Questions in the Margins

How writing in your books can assist in learning

Have you ever been in the market for a new car? You begin thinking about owning a blue Jeep, and all of a sudden, you start seeing blue Jeeps everywhere! The simple act of focus changes the very things you perceive.

I want to challenge you to adopt a new habit. Perhaps you already do this, but if not, today’s a great day to begin.

Start writing questions in the margins of the books you read.

Some of you may be recoiling in horror at the very thought of making any mark at all in a book. I used to be that way. But I’ve heard it said that reading is a way of having a conversation with an author. If you’re not responding to the author, you’re attending a lecture, not engaging in a conversation.

A conversation invites questions. Hopefully the books you are reading are challenging you in multiple ways. If so, they should evoke questions and new ideas. Write those questions in the margin of the book at the spot where they occur.

The act of writing down that question will trigger a blue Jeep in your mind. The key is not to phone a friend, search the web, or ask your A.I. overlord for the answer. Simply let that question sit.

Oftentimes, the same book will answer your question. Other times, the answer will arrive in a different book or in a completely unexpected manner. But writing it down will help set your mind on a path to finding the answer. And once you find the answer, the satisfaction of the discovery will help you to remember it.