How to Take Great Notes (And Remember What You Read)

[@_jared]

Click my link to try Aura Health and save 25%! Your sense of peace and improved sleep starts here: aurahealth.io/jaredhenderson

[@cristina507-m7p]

1. Annotation: Look for jargon, important passages / key points. Unclear points u might need to explain. Do not underline everything. Create your own system ( ex underline for jargon, question mark for difficult parts, star for important passages). Flagging parts of the text for ur future self when u are making high quality notes. 2. Export Phase: Annotations out of book and into paper/notion. Create outline. Create a short summary of the section. Write an outline (not about the structure of the text but how you would go about teaching it to someone else, they could read the outlien and have a good idea. ) 1st draft, doing multiple times to improve it. Repeat for future sections of the book 3. Omni-outline: Bigger outline of the entire book. Guideline to teach a beginner

[@simonefadda2739]

thank you

[@toyin2376]

Phew ! Thank you

[@ikramalaa953]

Thank you!

[@diegonavarrorenteria4056]

Thank you!

[@NelsonGuedes]

You did it! You did the thing that the video is about! So meta!

[@natschi13]

After a year lost in depression I'm going to finish my bachelors degree (in classics) in the next upcoming months and your videos are sooo helpful - here's why: they are a friendly reminder that studying methods matter *and* the field of philosophy has always interested me. Thereby I'm gaining trust in myself and my academic skills again. Thank you so much, Jared. Your work is really much apprechiated. ❤

[@lored6811]

I'm currently starting to pause my studies due to depression, How'd you keep the faith to get back into it?

[@genever_lover]

i went through something similar, except i depression paused my studies for two years. it was rough. i felt like nothing mattered anymore, not my studies and not my friends, but eventually what got me out of it was somehow finding the courage, or maybe courage finally found me, and reaching out to people who cared for me and asking them to help me get going again. they can’t pull you out, but they can help you do it yourself. pausing my studies because my depression was too deep helped for a while, but then it was like there was an untraversable gap between me and the world. that was not good and certainly didn’t help. being productive, in whatever way that means to you (for me that was helping my parents and educating my little brother in music) is important - it might even be a lifeline. depression feels endless, but life can still be good, even while you’re in it. if you need time, take time, but don’t let yourself fall into a pit where there’s just you and the darkness left. i hope you have people who will support you. good luck.

[@holiromi]

@@lored6811same :( i think it’s important to remind yourself (ourselves) what matters to you and who you are doing it for (whatever “it” is for you)

[@TomHinze]

Right now I am in a pause because of depression. Nice to see I am not the only one. Keep it up boys

[@Nerval-kg9sm]

My depression and insomnia due to undiagnosed bipolar 2 disorder derailed my efforts to finish my dissertation. There were personal faults at play too, but it took a lot of effort just to get to the dissertation stage of grad school. Anyway, I did classics as well. Believe it or not, the language, research, and other analytical skills you develop by studying classics pay off big time in the private sector, if you pick the right kind of job. It's like you have superpowers.

[@thebluesmurfdude]

This came at the perfect time. I have big lofty goals for school, work, and personal life - and I can already visualize how to implement this!

[@productivity6693]

Are you VelocityLad?

[@thebluesmurfdude]

@@productivity6693 I don’t know what that means or who that is, so probably not xD

[@Qrp_international]

Same here!!!

[@theRealR0ger]

X3

[@sohaib1382]

Are u implementing this now or not??

[@KshitijKV]

It took me 30 years to develop this method on my own. What this man just taught is brilliant 👏

[@ip3931]

I am not a student (formally) but I certainly would like to learn HOW to make effective notes.

[@Pcoxproductions]

4:54 exporting the notes into an outline -> pro tip: have the points be questions and the goal is to answer the questions

[@_jared]

That's a very nice variation.

[@elizabeth-ho]

Great advice, thanks for the video! I'm a university student, and the way I study for my course is pretty similar. I just have one extra thought to throw out there: When I make my notes, I intend for them to teach myself, meaning that I have this very specific goal of "when I read this a few months later having forgotten everything, I'm able to pick up the chain of thought that allows me to fully understand this concept". This has the same effect of me structuring my notes like I'm teaching it, but the target audience is future me, which also means that I cater specifically to the way I think/understand concepts (which can be different compared to when the target audience is a general beginner in this area). More practically, this means skipping over the parts that I already know (or referencing my previous notes on the topic), and taking extra care when my intuition tells me that I'm not satisfied with one explanation and need more convincing (I study computer science). In other words, a lesson plan for myself!

[@renansales644]

One of the best strategies I've used is to read a book , highlight the most important passages and, then, I put the book aside for 3 to 4 weeks. After that, I open the book again and look for the passages I highlighted. If they still catch my attention, I'll extract them. What I like about this 3 to 4 weeks interval is that it allows my mind to see things in a more detached way. For example, when I read sth for the first time, I have this tendency to think almost every phrase is important. However, after a few weeks of not seeing the text, I end up being more rational about what is important or not. So far, doing this has helped me a lot in two ways: (1) it reduces the amount of information I want to learn and memorize and (2) It helps me to become way more critical with the information I want to commit to memory. Once I read that "we only learn in retrospective " and I do believe that 's true. Only when we become detached from sth (through time) is that we can have a better understand of it. Great video!!

[@andreswang6666]

I might actually give it a try, since my headache with reading a book is there're too many things that attract my eyeballs and I end up wanting to export a third of the book every time.

[@battybibliophile-Clare]

I absolutely loved this video. I'm nearly 77 but learnt some new techniques drom this video. I think I have been notetaking for over 70 years, and have a method, but this takes it to the next level, and from an interesting point or view, as if you were going to teach. I mentored you accountants as part of my job before retirement, so my method included some of your elements. Thanks so much.

[@michelleherald9619]

I agree about teaching it someone else helps your learn. When I was in college I struggled with Physics, however when I started teaching and had to include that subject, the way I studied it (to teach others) helped me to learn it. I would read the text, reference articles and online books for further or different explanations...I would come up with examples relevant to us, and I would work out all practice problems so I knew how to answer questions about them. This makes perfect sense and I am a little upset it didn't occur to me until now. Thank you.

[@NelsonGuedes]

I underline the vocabulary and then write "def" next to it so that I can quickly glance something was defined in the passage

[@Chris-ki6ui]

Your videos are about the best on the "market" for theoretical subjects. There are all too many youtubers with their tips on studying subjects that are more objective. For social science subjects like political science in my case, those approaches to studying rarely if ever help. Your approaches hit the nail right on the head. Thank you for sharing.

[@weightupmountainguy]

Dude. I seriously enjoy all of your content. Been a fan for about 4 months now. Love watching this thing grow. Thank you for what you do.

[@rohithreddy95]

Taking notes on iPad with Pencil is a good balance between taking digital notes and handwritten notes

[@lkreinmiller-author]

To many think digital means a key board. I write by hand but in a digital interface. I get the best of both worlds.

[@eg765]

I love how youtube introduces us qualified person and helps us get useful advices easily.

[@wimgeuens8433]

I found Obsidian incredible for importing notes and making connections between things I study/read. It's lightweight, free, exportable and the spiderweb grid (which is optional) makes it look as if everything you do really has impact and is connected in one way or another.

[@Nowhatsgoingon11222]

This is what I did for my graduation oral exam I tried this method that time and it helped me to learn everything

[@morefiction3264]

The only thing I'm having trouble with is distinguishing between "Creating an Omni-Outline" and replicating each of the chapter outlines I've done with 'chapter 1', 'chapter 2', etc. at the top. Otherwise, this works well with the workflow I've been building. Reading actively. Taking notes in a notebook, although you're teaching me that I'm taking too many notes. Then transferring that into an organized text editor. I'm using one called Joplin that lets me create different notebooks for different books and search the text of all my notebooks looking for related keywords. This also inspires me to create videos on the books I'm reading as though I'm teaching others.

[@StinFriggins]

This is so my favorite philoliterary channel. I hope, in five years, I'm still learning alongside you. Cheers

[@LiterateTexan]

This was a really great book. If I ever go back to get my PhD, this will be my go-to. Thanks, Jared, for this.

[@DearSweetMelody]

I recommend the Zettelkasten method with Obsidian. Super Powers!

[@ElinWinblad]

ADHD here - underlining everything is very hard not to do 😅 everything is equally important in the moment also I see that 4th turning book on your shelf

[@nikolai7861]

For me, making good notes (summaries & criticism) within the text involves my using many multi-coloured gel pens.

[@GaryGruenhagen]

I actually used this technique to study while in graduate school at night studying operations research. I was also working full time and had a very demanding job so needed to be as efficient as possible when studying. The end product of my study sessions was a set of flash card like "cue" cards which I used to "present" lectures to imaginary students as a review technique. This also allowed me to use SRS techniques to internalize the information. It worked. I ended up with a 4.0 grade average.

[@lifewithmashael1352]

I liked how he is explaining the details & I loved his explanation💗💗

[@jamisonc7500]

It’s so cool to see this channel blow up. You deserve it. You have a great cadence and timbre to your voice with thoughtful and timely subjects

[@Feelings..519]

Why is your channel underrated, cuz your helpfull and organized for the viewers so keep going.

[@_jared]

I’m just very thankful for all the support from viewers!

[@timbushell8640]

+800 views within hours of a release... it is supported. Just not that wide or deep yet. But over 100k subscribers.

[@masscreationbroadcasts]

I actually collect content about learning about learning. I'm approaching 100 videos and I must commend you, you said something I've not encountered before. Some really good specifics on annexes to the Feynman technique. I'm glad you didn't go with the 101 version.

[@VertexHero]

Great information. I learned from another video for a similar process called "short essays". However, yours is much more refined. Thank you for your help!

[@mattersthatmatter]

Thank you for the great advice . Not only is it very useful but quite encouraging.

[@ToddBryantsr]

I used Rocket Notebook and then integrate those notes into Obsidian -- I also use Readwise Reader.

[@romeoaranjon5178]

Great video. I am struggling with keeping a commonplace book because I keep coming up with way too much I want to copy and move over to it from each passage I am reading. I am going to start trying your method on the next book I am reading.

[@robertgelblum5154]

Thank you for this very clear exposition of how best to take notes (on books). Perhaps one day I'll have the self-discipline to try the method myself.

[@VertexHero]

P.S. @ 6:00 quick tip for fellow pen and paper friends - a notebook that has good wide margins are great for making revised notes (in a different color). This helps reduce the amount of major rewrites. I don't have a ton of notebook recommendations, but the Maruman Mnemosyne 194 is a good quality Japanese notebook that has ~1in. margin on the left and right . I usually go to Obsidian for the final draft. Works for me, to each their own. Hope this helps!

[@MyChannel-hi8wk]

I think the suggestions are good and showing the paper notes useful. But hard to fully appreciate how to fully implement without examples of other methods. So essentially a walk through of what you mean by showing it based on section one including the apps used etc

[@workout-7050]

Its that one page that shows if the reader is just a reader or a researcher. That one page is usually the last or first page of the book.

[@robilotte11]

great methods, probably will use it for finals or something important, but for day to day studying its just too much work that i cant spare with the amount of reading we´re given

[@_jared]

I think that’s the right approach. You can’t use this for everything.

[@RowanSharkey-im5sq]

I got a first-class Philosophy Degree by exclusively making notes in the margins of my books and pdfs. (1) I like to summarise certain passages using very few words, so that I can find them easily. (2) I write question marks next to difficult passages, so that I can discuss them with friends, or lecturers during their office hours. (3) When I spot a conclusion in the text, typically indicated by words such as “hence”, “thus”, “therefore”, I write a C next to it. (4) Next, I try to figure out how the author arrived at their conclusion by marking key premises. After getting the gist of an argument, I question each premise, and ask myself whether the conclusion follows from the premises. (5) If the answer is no, I write OBJ at the bottom of the page, and state what I think is wrong with the argument.

[@Hello.Arizona]

thank you for this!! immensely helpful

[@asherlearmonth9787]

Can't believe you got 150k subs. You're a boss - 1mil soon.

[@SiavashHabibi-t7i]

Super useful! Thanks for sharing this great information.

[@Nerval-kg9sm]

There is a drawback to studying as if you'll be teaching someone else. Because I spent so many years in grad school, I'm convinced I don't really know something unless I can pull a well wrought lecture on it out of my back pocket. This leads to beating myself up about failing to meet that ideal. Sometimes it's enough to be able to outline the subject with an erudite friend.

[@eliyah6314]

What about first breaking down and understanding whatever information first . Then being able to teach it for retention and then fill in the gaps of mistakes along the way? Is that reasonable?

[@jentan4531]

Very true. I always learn the stuff I teach better than anything else

[@sherilynntellis7713]

Love all the content you put out! Valuable info, easy to apply and excellently communicated. Would you have any advice on how to take notes during an ongoing class? Especially when it's quite technical or there's a system or process to be understood (with diagrams and flow etc).

[@valleconexoes]

Bro, thanks a lot! Amazing content

[@Bootus123]

Great video, and this is what I did when I was teaching! I'll continue to use it now that I'm in grad school. Also, bonus points for that Chopin in the back. I love using his nocturnes as warmup material.

[@JeremyHelm]

7:29, 7:34 you've made all the fodder for stretch text (ref. Ted Nelson

[@jamesburwash5635]

Thank you good video, you a good voice for you tube, I enjoy your videos. Cheers from Vancouver Island Canada

[@jorgefg596]

Jared, thank you so much for this.

[@TheresaReichley]

I tend to prefer using separate notebooks. I find notes and markings distracting from the texts, and anyway wring in the margins doesn’t leave a lot of space.

[@Gumiweunoia]

thank you. This video is really helpful to me

[@cbbcbb6803]

Very good point! I have heard that the best way to learn something is to teach it. And the student and the teacher can be one and the same person. I heard this years ago. People have to discover and then rediscover quality techniques. As for highlighting, why can't that be part of your "first draft" process? It may, or may not, be useful, but I think some people just like doing it. So maybe putting it in the first drafting steps might give it some (slight) usefulness?

[@LilyYadav-]

👍👍👍👍👍✊

[@syltmackaalexandus4998]

yeah thats true I noticed that Im good at showing others(telling them)

[@humanalltoohuman]

This was very helpful. Thank you.

[@426F6F]

You can write notes after you highlight with your Kindle. I agree though, I wish there were better features for annotating. 😮‍💨

[@beancate]

im trying to shove in some grades for my current school year (11th grade) to make in for the grade screening for uni. i have so much potential, but i lost 2 years in depression and am trying to get back up

[@PhilipJFryisabender]

Thanks, that's really helpful.

[@mindyshively4947]

This is good content. Thank you!

[@periteu]

- *¿Cuál es la enseñanza clave del video?* - Si buscas comprender una información, entonces asegúrate de tomar notas como si fueras a enseñarle a una persona esa información. - ¿Cuál es el mejor medio para tomar notas? - Tomar notas como si fueras a enseñarselo a alguien más - ¿Cuál es el proceso de toma de notas? - Anotación - Exportación - Bosquejo - Anotación - ¿Cuáles son buenos objetos de anotación? - Vocabulario que necesitas ser explicado - Ideas claves que quieres que todos sepan - Partes de la lectura que no se comprenden y son necesarias de comprender - ¿Cuáles son buenos signos para denotar las anotaciones? - Vocabulario que necesitas ser explicado, *se subraya* - Ideas claves que quieres que todos sepan, *se le pone una estrella* - Partes de la lectura que no se comprenden y son necesarias de comprender, *se le pone un signo de interrogación* - Exportación - ¿En qué consiste la exportación? - Escritura de un resumen - Escritura de un bosquejo sobre cómo se lo explicarías a alguien más - ¿Cuáles son buenas aplicaciones para el paso de la exportación? - Roam Research - Obsidian - Bosquejo - ¿Sobre qué información se crea el bosquejo? - los bosquejos creados por las exportaciones

[@sebastianfiege7765]

Que aplicación usa al final?

[@FudgeTheFurry]

Tangent: Hi Jared. I have just discovered your channel. You mentioned you were a Christian. I am too and I also like Stoicism. How do you reconcile Stoicism with your Christian faith?

[@lesliewells-ig5dl]

I think if you highlight a passage on a k8ndle and put it on the clipboard there is a way to print them. That might help.

[@huizylove]

First seconds, I subscribe 😅 adobe pdf has a highlight option with notes

[@jonhill3328]

A very useful video, thank you for creating it 👍🏻

[@knw-seeker6836]

Thanks for the great advice Could you make a video in which you breakup in detail how you’re doing the outline on a text example.

[@Noahsendir]

Thanks for everything :)

[@ramonmenendezrecio4442]

Great advice!

[@Parimitaa]

Hi Jared, do you mind sharing any omni-outline of yours? So that we can have a close view on that.

[@matejamarkovic860]

I don't know why, but I got a little confused in the explanation of the third part. Do you think I should describe the whole book in one go, or go through all the main parts again adding more information and those things that are difficult to understand and I didn't write them down in the second part

[@bradrachielles7890]

Have you looked at Mind Mapping , and what do you think about it as a data/thought capture process?

[@nateyinglingmusic8550]

Me taking notes, on a video tutorial about taking notes

[@OnlineLitScholars]

Excellent video. Thank you for posting. Question - would you modify this for a work of literature such as Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein?"

[@MinHan-p8y]

What is the name of the software you used for notes in the last part of the video?

[@BourneThisWay]

I’m studying for a certification exam and I dread finishing the book every time. I read about 50 pages in a sitting and haven’t picked it up in a few days. My problem is getting started.

[@dionysianapollomarx]

Awesome. I might have to do the same as your annotation method. I underline sentences I like which biases my reading of an important nonfiction work especially academic stuff. I need to get better fidelity of texts as they actually are. Think this will also help in reading fiction? I think it might, maybe especially tougher classic fiction.

[@MrJoyce86]

This might be a stupid question, but how do I know what is important? Maybe things that stand out? I'm currently reading Plato's 5 dialogues ( published by Hackett publishing)

[@_jared]

It’s a skill you pick up over time. Focus on what stands out. You eventually start to get an intuitive feel for it.

[@eely225]

How would you compare this approach to the index card exporting method (the Sertillanges approach)? Have you switched to this approach or do you use both for different kinds of reading/writing?

[@_jared]

Great question. I use the notecards when I want to get key ideas or quotes from many books and group them by themes, usually when I’m tying it all together for a writing project. This approach is great to dive deep into a single book.

[@BeautytheeMarks]

Could I use GoodNotes as a writing tool for Notes ?

[@stevesmith4319]

great notes tips

[@4justo740]

2:42 You're using a paper notebook/pad in front of your laptop but you don't explicity discuss this tactic. Just describe how you don't like a Kindle feature.

[@aaronoverstreet1436]

Thanks Jared, useful tips. I’m about to commence study in philosophy at uni, which is how I came to discover your channel. I was just looking at a Kindle after not being able to find a few book titles in stores. How do you find it compared with a book? How comprehensive is the e-reader range for philosophy etc?

[@abhijit6545]

Which pen are you using??!

[@Haileyjane2004]

I usually just write notes after different sections of reading.

[@theninthcloud]

Great video. off-topic but what pencil are you using?

[@airtwo2270]

Did you manage to create an effective system for book notes in Obsidian? I find that program very challenging but super interesting, would love to see your approach if you have one!

[@_jared]

Personally, no, but I don’t spend much time with it. Other people on KZbin are much more adept than I am.

[@urdarkside1]

Random question, what pencil were you using @1:43?

[@__M__133]

i think it may be a Kaweco Special mechanical pencil

[@SuccessMindset2180]

Finding key notes is definitely not a bagginer’s topic

[@Luke_H.]

Bagginer?

[@PetarPopovic-mp1qg]

@Jared Henderson Can you share your must listen to podcasts or stories etc.. that are on Aura Health

[@tinkerjel6701]

Do you do the 3 things that you've mentioned while reading or you read all the content first before do the aforementioned? Make sense? Because how will you enjoy the book when you don't understand it firsthand. Respect my comment. Thank you.

[@esotericsense]

would it be best to divide the sections you read into the chapters of the text youre reading or just find a suitable place to stop in the text and pick up from there wherever that might be

[@pschmidty5]

Jared, do you think you could do this well in Notion? Or are Roam/Obsidian your recommendations?

[@rldluz]

Are you practicing Chopin? Which piece?

[@nathanhubball]

Great video! Q: would you read the book/section through before any annotation or annotate as you go along?

[@Alto-hf6rd]

I think it depends on what works best for you. I prefer annotating as I read (one of the benefits of this is "talking to"/arguing with the author in the margins), but if you're unsure, I'd recommend: Reading a section before annotating it; then annotating the next section as you read; and finally, deciding which method was the easiest/most fun.

[@aritranayek7479]

Methods can be created, so what if i make one oneday!! 😁

[@andersonneil2293]

Is there an alternative method to annotating that you would recommend for library books? Obviously i can't write in them

[@_jared]

Use those sticky book tabs I briefly showed and write on those. It's the only viable option for library books, I think.

[@michelleherald9619]

Post it notes with page numbers...you can arrange them how you need...make an outline on the wall or back of the door. If writing a paper you can use them to determine order of info and where you will insert quotes.

[@rcr6546]

Try post-it notes and index cards inserted in the corresponding pages

[@Eesalitepill99]

Define the term

[@ДанилГоловня-м3ъ]

Thank you for sharing and explaining! How would you recommend to combine that approach and index cards from your previous videos? Thank you!

[@_jared]

I wish I’d mentioned this in the video. I think the notecards are useful for taking notes on a theme (or themes) in multiple books. This method is best for students who need to deeply study a single book. Does that make sense?

[@ДанилГоловня-м3ъ]

@@_jared thank you for your reply! Yes, it does. But I also thought about mixing them. For example, you finish a deep dive into a book with the teacher-student method and then add a separate section with index cards for the same book. In the future, you could use cards to mix them within the particular book and overall on a theme level. How do you think, would that approach work? And keep everything digital to have easy access anytime. I just want to find a balance between efficiency, material study, and future accessibility :)

[@dian970]

thank you!

[@jquint321]

Hi Just wanted to let you know the Obsidian link sends me to an error page on their website. If you mind updating in the comment with the correct link. Thanks!