Take notes while reading, not after
Part of Reading & Note-Taking Collection
My thoughts on reading and note-taking, including how to read more effectively, how to take notes, how to internalize knowledge, and how to turn books into wisdom.
In Chinese, there’s a common phrase: 讀後感 (dú hòu gǎn).
It literally means “after-reading feelings”—the reflections or notes you write after finishing a book. Every student in Chinese-speaking countries knows this term. It’s what teachers assign after you finish the reading.
The problem? We keep lying to ourselves that we’ll actually write them.
The lie sounds like this:
“I’ll organize my thoughts after I finish"
"Let me just highlight this for now, I’ll write about it later"
"This book is so good, it deserves a proper essay”
Then what happens?
You finish the book. Your notes app is still empty.
Your highlights sit there like unclaimed luggage.
The essay never materializes.
This isn’t procrastination. It’s misguided expectations.
Why “after-reading” notes rarely happen
- The forgetting curve won’t wait — Three days after finishing, you only remember 20%
- Attention keeps getting stolen — New books, new articles, new videos never stop
- Perfectionism kicks in — You keep wanting to write something comprehensive and deep
The notes that actually prove useful look like this:
- Reading chapter three and suddenly connecting it to a problem from your last project
- Halfway through, realizing a passage applies to tomorrow’s meeting
- A single sentence reminding you of a decision you got wrong ten years ago
These are the real moments of insight.
And they won’t wait for you to finish the book.
The phrase 讀後感 “after-reading feelings” itself misleads us
It implies you need to finish before you’re qualified to write.
It implies your thoughts should only take shape at the end.
It implies incomplete ideas have no value.
That’s backwards.
Write 讀中感 instead—“during-reading feelings.”
Ideas still have warmth when captured hot.