LEAVING FOOTPRINTS WHEN READING:

Whenever I read a book, I love to interact with the author by writing notes in the margins, in addition to highlighting key phrases in selected passages.

Marginal notations, or annotations, as reading experts love to call them, allow me to probe the text in order to fish out essential information. They also help me to remember important information better.

Best of all, they are useful as review tools, especially when I want to write a review of the book.

Over the years, I have synthesised and/or developed a lot of graphic symbols or notation marks to help in my marginalia routines.

To facilitate my reading exploration, I often use a colour marker pen (my favourite colour is orange) designed with two capped end tips, one with a 'fat tip' and the other with a 'fine tip'.

Here are some easy-to-use examples of mine:

DefN: to denote a "new term or terminology";

V with a circle around it: to denote a "new word or phrase";

R: with a circle around it: to "remind me to go back and review an important point" at a later time;

RR with a circle around it: to "remind me to double check or verify" a point or passage with other authoritative sources;

?: to denote a "confusing passage";

XR with a circle around it: to denote a "cross reference to", with a crisp description;

Q with a circle around it: to denote a "memorable or wise quotation";

QT with a circle around it: to denote a practical "questionnaire", suitable for reproduction:

CL with a circle around it: to denote a useful "checklist", suitable for reproduction;

Ex. with a circle around it: to denote a good "example";

ST with a circle around it: to denote a good "story" I would use in my consulting or training;

vs. with a circle around it: to denote a "contrasting point", with a crisp description;

two vertical lines, in parallel: to denote an "important passage";

[...]: to denote (open & close) a "vital statement" or "a principal premise of the author"; (sometimes, I may use an "underline");

a huge circle (enclosing a passage): to denote a really "exciting passage";

smiley: to denote an "interesting or amusing anecdote";

oo, with a circle around it: to "investigate" or "probe further" (in contrast with RR, I will use this one when I know the task ahead is seemingly more burdensome and/or complex);

-->: to denote "a lead to" e.g. another passage, follow by page number, if it is on another page or a crisp description; it can also be "a lead to" a another book or source;

<-->: to denote an "intertwined relationship" between two points;

A2T: to denote "a single action (task) to take" e.g. check the Internet for further info, follow by a crisp description;

T2D: to denote "a series of consecutive and/or concurrent actions (tasks) to take", with crisp & enumberated description;

P2P or Q2P: to denote "point to ponder" or "question to ponder";

N2R: to denote "note to remember", usually for a specific purpose e.g. preparing for exam;

SI with a circle around it: to denote a "strategic insight from the experts";

# with circle around it: to denote "enumerated points" in a passage;

= with a circle around it: to denote "a point which resonates with another author's point", with name, etc.;

Usually at the end pages of the book, e.g. bibliography or appendix, I will use these symbols or notations:

tick: to denote the books I already owned;

asterisk (*): to denote books I intend to check out and/or acquire for my personal library;

These are my regular footprints in the books I have read.

Occasionally, I may use small and colourful Post-It Notes to tag important sections of the book for quick reference, especially when I am preparing for a business presentation or doing a research project.

With the aid of all the foregoing notations, I find reading and reviewing books as well as idea-mapping with MindManager Pro, a real breeze!