ONE IDEA

Write and store notes when you read.

THE WHY

You will retain so much more information and always have something to go back to.

MY THOUGHTS/ PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

I have always taken pride in the volume of reading I have done. Likely in the range of 20-40 books per year in the areas of sport and psychology. I began noticing a couple years ago that my retention was really poor. I started forgetting important names, or main parts of the book. I felt this was a real shame, because I had invested so much time in reading, but the returns were minimal if I forgot everything.

Two years ago, I was in my MBA taking a class on cross cultural communications. I knew that the final exam would be heavily based on the text, so I made a point to take notes the entire time. Not traditional text notes where you break down every sentence, but just important things or observations that were beyond things I had thought about before. I was absolutely astounded by my level of retention. To this day I can still remember the central conceptual model, and some important aspects of the book.

From that moment I created a storage system (aka a 2 inch ring binder). Every book I read, podcast I listen to, documentary I watch, or seminar I attend, I keep some very simple notes and store in here by alphabetical order. It is absolutely astounding what it has done and is doing to help my knowledge and growth as a person.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin