Recently, I decided to change my habit of keeping notes on academic articles and books. The main task was to improve the memorization of the most important information from the texts in order to return to it in the process of writing essays and studies. Such a change had to occur since academic work involves reading literature not as fiction but as a system of knowledge in a certain area. This change of habits will help me become a more qualified researcher who will be familiar with new trends in the literature and will always be able to find a qualified answer to the required questions. Thus, I focused on changing this behavior and generally had good results.
Speaking of specific changes in my approach to reading, I formulated a system for highlighting important text passages in different colors. For example, in red, I denote the main terms; in yellow, interesting facts to remember; in green, the hypotheses and theories used, and in purple, the statements with which I disagree. Further, a standardized review was formed for each article or book through the EverNote service. While implementing new techniques, I had an internal dialogue about the definition of the ideal form of systematization. Hence, I defined the operation of computer systems as an example in my mind, as they symbolize the most systematic approach to collecting information. When I was too lazy to read texts this way, I punished myself by limiting my time for listening to music. As for rewards, I elaborated a study schedule called Pomodoro with breaks for rest, during which I made coffee with sweets.
To conclude, I had a decent overall experience from such a change in habits. In fact, it has become easier to navigate through research articles and books. It was interesting to figure out how to organize my studying effectively. Therefore, it seems that I accomplished the intended goal of this experiment. The reason is that it allowed me to come up with proper solutions for different study tasks. The main challenge is preserving such an attitude towards studying for a long period. Considering some possible changes, I am considering purchasing advanced software for note systematization because there are great options on the market for enthusiastic students like me.