Sometimes when I'm reading a book, I get into this mad rush to note down any and every new idea I come across. At the end of it I'll have a pile of notes but I don't seem to have connected the ideas to anything I already know. They just hang around as statements. At other times, I read slowly and at the end of a 300 page book I might have only three key ideas that I remember, but I'm able to explain and illustrate them well. However, that leaves me feeling like I should've worked harder on the book. I can't seem to find a balance.
Also, if you revise your notes after a considerable time do you ever feel like updating them with any new insights or examples? How do you do that? Is there an app that you use?
Last point, sometimes my head explodes with questions when I read something. It's not possible to pursue all of them right then and not all of them are relevant to understanding the topic at hand, but I've also not been able to come up with a system to organize them and follow up later.
I love to read but I get frustrated because I feel I could be more efficient.
So HN, any ideas, suggestions, your methods and experiences, please share.
(I'm reading The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman right now)