Books that changed how I work usually didn’t trend on Twitter. They were quiet and a little old.
Application is the final step of reading. If I read something useful but don’t change anything, it’s wasted. Reading is only half the work.
I don’t read for entertainment. I read to sharpen how I think, write, or lead. Every book I pick has a job to do.
I don’t pick books based on hype. I pick them based on what I can apply right now. If it’s not solving a problem I’m facing, I move on.
When I was writing about service design at work, I picked up Unreasonable Hospitality. When I was fixing our hiring, I read founder memoirs. Every reading phase is directly linked to what I need to act on.
I’ve gifted more books than I’ve recommended. Because half the time, the right book is more helpful than a pep talk. Books give you privacy while learning.
I don’t read every day. I read on flights, over weekends, or when I’m stuck. But when I read, I go cover to cover in a few days and fill the book with notes.
Most of my books look ruined by the time I’m done. Margin notes, underlines, folded pages, sometimes oil stains from snacks. It means the book was actually used.
I need background noise to read. Flights are perfect. So is a random Netflix documentary playing on low volume.
I always read with a click-pen. It’s not for underlining. It’s for writing thoughts while reading, and capturing any idea that hits me mid-sentence.
I don’t highlight for the sake of memory. I highlight to come back and re-read with better focus. Most of my best insights come in the second pass.
My first re-read is always the Index. I look at the words I marked and quickly jump back to those pages. It works like a fast mental reset of everything I learned.
After finishing a book, I let it sit for 7–10 days. Then I skim through it again. That’s when the actual note-taking begins.
My second layer of notes usually comes from blogs, Reddit, or YouTube summaries. Other people’s perspectives often unlock parts I missed.
I use Muji passport memos and spiral notebooks to take raw notes. These notes are messy, fast, and full of half-finished thoughts.
Flash cards changed the way I retain knowledge. I use them to condense everything from books, blogs, and personal ideas to one insight per card. I’ve built a portable reference system I can carry anywhere.
I don’t use flash cards for revision. I use them for recombination. When writing something new, I pull out relevant cards across different books to connect unrelated dots.
Each flash card includes where the idea came from and what it means to me. One side is the quote or fact. The other side is how I plan to use it.
Handwriting hundreds of flash cards takes time and makes your wrist hurt. But nothing beats the clarity that comes from summarising ideas in your own words.
I don’t believe in saving good ideas for later. If a book sparks something useful, I either apply it right away or send it to someone who can. Notes are only useful if they move.
After finishing a book, I usually send 2–3 screenshots from it to friends or teammates. Not as advice, just as sparks. Most good ideas are too specific to be shared with everyone.
Sometimes the most useful part of a book is just a single sentence. But that sentence can shape an entire project or change a stuck conversation. I write those separately and keep them visible.
I don’t summarise books to remember them. I do it to absorb the parts that mattered to me. The act of writing condenses what reading alone can’t.
I don’t write polished notes from the start. I scribble, rewrite, re-sort, and cut. Only the final layer goes onto flash cards.
When I revisit flash cards, I always find one I had forgotten but now understand better. That’s how I know I’m learning. Meaning deepens over time.
Not every book becomes a blog post. But every book changes how I think, even in small ways. Some reshape your systems quietly.
Sometimes I read entire books just to find a better way to explain one idea to someone else. That’s how I pick what to gift.
I’ve never been interested in reading challenges or Goodreads goals. I don’t care about the number of books. I care about the number of ideas that stayed.
People often ask where to start with note-taking. Start with margin notes and a pen. If you can’t talk back to the book, you’re just reading passively.
I don’t use highlighters anymore. They made everything feel important. Now I underline and write why I marked it, so I’m forced to think before I save.
Some of my best flash cards have nothing to do with the original topic of the book. But that’s how cross-pollination works. A sentence about hospitality can shape how you run a hiring round.
Books don’t directly change outcomes. But they change how you listen, how you speak, how you notice. That adds up over time.
Most people write to summarise books for others. I write book notes to summarise it for my future self. That’s the only audience I care about.
I don’t track reading stats. I track how many blog posts, decisions, or systems were shaped by a book. Reading without change is just consumption.
I rarely take digital notes while reading. It slows me down and makes me overthink. Pen, paper, and fast scribbles help me stay inside the book.
The best ideas usually come after the book is done. When you’re walking, or cleaning your desk, or explaining something to someone else. That’s why I revisit flash cards days later.
Reading without note-taking is like listening without repeating. You forget what it meant to you. Writing forces the idea to pass through your judgment.
I log most applied ideas in Notes or in my physical notebooks. Some go straight into project documents, some into personal frameworks. If it’s good, it deserves to be stored close.
I’ve used book ideas in how I run meetings, onboard people, design hiring rounds, write documentation, or run hackathons. It’s practice.
Thing that surprisingly all design book recommendations miss. The best design books aren’t about design. They’re about noticing.