish to study for their exams at ease should adopt this method of note-taking during their studies and make sure that only essential information is taken. This note-taking method can also help a tutor prepare for class and have a solid foundation when teaching.
Writing on sheets of paper.
Notes-taking is mainly for quick understanding and also for fast reference, but if you are not getting the most out of it from the previous method, then you should try using this method of writing on sheets of paper. This strategy is recommended for shorter or short studies, such as studying for an exam or preparing for an event that will begin in a relatively short amount of time. When using this method, ensure that you have the necessary study materials like your pen, sheets of paper, and reading materials. Ensure that only relevant definitions are written down while the irrelevant ones are ignored. This note-taking method is much better than cramming for an exam where time is of the essence, as cramming requires a lot of work to be done by your brain, but writing on sheets of paper requires little work. This is because as you are writing, your brain is working to save what you have written, and it does it far more efficiently than when you pick up each sheet to revise it. It is pretty much simpler to understand. These will assist you in reducing the amount of time and brain activity you put into your notes, especially the energy required to cram. Instead, it will make you understand easily, increase your comprehension skills, and help you remember what you have studied.
Using your memory
One of the best tools you could ever use for note-taking is your memory, and very few engage in it because it requires lots of work, considering the time factor. Still, those who engage in it know it is far better to use your memory to take notes than any other available method. You may wonder how one can use memory for note-taking. It is simple to read at least a paragraph but no more than a page, pause to think about what you just read, and then take notes of the critical content from your memory by thinking about it more than once. Doing this helps you concentrate on the essential points instead of storing irrelevant details. This method is mainly for the benefit of those who feel that taking notes is necessary. If you have ever been through the school system, you will see the need for it, especially when your exams are fast approaching and you have barely much of your topic for the semester other than this. Good notes can also help to identify and put down all the various ideas in different parts of the book you are studying into one section of your note. Doing this enables you to draw a conclusion or give a good summary of the book when you are done with the reading, and if you use your memory, you will appreciate the clarity and confidence that comes with it. Though we cannot emphasize how important it is to take notes whenever you find yourself reading, most of the time, you can do a little summary and see the beauty of it. It is incredibly beneficial if you take note, and you can do so using any of the methods discussed above.