Read actively, think deeply. In other words, https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2020/05/04/do-the-real-thin...
Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?
41–45 of 45 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?
#42It may sound ridiculous but I always thought I was a good reader, a tad slow but really good with comprehensions/recollection. Then I went to law school and ever since I have said tongue-in-cheek I didn't know how to read until law school. I terms of recall, many classmates would highlight and write notes in the margins, but I would typically draw pictures of the case. Coincidentally law school (at least my 1st year…
Always been fascinated by the precision and logic of legal writing. Could you go into more detail on how you would take notes and process the information and encode it into long-term memory? And how someone can improve their reading comprehension and recall of dense texts.
There is a process all law students are taught when reading case law I.R.A.C. (pronounced like the County Iraq). It stands for Issues Rules Application Conclusion. So there was a method to the madness that was provided to us.
So those would be the types of things students highlight/annotate in the margins, whereas more than 50% of the time I would draw pictures. That said I don't think I have ever met anyone who says making notes or even rewriting what they read doesn't help them memorize it, of course memorizing isn't always the goal.
Coincidentally the school I went to was majority Hispanic so one day in my study group there was an interesting discussion about the language everyone thinks in, no one asked for obvious reasons, but what I found interesting was I realized I don't really think in words but images.
To each their own, but thinking in images and drawing pictures for notes went hand in hand with recalling a given case/case law when examining or issue spotting a given set of facts in the future. I think the take away is not to do as I do, but consider your biases, strengths, weaknesses and work on them accordingly and leverage them to your benefit, and don't be afraid to adjust your own strategies as your skillset develops.
I am lucky in that I have that natural curiosity that I see talked about a lot on HN, I might even go so far as to say I am passionate about learning in general.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?
#43Remember that which disagrees with you.
As for deep thinking be hyper critical. Do not trust the idea provided, especially if it requires any social contract for validation. That is the difference between agreement and disruption.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?
#44For books, something that has helped me in getting the best of the stuff in them has been this. For every new book, create a google doc with three sections: 1. Before 2. During 3. After The first "Before" section is to list down your preconceptions about the topic you're going to read about. What do you think you already know about the topic? What do you feel about the topic? And so on. Next, as you go through the bo…
This is a great idea, and sounds like something I would do. Thanks I'm going to try this out!
Re: Ask HN: How do you become an active reader and deep thinker?
#45I love to read. I am doing it right since my school days. So, it was always a part of my life. But I would recommend you to read these books:
If you have a science background then read 1) Good to Great 2) Life 3.0
If you don't have a science background 1) Future of Capitalism. 2) Good to Great
"Good to great" is a fantastic book for every entrepreneur out there.
Go! read them right now.