Use progressive summarization to distil the ideas: Summarise your notes, then summarise that summary, then summarise that summary.
There are five layers to progressive summarization.
<ol>
<li>The book's notes and highlights are unedited and lack context.</li>
<li>Solve the context problem by summarising the book in your own words.</li>
<li>Highlight the key takeaways that are not context-specific.</li>
<li>Bold small instructions that tell you what to do.</li>
<li>Remix and combine ideas to create content. It is best done over time.</li>
</ol>

Continue to summarise over time

<ul>
<li>Writing a book summary helps you remember what you read months, or even years, after reading.</li>
<li>It helps you connect main concepts from other books, giving you a deeper level of understanding.</li>
<li>Lastly, it helps you improve your own writing.</li>
</ul>

Reasons for writing a book summary

<ul>
<li>If you read a printed book, highlight important quotes, ideas, or questions. Write the page number on the first blank page.</li>
<li>If you're reading a Kindle book, use Kindle's "notes" and "highlights" to collect important takeaways.</li>
<li>Highlight the book's chapter headings as you're reading. For books, where each chapter builds on the last, it will be easier to get an overview of your notes and highlights.</li>
</ul>

Take notes while you read

<ul>
<li>If you're reading a print or hardcover book, write your notes and highlights into a word processor or note-taking app.</li>
<li>If you're reading a Kindle book, add your notes, then export your notes and highlights. Copy them into a preferred word processor or note-taking app. Remove all the irrelevant markings, like "Read more at location {NUMBER]", "Add a note".</li>
<li>Now, rewrite each highlight in your own words.</li>
<li>If you highlighted chapter headings, change them into subheadings.</li>
</ul>

Write the key ideas in your own words

Writing a book summary consists of three steps.
<ol>
<li>Take notes while you read.</li>
<li>Write the main takeaways in your own words.</li>
<li>Continue to summarise over time (progressive summarization.)</li>
</ol>

Steps for writing a book summary

Read this article to learn how to write a book summary that will help you remember what you read months, even years, after reading.

Write the key ideas in your own words

How to Write a Book Summary

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