Keeping an Idea Action Notebook

"I hear and forget. I see and hear and I remember. However, when I see, hear and do, I understand and succeed."

How often while reading has something initiated your imagination into further thought. That moment when you say to yourself, "that reminds me of..." or "that gives me an idea...". But you do nothing with that thought, but think it, and later on when you try to recall what it was, it is forever lost within the vastness of your mind.

Keeping an idea action notebook is a wonderful way to correlate and synthesize what you read. This is the main reason why I personally started keeping a journal. As I read I am constantly underlining and writing notes in the margin, many years ago it became obvious that the more I read the more I had to write and the margins were just not roomy enough!

Now when I read an esoteric, spiritual or self development book I keep a notebook by my side and a pen in my hand.I read slowly and as key points and concepts jump out at me I underline them in the book and then rewrite the passage in my notebook along with the page number to reference later on. Beneath the passage I write my reaction to it. Do I agree or not agree? Can I cross-reference it with material I have read previously in another book? What does it provoke emotionally and can I use this to better my life? I think you get the idea.

I have found this process to greatly increase my understanding and retention of the books I read.

It's all about being proactive with your reading rather than reactive. An idea action notebook will help you gain better insight into the work by the reading (seeing) and writing (doing) process.

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