Progressive Summarization Cheat Sheet
A Te c h n i q u e f o r C r e a t i n g R e t r i e v a b l e N o t e s b y T i a g o F o r t e
Imagine if you could take notes not just for a single Progressive summarization relies on a simple
class or book, but for a life-time of learning. Imagine practice that everyone knows how to do –
if every interesting idea or useful fact you’ve ever highlighting – but turns it into a powerful tool for
encountered was accessible any time you needed it. creating knowledge assets for the long term.
And finally, imagine if you could accomplish this in On the next page, you’ll see a succinct summary of
the course of the reading you’re already doing the five “layers” that can be used to summarize any
anyway, with minimal extra time and effort required. book, article, video, lecture, or other piece of content
in a way that surfaces the key points for the future.
Welcome to Progressive Summarization, a practical
technique for creating notes that are easy to find Here are a few key guidelines to keep in mind:
when you need them most. It is part of my course
and methodology Building a Second Brain, in which • Don’t apply all the layers to all notes – the more
I’ve taught thousands of high performers how to valuable a note is, the more layers it should have
leverage the full power of their ideas and amplify
• Highlight passages based on what resonates with
their creative output.
you, without trying too hard to understand why
Click here for a free introduction to the technique, • Spend more time on the sources that interest you,
including guidelines for what to save, how to decide instead of sticking to a rigid workflow
what to highlight, and other ways of distilling notes
• Minimize how much you highlight at every layer,
down to their essential points.
so that you can get the gist of a note at a glance
©fortelabs.co
Progressive Summarization Cheat Sheet
A Te c h n i q u e f o r C r e a t i n g R e t r i e v a b l e N o t e s b y T i a g o F o r t e
original link
bold key points saved excerpts
title
highlights best points
Layer 5: Remix into new works
Layer 4: Summarize in your words
Layer 3: Highlight best points
Layer 2: Bold key points book article video
Layer 1: Save most interesting excerpts
©fortelabs.co
