“No book is so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, and reading without taking notes is meaningless.” ✍️
Pliny the Elder, a Roman official and polymath, considered any time spent without studying a loss. Even during meals, baths, or travel, he kept a secretary nearby to read books aloud and extracted key ideas or facts into immediate notes. This lifelong habit of excerpting and note-taking was the force behind the creation of ancient history’s largest encyclopedia, ‘Naturalis Historia’ (Natural History).
His passion for learning without ever stopping his pen has been proven, even from the modern perspectives of learning psychology and cognitive science, to be the most effective approach for solidifying knowledge into memory.
Historical & Academic Evidence
This content is based on Historical critical biography and autobiographical records of Pliny Reading Excerpt & Cognitive Neuroscience research.
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Inspired by historical greats? Make it your daily habit!
1. Why Excerpt Note-Taking Is Cognitively Superior to Mere Reading
A passive receptive stance of merely reading text with the eyes causes the brain to easily spill information out of short-term memory storage. In contrast, when summarizing the core of text and taking physical handwriting notes, the fine movements of fingers stimulate the reticular activating system (RAS) in the brainstem, powerfully activating the entire brain. Because the brain must filter and reconstruct information during this process, powerful retrieval cues are embedded, smoothly settling into long-term memory.
2. 3-Step Practical Routine for Modern Professionals
Step 1: Select Core Knowledge to Note Down
While reading a book or absorbing knowledge, identify the top 10% core sentences or figures from the entire text that inspire you most or connect with your thoughts. Let go of the greed to note down all information.
Step 2: Handwriting with an Analog Pen
Prepare analog writing instruments and a notebook, writing down selected sentences in your own handwriting. Feel the tactile sensation at your fingertips and the resistance of ink seeping into paper while quietly reflecting on the meaning in your head.
Step 3: Mark Source and Tags
Clearly record the book title, author, and page number in parentheses at the end or line below the written sentence. This plants a milestone that allows quick retrieval and verification of knowledge sources whenever needed later.
3. Guide for Smart Excerpt Note-Taking
Mindlessly copying entire paragraphs from a book (transcription) should be avoided. This is close to simple labor that bypasses the brain, causing only cognitive fatigue. Selectively extract and handwrite only inspiring sentences or key keywords. Additionally, build a habit of always writing the book source and page number in parentheses so you can trace excerpted knowledge later.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is writing with a stylus on a tablet or typing on a keyboard equally effective? ▼
Writing directly with a digital stylus on a tablet produces effects quite similar to a physical pen. However, typing on a keyboard is an automated input action accompanied by almost no cognitive processing. The slower speed of handwriting forces the brain to summarize and digest information, significantly improving memory retention rates.
Is there a way to organize excerpted notes so they don't get lost as they accumulate? ▼
We recommend John Locke's Commonplace Book method. Create an index page at the very front or back of your notebook and write down the written page numbers by knowledge categories or alphabet. Alternatively, scanning handwritten notebooks once a month and categorizing them with digital tags is also a good compromise.
