Lecture: 7 Levels of Remembering What You Read

Introduction

• Speaker: Ali, a UK-based doctor focusing on personal development.
• Topic: Strategies to retain and apply what we read from books.
• Reading is crucial for personal development but often we forget what we read.

The Seven Levels of Retention

Level 1: The Muggle

• Description: Passive reading without engagement.
• Issues: Forgetting most of what is read due to the forgetting curve.

Level 2: The Squib

• Description: Reading with highlighting/underlining.
• Issues: Highlighting doesn't improve memory retention; highlights often ignored.

Level 3: Hufflepuff

• Description: System for reviewing highlights using services like Readwise.
• Function: Sends daily emails with random highlights.
• Issues: Passive engagement can lead to inconsistent usage over time.

Level 4: Ravenclaw

• Description: Automated highlight management in apps like Notion.
• Function: Centralized system for managing highlights from books, articles, tweets, etc.
• Issues: Still passive; relies on future review of highlights.

Level 5: Dumbledore's Army

• Description: Actively taking notes on books read.
• System: Quick book reviews in Notion, summarizing books in 3 sentences.
• Benefits: Enhances understanding and retention; efficient engagement.

Level 6: The Order of the Phoenix

• Description: Detailed summaries and literature notes for impactful books.
• Process: Revisiting important books to consolidate insights.
• Issues: Time-consuming but deeply engaging.

Level 7: Dumbledore

• Description: Advanced Zettelkasten method for note-taking.
• Process: Transforming literature notes into evergreen, self-contained notes.
• Benefits: Consolidates learning across various subjects, though effort-intensive.

Additional Insights

• Notion Use: Highly recommended for organizing notes and tasks; free to use.
• Book: "How to Take Smart Notes" by Sonke Ahrens, discusses Zettelkasten method in detail.
• Public Sharing: Publishing book notes online as a resource for others can build personal brand.

Conclusion

• Aim for at least level 5 for effective retention and application of reading material.
• Use tools and frameworks to automate and simplify the process of note-taking and review.

Suggested Actions

• Try Notion and consider using templates for consistent note-taking.
• Explore the Zettelkasten method for deeper engagement with material.

Call to Action

• Check out additional resources, like the magical insight logging framework, for more efficient reading and note-taking strategies.