Special Note: In this article, "bookmark" refers to the physical bookmarks used when reading physical books.
Because I was reading several books at the same time and didn't have enough bookmarks, there were a few books that I finished reading without using bookmarks. I discovered some unexpected gains and would like to share them with you here.
Not using bookmarks brings a problem: where did I last read to? I had to start by locating from the title, then quickly flipping back and forth, while also rummaging through my memory, feeling like I remembered where I left off last time, focusing on it, then flipping through carefully, page by page, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, until I found a sentence I remembered, and the next one I didn't, using this as the starting point for this reading session.
Although the above process is cumbersome and inefficient, in extreme cases (such as when the time between readings is too long), it can even lead to circling around a certain part of the text for a long time. However, through the whole experience, I found that I could remember more and more points. Attention during the reading process is not evenly distributed, and there are inevitably mistakes and omissions in key areas. Through the process of quickly flipping through and recalling, I always discover information that was overlooked in the past reading process. In short, the review process is quietly embedded into the above process.
On the other hand, I use the text as a bookmark, trying to stop at the most exciting parts, whether it's revealing a mystery or reaching a key point in a theory. In any case, when you can't wait to read the next text, you have to consider whether to stop and use it as a starting point for the next time. This will give you more motivation to start the next reading session, as no one wants to open a book and get stuck right away, and it can also reduce the cost of finding breakpoints.
In the above two aspects, one is the gains brought by "inconvenience", which is actually easy to understand. In terms of problem-solving, reading itself is an inefficient way, and "inconvenience" runs through the whole process. I don't think it will become a pain point for most readers. When people encounter inconvenience, they often think about how to reduce its impact, hence the second point mentioned above, which is to stop at the most exciting parts. At this point, there is a question: aren't the two points contradictory? The second point is to alleviate the inconvenience of the first point, while the benefit of the first point is precisely the inconvenience it brings.
The key to resolving the contradiction is to realize that inconvenience cannot be eliminated. Even if you stop at the exciting parts, you cannot always accurately focus on that sentence every time. The review process still exists. In addition, when you fully practice and understand the benefits mentioned above, you will actively review, actively appreciate the attraction of reading, even if you pick up the bookmark again, it will not diminish its influence in the slightest. This is also the way most so-called methods or workflows work.