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Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

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Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#1

Post by snickersnee11 »

Even though I'm mostly surfing the internet because of procrastination, most of the time I do find some interesting nuggets of wisdom, though I never make notes on them, do not reflect and forget most of them pretty soon.

Some time ago I've read a bit of pretty good advice: "Every time you encounter a piece of new information (lecture, blog post, book, etc), you should try to recall it immediately after". I understand the importance of active recall, and I've been pretty much hard on myself since most of the time I'm on auto-pilot just skimming everything.

Nevertheless, I struggle to make efforts to consistent active, mindful reading, questioning and engaging with information.

How to stop consuming and begin to think?

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#2

Post by meristohm »

I like Anki[1] for embedding into long-term memory. I’m using it now for phone numbers, in case of emergency and as a bridge to get back into regularly using Anki.

Start small and be forgiving as you build a habit. Per BJ Fogg’s “Tiny Habits”, if you remember the next day that you forgot to practice guitar, celebrate the fact that you remembered!

Edit to add: [1] https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#3

Post by mariedavid »

1. stop the noise. I deleted my twitter, facebook and instagram account and my mind is much clearer. 2. spot people who are independent thinkers and read as much as you can from them (my favorite one being Nicholas Nassim Taleb, Charlie Munger and Paul Graham). 3. read books (instead of reading online) and chose timeless, influential books. Quality over quantity. 4. take notes when you write

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#5

Post by bwh2 »

Heavy reader here. Some ideas that work for me:

* Focus on active data consumption, eliminate passive consumption. For instance, when I read books I use a highlighter and I'm excited to find a section worth highlighting. I've gamified the consumption process.

* Separate data collection from data processing. When highlighting I'm just collecting data, not really thinking deeply. I process the data later by reviewing my highlights, then writing about them. Both are bulk operations. In my experience, separating collection from processing also helps my consistency because I've lowered the barrier to keeping the collection streak alive (days in a row reading).

* Write a brief summary highlighting the top ideas. After I finish books, I blog about them (link in bio) which clarifies my thinking and connects the dots to other books, further solidifying the knowledge.

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#7

Post by 5tefan »

Reading is reading and thinking is thinking.

Stop reading and find time to think.

Also start doing or it remains theory and there's no reward, nothing gained. Can be writing, can be implementing stuff, can be teaching. Doesn't matter. But without doing there's no feedback on the validity of your thinking.

Reading for pleasure is something else. That's the reward.

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#8

Post by erik_kemp »

Start a blog and start writing :) I really like the idea of https://100daystooffload.com/.

I think consuming and producing information should ideally go together. Usually, I first talk about something I read with friends. Through these dialogues, where together you talk about what you have read, you gain new insights.

Some years ago I started taking private notes and shortly writing thoughts about events and articles I had read, which can be accompanied by sharing more elaborate thoughts on social networks. If I made a short note for something I read, I already started to read more carefully, because I knew I would have to write about it. It might have also made me more critical about the value of certain sources of information.

I'm now in the process of writing my first blogs publicly, on specific topics that interest me, but where I also know that at least certain friends / groups of people are interested in reading it. For me these are the first steps to make sure that I spend time on sharing thoughts and ideas that have value for others.

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#9

Post by yosito »

Get a physical book. Take the book and a pen and maybe a notebook. Go out to a park or a beach or some place where you can read comfortably. Walk. Leave your phone at home. Read. As you read, underline the parts that stand out to you, and write notes in the margin. Once you've finished the book, go back through and re-read everything you underlined, and all the notes you took. Take breaks to walk around during this process. In the end you will have absorbed a lot of ideas and done a lot of thinking.

Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?

#10

Post by AndrewDucker »

Don't just recall it, use it.

I totally agree with the advice about getting a blog. But don't just write about a narrow field, write about everything you can think of. You don't know where your next passion will come from.

And then accept feedback from other people. Think about why they're disagreeing with you. Test your ideas, and throw them away if they're wrong.

Try to be humble. Accept that you will not change the world in week one. But keep pushing yourself, keep trying to understand better and explain better, and you will get better all the time.

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