Retention, Note-taking and Other thoughts.

[A Hard Rain]

So Grandpaw always said, its like this son, you learn something and u learns it real good, and it certainly is just like going down to the bank and putting money in the deposit box. It'll always be there when you needs to take it out.

I hate this proverbial wisdom. However.

I was thinking recently how much i retain from books. And certain concepts that enthrall me, that i have nearly forgotten. I do believe there is a very great amount being discussed in so many works, that i just can't remember it all.

-To what extent do you take notes in books?
-What methods do you use to highlight/underline the important concepts?
-Certainly, there are those vignettes or soliloquys or parts in books where certain personas revel in wonder or wisdom, I think I will start to note where these are in a book and a quick jot or summary of what it says.
-Do any of you already do this?

In the past I fold pages and highlighted, but i have the feeling it is no longer enough, it is not cutting it. I will try something new.

[Logos]

Well, I will admit I'm one of `those' people who, while reading a book use a pencil to mark passages or make notes. I always erase when I'm done though.

I don't use pencil for older items I borrow/consult/read from the university library that are from the 1800s or other `delicate' publications, those post-it note tab markers come in handy! flourescent green at the mo'.

However my own books are pencilled and highlighted to death and I don't mind saying so :)

I read so much for work and pleasure that I do have retention problems, have many books, journals, articles etc on the go.

[PeterL]

Differemt people absorb information in different ways. When I read, I very seldom make notes and never highlight. When I finish a book, I may not be able to remember the names of the characters or details of the plot unless those items are important in themselves, but I remember what the book was about and I remember major points. As I student, I have never taken notes unless there was something specific to note that I wouldn't have been able to find elsewhere, but I remember all major points, terms, etc. I may have a better memory than other people, but figuring out what is important and paying attention to those things is helpful. One thing that I do while listening or reading is to associate new information with old information, so that I am not learning something from scratch, where does the new fit in.

[A Hard Rain]

Yeah i'm pretty much where both of you are. I don't take enough notes because like Peter L... i remember everything which i think of importantce. And am always taking key concepts from past books etc. and assimilating it. But recently i've notice that when i want to recall certain things (word for word) in the past that remind me of this passage etc. i wish i had it documented where this was. Because to go back and actually find it is a ROYAL pain in the ***. This has come upon me just recently, and so i was thinking how to adapt my process so that it occurs no longer. Maybe i need one of those new cybernetics chips that are in development to make the wealthy more intelligent.

[PeterL]

But recently i've notice that when i want to recall certain things (word for word) in the past that remind me of this passage etc. i wish i had it documented where this was.

It is a pain to remember half of a quote and not remember where it comes from.

[el01ks]

I tend only to make notes if it's a novel/text I'm studying, if I'm reading for pleasure then I don't take any notes, unless something is discussed in the novel that I want to look into in more detail. Then I will make a note, though not in the actual book. I tend to highlight important passages, and write down quotes I might find useful for an essay if I'm studying something.

[LightShade]

I used to pencil-mark books when I was a kid.
I don't do that anymore, I feel it would spoil them.
Instead, if I find something really great and I want to remember it, I just write it down in a notebook.

I never highlighted any book, only photocopies I used for studying.

[pcockey]

Usually if I find something good in a book, I'm enjoying the thing too much to stop to take notes. I'll mark the page and go on, and then when I'm finished, I hit my notebook and write about what I liked.

[Satirical]

It sounds meticulous, but I take notes on everything that I read. I read most of the day, either for school, work or pleasure so I have a large amount of notebooks to consult for a chapter by chapter summary. I use those mini dividers to label everything so that I have easier access, and honestly, my retention from these books is quite deep compared to when I did not take notes.