How to Summarise Articles and Books in Your Notes

Most of what we read fades within days. Writing a brief summary helps ideas stay with you, and gives you something useful to refer back to.

Why summarise

• It forces understanding. To summarise, you must know what matters.
• It improves memory. Retrieving and restating ideas strengthens recall.
• It saves time later. A one-page summary is faster to review than the whole book.
• It builds a personal library of ideas you can search.

A simple template

Create a note titled with the source: Book: Atomic Habits – summary. Then use headings:

Source Author, title, date read, link.

Main idea (2 to 3 sentences) What is this about, in your own words?

Key points (bullets) The five to ten most important ideas.

Quotes (optional) One or two lines worth keeping, with page numbers.

My takeaways What will I do, or think differently about?

Questions What's unclear, or worth exploring?

Reading with a purpose

Before you start, decide why you're reading. Are you looking for a solution to a problem, general background, or entertainment? That determines how much detail to record.

Take notes as you go, lightly

• Mark passages that surprise or matter.
• Jot page numbers, not whole paragraphs.
• Write a one-line summary at the end of each chapter or section.

Write it in your own words

Copying passages feels productive, but it's a substitute for thinking. Close the book, and write what you remember. Then check.

The 10 percent rule

A good summary is short, often around a tenth of the original's length, or less. If your summary is nearly as long as the source, you're probably copying, not summarising.

Tag for later

Add tags such as books, productivity or health, so that you can find related summaries. Keep a to-read tag for things you plan to read.

Articles and long reads

For articles, a three-line summary can be enough: what it claims, the evidence, and your reaction. Note the source and date, since online content changes.

Use it

A summary you never revisit is wasted. Set a reminder to review key takeaways after a week, and again after a month. Ask, "Have I applied any of this?"

Respect copyright

Summaries and short quotes for personal use are fine. Avoid copying large parts of a text, and give credit if you share your notes.

Common mistakes

• Copying whole paragraphs.
• Summarising everything, including things you don't care about.
• No takeaways.
• Never reviewing.

Start small

Choose one article you read this week, and write a five-line summary now.

Keep your reading notes organised with EasyNotes →