The Best of 2012

One of the things I love about this time of year is the publication of top ten lists.  Today I read Harvey Schachter’s column in the Globe and Mail where he listed his top ten business books.  I am going to make some lists and publish them in the next few weeks – no guarantee I will make it before December 31st.

However, before I even begin to think through the top ten books, I need to recall what I read.  This week I have been thinking about something I read about learning.  The concept, not new to anyone in adult education, was a really good reminder to me in preparation for a leadership course I am teaching. What was it?  We don’t learn by doing, we learn by reflecting on what we’ve done.  I can’t locate the source, however, I will do some digging later this week and post it.

In preparing my Best of 2012 lists, I will need to go back over the books I’ve read this year and reflect on how they have influenced or shaped my thinking and behaviour. The only way I can do that effectively is to have a record of what I’ve read. I have a list in Evernote where I write the name and author of the books I have read.  Often when a book resonates with me, I will actually go through it and make notes and write out quotes.

All of this made me wonder, how you, reflect 0n your reading and what you can share with me and with other readers of this blog. Do you have a system where you track your learning? What works for you?