As he [Stalin] read, he made notes in red, blue and green pencils, underlining sections that interested him or numbering points that he felt were important. Sometimes he was effusive, noting: “yes-yes”, “agreed”, ‘“good”, “spot on”, “that’s right”. Sometimes he expressed disdain, scribbling: “ha ha”, “gibberish”, ‘“nonsense”, “rubbish”, “scumbag”, “scoundrels” and “piss off”. He became extremely irritated whenever he came across grammatical or spelling mistakes, and would correct errors with his red pencil.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/16/stalins-library-by-geoffrey-roberts-review-the-marks-of-a-leader

I would more or less highlight and underline but not note unless I feel it, but it’d be more efficient overall if I had any book marks (that’s why I bookmark and underline, when I read online a lot)

so more like 2.

I like to try to write articles about current events where I interpret them through the lens of a theory I’m currently reading. For example, I was recently reading Thinking in Systems, which provides a useful framework for thinking about dynamic systems. It describes systems as stocks with inflows and outflows, and shows how you can end up with complex systems by combining these building blocks. It also discusses how you can create different sorts of reinforcement or self-balancing loops based on how the flows are adjusted.

One key element that controls flows within economic systems is the timing of information. Delays and distortions experienced by the decision-maker controlling the flows can lead to oscillations. For example, a company might order too much of a product, then overcorrect by ordering too little, leading to increasingly large swings in inventory.

So, I started writing an article discussing how China’s implementation of a digital yuan and digital tracking of commodities can be viewed through this lens. Traditionally, supply chains have been opaque. You might order goods from a manufacturer but have no visibility into their status, tying up large volumes of capital while the goods are being processed. With the real-time tracking systems China is implementing, this problem largely goes away. There’s increased transparency in the process, and payments can be tied directly to each stage of the supply chain, reducing the need for operating capital.

I find trying to apply what I’m learning to some real world context is really helpful for actually developing intuition regarding the idea you’re trying to learn.

I treat it more like studying. Our philo classes taught us to first highlight the thesis, then the next paragraphs should have an argument and a certain number of explanations. Finaly, you describe the paragraph and you continue. It takes a lot of time, but for me it’s worth it at least.

I try to summarize the key points in a notes app in my phone.

Yes, I treat it like serious study. I highlight and make notes on things like important points, summaries of what I read, questions I have, things I want to look into more when I’m done, etc. (often divided into sections to make them easier to use later, although the process of note-taking is hugely beneficial even if you never look at the notes again). I read slowly enough to understand everything and look up anything I don’t know. If I find a text difficult, I stop and figure out what text will prepare me for it and read that first. I usually have at least a few books going at a time on connected topics so they can each support my understanding of the others. I read with an e-reader and take notes at a computer, but whether you use that or paper is just a matter of personal preference.

If you can’t do this for any reason, just absorbing what you can is a great starting place! No one should be stuck doing nothing because what they can do isn’t perfect, but we should all work on improving our study skills and take study seriously. I’m a teacher and love to help comrades develop study skills, so if anyone wants individualized advice, feel free to reach out to me.

I take daily notes in general as a mental health exercise, so whenever I am reading an interesting text I add some notes about it.

Since I’m actively organizing, I also try to draw some conclusions (or even disagreements) from the text related to things I’m currently involved.I should also make some hypotheses to test later, but that part takes more work.

I also follow a brutally materialist perspective on my texts: my time is limited, so if a piece of theory has no application to my material reality, it’s not worth the time. That helps me filter out actual theory from just reading for curiosity’s sake.

2. Though I just jot down notes quick on my old firetablet using notally, when it eventually dies I’ll just use obsidian on a laptop. If its super dense theory I’m unfamiliar with I try to write some reflection or rehash every page or so even though its slow, its its very unfamiliar maybe even once a paragraph. If its just standard theory maybe a summary in my own words/thoughts a chapter or so. If its just a refresher I may just do option 1 and only type down the most novel observations.

I can’t afford physical books, so I’ve always been a note and write down the page sort, it worked in college, so it should work for theory just fine.

No and I think I need to step up my game on it. When I first started reading theory I was doing it on my computer, and if something jumped out at me I’d paste it into a big doc I have of quotes, and then write a little something to accompany it.

But reading from a computer screen felt limiting, I couldn’t do it for long, so I’ve since switched to physical books. I don’t record quotes or thoughts because I’m usually reading away from my pc, like the living room sofa, and I don’t like making notes on my phone. I ought to get a physical notebook and keep that on me!

I wont write notes on specific pieces of information, but I’ll usually summerize (either I’ll just repeat the key points to myself or actually write something about it, relevant to events and the situation today.) I generally don’t like the permanent-ness of highlighting and my handwriting is too bad for annotations. However, if there is a specific quote or something I like, I’ll tag it using sticky tabs or book darts.

For when I read, it depends. If I need to read at a certain pace (like when I read Capital with a lecture series) then I’ll read at home and focus on it. But if I’m reading it at my own pace, I’m really bad at setting deadlines for myself so I’ll read those books out and about while commuting, at lunch or on break, etc.

I write q&a notes for my own future reviews. I am thinking of putting them online.

i usually take notes from the best bits to not forget what i’ve learned and that’s easier to remember the theory