Inquisitive.me

I’m interested in a lot of things. I can Google for hours, jump from one rabbit hole to the next, and somehow end up on the complete opposite side of where I started. Tracing that path back is nearly impossible — and because I’m interested in so much, it’s also hard to remember anything properly.

So how do you fix that?

For me, it started with one simple sentence from Tiago Forte:

Capture what resonates with you.

When we read something, we often think: “Oh, that’s interesting” or “Nice, I should remember that.” (Or maybe that’s just me, lol.) But then there are those moments where something hits differently — a little spark, a tiny tingle. Kind of like the Peter-Tingle from Spider-Man. Something in our brain lights up because a piece of information connects dots we didn’t even know needed connecting.

That’s what you capture.

That’s what resonates.

I do this online when I’m reading papers, watching YouTube videos, or talking to people and someone drops a really smart thought. And now, I do this in books too.

For a long time, I refused to touch my books with anything other than my eyes. Writing into them felt… wrong. But I changed that. Now I scribble in the margins, write down thoughts and theories, mark quotes, underline interesting sentences, and highlight whatever truly resonates.

Not just because it makes writing my book reflections easier (after every book — self-help, fantasy, sci-fi, whatever — I write a short recap: what I liked, what I didn’t, quotes I enjoyed, key insights I learned). But also because it helps me remember what I read in the first place.

And honestly? It’s a way of tapping into my past self.

Rereading a book and seeing what you marked five years ago is incredibly interesting. I wish I could read what my 15-year-old self thought about the Harry Potter books. Harry certainly benefitted from reading the Half-Blood Prince’s notes — little Snape basically carried him through potions class.

I’ve been doing this for three years now, and the value I’ve gotten from it is indescribable. I flip through my book notes constantly. I look up things I captured two years ago, which saves me a ton of time because I don’t need to search through hundreds of pages again. (If you want to see how I structure my book reviews, check out my book recommendation page.)

There is so much information out there. You can’t remember everything — it’s literally impossible. And you don’t have to. If something can be Googled in five seconds, you don’t need to save it. Definitions, historical facts, random trivia… that’s what the internet is for.

But what should you save?

Derek Sivers has a great quote for that:

You really learn only when you’re surprised. If you’re not surprised, then everything is fitting in your existing thought patterns. So to get smarter, you need to get surprised, think in new ways, and deeply understand different perspectives.

Save what surprises you.

Capture what resonates.

Follow the Peter-Tingle.

Whatever you call it — if it changes the way you think or the way you see the world, that’s what you should keep. Whether in a notes app like Notion (my favorite) or Obsidian or handwritten in a notebook — that’s the information worth holding onto.

🧪 Let’s Experiment

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You can’t remember everything —
but you can capture the things that truly matter.

Instead of trying to store every piece of information you stumble across, train yourself to notice the moments when something clicks. That tiny spark is your brain telling you: “Hey, this matters.” Here’s how to build a simple habit around that.

🎯 Try This:

1. Read/Watch/Listen normally — but notice the “Peter-Tingle.”
   Whenever something surprises you, inspires you, or connects a dot you didn’t know needed connecting, pause. That’s the moment worth saving.
2. Capture it immediately.
   Write it down in a notes app like Notion or Obsidian, or mark it directly in your book. Don’t overthink the structure — you can organize later. The key is to catch the spark while it’s fresh.
3. Add one sentence about why it resonated.
   This turns a random quote into something personal and meaningful.
   Example: “This helped me understand X,” or “This challenges how I usually think about Y.”
4. Revisit your captures once in a while.
   Not to study them — just to skim. Over time, you’ll build your own little map of thoughts, insights, and connections.

🧠 Final Thought:

Your brain isn’t a storage unit — it’s a connection machine. You don’t need to remember everything. You only need to keep what changes you. So follow the spark. Capture what resonates. Let the rest go.

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Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.

Take care,

Carina 🦊