The Highlighting Dilemma

Why annotating as I read breaks my flow (and what I'm trying instead).

Hello!

Today I want to talk about taking notes in books or highlighting. I’ve seen many people who read books online talk about doing marginalia and highlighting notes. I’ve tried this a few times, and it seems to have an adverse effect on me. Rather than being lost in the story and its happenings, I’m more concerned about what’s going on between each line. Personally, I don’t like this. Even though I’m able to look through each paragraph separately, it’s affecting my ability to be in the moment and have continuity. Every time I make a note or underline something, I lose track and have to start again.

You know the feeling when you’re reading a book after a day and need to recall yesterday’s events? I get that every time I’m making a note.

But pretty much all the people I follow on YouTube for literature seem to be doing it. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Maybe it’s a skill I’ll have to learn over time. It has left me frustrated and behind schedule!

The alternative I’ve is to read a full chapter and then sit down and make notes of the chapter. No idea if this will work either. But I plan to make sure there’s continuity in my reading. This could ensure that I don’t just keep reading and forgetting. I can make notes as one chapter goes and write down my thoughts. But what do I write? That is something I’ll have to figure out today. I essentially need to understand how to read so that I’m able to think through and put down my thoughts.

The Book Leo has a video for this. I’ll give it a try and write about it tomorrow.

Thanks for reading! :)