Tl;dr: I have memory loss/ cognitive issues and I’m interested in finding ways to be able to read and absorb info again
Background:
I used to be an avid reader. I mean can’t get enough, constantly reading and digesting information. I absolutely loved it. I was the “weird library kid” that walked around with a stack of books in my arms because there wasn’t any more room in my book bag.
I ended up getting really sick, and between that and a few mishaps, I ended up with some cognitive issues, including memory loss.
I went from being able to regularly read and absorb 5+ books a week to maybe one per year. I don’t remember any of what I read anymore, and end up having to reread the same sentence/paragraph over and over to make sense of it.
Post:
To compensate for my memory loss, I’ve been outlining my books. It’s the only way I’ve been able to absorb some of the info.
The problem is that it takes me weeks to read a book because I am basically rewriting two thirds of it, and makes it less of a relaxing endeavor. It starts to feel like homework and makes me want to read less and less.
I recently started looking into annotating, because I think it will really help. But 1. I feel guilty about it, I can hear my grandmother’s voice telling me to never, ever deface a book and 2. Every place I’ve looked so far to find info about effective annotation seems to mostly have aesthetic annotation content. I don’t have anything against making it look pretty, it’s just not what I’m looking for.
Those of you who annotate how do you do it? Can you point me in the direction of some good resources?
Those of you who don’t, any suggestions for what I should do instead? I’m especially interested in perspectives from others with cognitive/memory issues.
by sky-amethyst23