MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - The ultimate reading / marking / second brain / reading and workflow

grogu · 02-03-2022, 04:46 PM

I've just started looking into this recently and I've found a few people experimenting with the second brain idea. It seems like the kindle/apple route is easier, but I don't have those devices. I have windows/kobo/kindle/android.

Ali Abdaal talked about using readwise to get his highlights from kindle to notion. He has a notion book template linked in the video. I thought his approach was very interesting in terms of helping him remember and integrate information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjoxkxM_I5g

This is another person with a kindle and notion, I bookmarked it to look into later https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/n...monplace-book/

I guess with the kindle app you can handle the android part and sync it via readwise, not sure if boox also can run the kindle app.

You mentioned academic research, not sure if you need citations etc. Thomas Frank (on youtube) talks about his system using Roam, I have a vague recollection. I've seen others talk about obsidian. It seems like people doing academic research tend to go the obsidian/roam route.

My own personal interest is just keeping a book journal for the fiction / non fiction books I read for fun or self education. I've used goodreads to track progress and make short notes in the past. There's enough friction to it that I don't always bother.

I haven't gotten very far with this yet. Right now I need to
1) Not highlight everything in the damn book (there's a book called how to take smart notes that's on my to read list). I likely have ADHD, the only way I focus on what I read is by highlighting it. So I wind up with almost everything highlighted.
2) Get better at typing my thoughts into my ereader. I do type short notes or thoughts as I go. But I don't always know what I should or shouldn't put down. Most of the time there were things I wish I had commented on but didn't.
3) Get those notes uploaded somewhere, hopefully with stats on reading progress.
4) Get better at summarizing chapters and thoughts when I stop reading for that interval.

I'm kinda on a fence because I process things differently when I type vs write. So I've gone back and forth over keeping a notebook vs digital.

I've been watching Deep Guide in hopes that there will be an ereader that does a good job of taking notes while you read. Like I like to mark up books or documents directly and then write my thoughts elsewhere. I kinda realize that splitting the screen might be a pita and it might be better to take notes on a phone or tablet instead. So I would need a separate pen based device I guess...

It's really hard to know how to integrate everything. Especially when my brain goes in a million directions all the time!

I grew up analog and digital came later so I often struggle with what to do. My brain remembers some things better when I can flip back through a notebook or book, but having a search feature has helped me find stuff I couldn't locate otherwise (ADD brain). I can think better sometimes when I can diagram or use color and write, but I can type a whole lot faster than handwrite so less information gets lost or forgotten. And typing guarantees it will be legible when I read it later. I also can copy and paste and I guess link stuff in notion like a wiki, which you can't do with a notebook.

02-03-2022, 04:46 PM	#6
grogu Nope Posts: 18 Karma: 587136 Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: US Device: Libra 2, kindle 3? with kb	I've just started looking into this recently and I've found a few people experimenting with the second brain idea. It seems like the kindle/apple route is easier, but I don't have those devices. I have windows/kobo/kindle/android. Ali Abdaal talked about using readwise to get his highlights from kindle to notion. He has a notion book template linked in the video. I thought his approach was very interesting in terms of helping him remember and integrate information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjoxkxM_I5g This is another person with a kindle and notion, I bookmarked it to look into later https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/n...monplace-book/ I guess with the kindle app you can handle the android part and sync it via readwise, not sure if boox also can run the kindle app. You mentioned academic research, not sure if you need citations etc. Thomas Frank (on youtube) talks about his system using Roam, I have a vague recollection. I've seen others talk about obsidian. It seems like people doing academic research tend to go the obsidian/roam route. My own personal interest is just keeping a book journal for the fiction / non fiction books I read for fun or self education. I've used goodreads to track progress and make short notes in the past. There's enough friction to it that I don't always bother. I haven't gotten very far with this yet. Right now I need to 1) Not highlight everything in the damn book (there's a book called how to take smart notes that's on my to read list). I likely have ADHD, the only way I focus on what I read is by highlighting it. So I wind up with almost everything highlighted. 2) Get better at typing my thoughts into my ereader. I do type short notes or thoughts as I go. But I don't always know what I should or shouldn't put down. Most of the time there were things I wish I had commented on but didn't. 3) Get those notes uploaded somewhere, hopefully with stats on reading progress. 4) Get better at summarizing chapters and thoughts when I stop reading for that interval. I'm kinda on a fence because I process things differently when I type vs write. So I've gone back and forth over keeping a notebook vs digital. I've been watching Deep Guide in hopes that there will be an ereader that does a good job of taking notes while you read. Like I like to mark up books or documents directly and then write my thoughts elsewhere. I kinda realize that splitting the screen might be a pita and it might be better to take notes on a phone or tablet instead. So I would need a separate pen based device I guess... It's really hard to know how to integrate everything. Especially when my brain goes in a million directions all the time! I grew up analog and digital came later so I often struggle with what to do. My brain remembers some things better when I can flip back through a notebook or book, but having a search feature has helped me find stuff I couldn't locate otherwise (ADD brain). I can think better sometimes when I can diagram or use color and write, but I can type a whole lot faster than handwrite so less information gets lost or forgotten. And typing guarantees it will be legible when I read it later. I also can copy and paste and I guess link stuff in notion like a wiki, which you can't do with a notebook.