Comment by skydhash

I split nonfiction in two categories:

- Technical which teaches skills,

- And knowledge, which only updates my understanding.

There's no point in memorizing for the first one. What's needed is pure practice. So after the first read (which can be chaotic and not a linear process), I only place landmarks there to refer too when I need to practice or needs a solution or some information when facing a problem. Retaining will happens naturally as I interact more and more with it.

For the second one, I also don't need to memorize. All that is needed is thinking. By explaining the concept to others (mostly my SO) or using it as a lens for some situation I encountered (or possible ones), I make the idea my own. Anything else is not worth remembering.

I seldom take note. When I do is because the quote is nice. Or I summarize a page (or a chapter) of content down to some actionable ideas.