Every ~500 words, close the source and write the core idea…

When This Fires

• When reading any material you want to understand and retain (not leisure reading)
• When reading for knowledge work: research, learning, professional development
• When you notice reading a lot but retaining little
• Complements Every new permanent note must link to at least one… (linking new notes) with the source-level processing that produces notes worth linking

Common Failure Mode

The "I'll take notes later" approach: reading the entire article/chapter and planning to summarize afterward. By the time you finish, early content has faded and your summary captures only the most recent sections. The 500-word interval ensures processing happens while the material is still fresh, before memory decay sets in.

The Protocol

(1) While reading, track your approximate position — most articles show word count; for books, one page ≈ 250 words, so every 2 pages. (2) At ~500 words (or at the end of a natural section, whichever comes first), stop reading and close or cover the source. (3) Write 1-3 sentences in your own words: what was the core idea? Why does it matter? How does it connect to what you already know? (4) If you can't write coherently, re-read the section and try again. The inability to summarize is a signal, not a failure. (5) Continue reading. Each 500-word segment builds on the previous summaries, creating a progressive chain of understanding. After finishing the source, you'll have a series of condensed notes that represent genuine comprehension, not copied highlights.