Leaders are Learners.

Leaders are learners. Constantly seeking new information, knowledge and a competitive edge.

In 2018, I recommitted myself to reading. It was exciting to do so as the previous three years were consumed with changing diapers, making bottles and rocking infants to sleep. I wanted to start to regain my mental edge and  block out time every night for personal development. I knew by bringing back this habit I would grow exponentially as the years progressed. In January of that year, I set a goal to read two books a month. By the end of December, I had read my 24th book. Mission accomplished.

In 2019, I wanted to push myself and read a bit more than year before. As leaders in sales, we are all too familiar with the concept that goals only go up. So in January, I raised the bar to 30 books over the next 12 months. By the end of calendar year, I had done just that. Mission accomplished, again.

Two years and over 50 books later, I had made may through some of the most impactful titles I had come across in a very long time:

  • Atomic Habits, James Clear
  • The 5am Club, Robin Sharma
  • Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss
  • Essentialism, Greg McKeown
  • You are a Badass, Jen Sincero
  • The One Thing, Gary Keller
  • Presence, Amy Cuddy
  • Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek
  • And on and on and on.

However, coming out of year two I was frustrated. Very frustrated. I would hear people discuss these books and I’d get excited to contribute to the conversation. Yet when someone would ask me my main takeaways, I would freeze. I could recall a couple overarching principles that I remembered, but I couldn’t articulate many details.  After spending a significant amount of time studying, not being able to remember what was studied was annoying.

I realized that leaders and learners are also forgetters. No, that’s not a real word but it’s the truth. We are human beings, not computers. While subconsciously we are growing and developing because of our intake, much of what we study can quickly erode and fade away.


According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, after two weeks we only remember 10% of what we read!

Going into 2020, I knew I needed to change my approach. I wasn’t going to keep running the same race and forgetting most of what resonated with and challenged me.

If I wanted the context to stick, I needed to be able to recall the most important information and integrate it into my writings and teachings. After all, in addition to the books that I was reading, I was also taking in great audiobooks, seminars, podcasts, articles, quotes and other forms of very impactful information. Permanently forgetting 70%+ wasn’t an option.

My new approach needed to accomplish the following objectives:

  • Build a central “hub” for everything I study, and have an online system where all of my learnings and takeaways were archived. 
  • Create an effective system to remember the most important points from every resource.
  • Sort and organize the information, so it’s continually at my fingertips and easy to identify.
  • Pull together strong content, by subject, to expand upon and help others grow.

In order to become a better student, I developed a note taking system to attempt to accomplish all of this. Highlighting hard copy books just to put them back on the shelf officially came to an abrupt end.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, reinforces the concept of building a robust note-taking system.  In his personal blog, he writes that you should “create searchable notes on what you read. Do something to emphasize the important points and passages.”

Clear goes on to emphasize that depending on the format he’s consuming, he highlights passages when reading on Kindle. He types out interesting quotes as he listens to audiobooks. He dog-ears pages, then transcribes notes when reading a print book.

But here’s the real key according to Clear: Store your notes in a searchable format. There is no need to leave the task of reading comprehension solely up to your memory.

Ryan Holiday, author of Ego is the Enemy, also champions the concept. “After you finish a book, type out the important quotes and passages. Not only will it inspire you, but it will help you remember them.”

After nearly a year of practicing this concept, digital archiving and note-taking has become one of the most impactful exercises I have implemented as a part of my daily regimen. I’d highly encourage implementing something similar, and have provided a roadmap for those who are looking to do the same.

Creating an Effective Note-Taking System

Identify a Platform.

Blogger, within Google, is what I use to store all my notes.  Within Blogger, I can create a series of blogs with each one having a Leadership or Personal Development Topic.  There are well over 100 topics or subjects. Others, including Ryan Holiday, have suggest Evernote as a great starting point.

The below screenshot showcases the sequential flow of subjects, where all relevant notes are stored for each area.

Organize your notes based on topics/subjects.

As you can see, the titles of each blog are alphabetized based on a relevant leadership or personal development topic.

This is has now become my hub, my vault, my archive and my reference point for key learnings on everything moving forward.  If I read or pick up on something that I feel is important to reflect upon, it is getting cataloged in this system.

Next, as each book, article or social media post is read, OR every podcast and audiobook listened to, I pin/highlight/notate my key takeaways from that resource. 

Stay Organized with Each Resource.  

Below is an example for how all highlighted notes appear in iBooks within the left column. By highlighting as I go, I don’t have to be concerned about copying my key takeaways over to the note taking system that very moment. I can enjoy the book, then archive when the book is finished.

When the book is finished, I go back and find the most appropriate subject to log each and every note from the resource that was being studied.

Build an Organization Method for All Inputs & Resources.

Social media can absolutely be an input for your note-taking system. I’ve picked up on so many inspirational quotes through Twitter and Instagram.  Within social media, I “like” and bookmark all the tweets and quotes that are inspirational or impactful. Once a month I go back and add each post’s content to this library as well.

Every potential input requires its own unique way to stay organized. How you approach audiobooks, podcasts and seminars will be drastically different than a hard copy book.

Add, Compile, Review & Enjoy.

The above photo is an example of the interior of one of the many blogs within “Personal Development” that is focused specifically on “Fear”.

Within this specific subject, you will see various Instagram posts and highlights from books I have come across that I found impactful in this specific area. If it comes from an iBook, I am copying and pasting the highlights directly into the blog that best matches the overarching principle of the note.

Each topic-based blog contains all the material I come across over time on this subject. As I live day-to-day and want to recall what I have learned on this topic or as I prepare to write or teach on an area, I can pull all my learnings from various resources in an instant. 

Did it take time to build this? Absolutely.
Does it take time to keep up with it? 100%.
Is it arguably the most important tool I use to continue to grow? Yes, and yes.

“We should hunt out the helpful pieces of teaching and the spirited and noble-minded sayings which are capable of immediate practical application and learn them so well that words become works.” – Seneca

Maybe some of you are a bit more blessed at reading comprehension.  If so, Good. For. You. For those of you who are looking for how to be active readers and intentional about learning, it may take a tool such as this to take strides forward.

Had I developed this practice and system as an entry-level professional, I would have over a decade’s worth of notes from my mentors, leaders, etc. As opposed to taking notes in various notebooks and not having a clue where those notes are today (likely in boxes in the attic that will never be dug up again), I now have an accessible online platform that I can keep adding to and building as time progresses.

Whether you want to be a better version of yourself, a better leader or a more impactful writer – when you create a great note taking system you can better recall and apply key lessons throughout time.


Latest Stories

Leadership
Establishing Personal Guardrails

The purpose of personal guardrails is to establish boundaries that help protect ourselves from harmful decisions that ultimately lead to negative consequences. Personal guardrails are important because they help force us to proactively see around corners and future outcomes.

Personal Growth
Conversations with Yourself

We have over 50,000 thoughts a day, most of which are negative. Are we taking control of these thoughts or allowing them to negatively impact our overall development?

Faith
I love you, man.

Eerie. Weird. Unbelievable. Unforgettable. There are many adjectives that I could use to define how this story unfolded a few months ago. This was probably one of the most unique string of events I’ve personally ever experienced – and something that will continue to reconfirm many of my personal beliefs throughout the rest of my life.