The Friday Brain Upgrade

How to eliminate mental fatigue, amplify cognitive performance, and become an unstoppable learner

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I’ve spent 100+ hours perfecting my reading system.
Steal it in 5 minutes.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of books you want to read, or frustrated by how little you remember from the ones you’ve finished? I’ve been there too. As a slow reader with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, I’ve spent years refining my approach to reading and learning.

Today, I’m excited to share with you the methods that have transformed my reading life. Whether you’re a bookworm or someone who struggles to finish a single book, I believe you’ll find something valuable in this newsletter.

We’ll explore:
→ How I choose which books to invest my time in
→ My personal system for extracting and retaining key insights
→ Why I don’t rely solely on AI summaries (and what I do instead)
→ How I manage to read a book a week, despite being a slow reader
→ My process for turning book knowledge into real-world results

Apply Fractal Reading to Decide What to Read

As a slow reader, it takes me about 8 hours to read a 300-page book, often spread over a week. In order to invest time wisely, we have to choose the right books. To master the challenge of choosing the right books, let’s dive into a powerful technique I use to make smarter reading decisions: fractal reading.

​Michael Simmons’ fractal reading method offers valuable hints for better decision-making:

→ Examine the book’s metadata and scan available sources
→ Look for short-form videos or articles by the author explaining key concepts
→ Use these resources to get a feel for the content and the author’s style

During my time at Blinkist, I gained insider knowledge about creating key takeaways from books. Now, I often use Blinkist to:
→ Explore new titles I might want to buy
→ Quickly gauge my interest in a book (in just minutes!)
→ Discover related books on similar topics

But what if you’ve decided to dive into a book? How do you make the most of your reading time?

When I Read, I Highlight with a System

My preferred reading device is my Kindle, and for good reason:
→ I can read anytime, anywhere, independent of lighting conditions
→ Highlighting and exporting notes is a breeze

However, not all books are available in Kindle format.
For those cases, I’ve developed a special approach, which I’ll share shortly. But first, let’s talk about highlighting.

My highlighting approach has evolved over time. Now, I focus on:
→ Content that connects to my current projects or interests
→ New ideas that provoke thought or challenge my assumptions
→ Core concepts I want to retain and apply

But what happens after I’ve finished highlighting?
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How do I turn those highlights into actionable insights?

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The Kindle Approach: Effortless Export

For Kindle books, the process is straightforward.

Amazon provides an easy way to export your highlights, which I can then import into my Second Brain system that I grown inside Obsidian.

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But what about physical books or PDFs?

My challenge - hundreds of highlight on hundreds of pages...

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The Notebook LM Approach: Quick and Accessible AI-Powered Extraction

For those who want a fast, accessible method, I’ve experimented with Notebook LM. Here’s the process:

→ Take pictures of all pages with highlights
→ Add these images to a Google Document
→ Import the Google Document into Notebook LM
→ Ask the AI to extract the highlights
→ Work in batches of 5-10 pictures per request for optimal results

This method is perfect for quick experiments or when you need to process a smaller number of highlights without diving into coding.

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The Python Script Approach: For the Nerdier Among Us

For those who don’t mind getting a bit technical and have a larger volume of highlights to process, I’ve developed a Python script that’s been a game-changer. Here’s what it does:

→ Scans a large number of images of my paper-book highlights (141 in my recent test!)
→ Extracts text from each highlight using OCR technology
→ Consolidates all highlights into one comprehensive note

This process has slashed my processing time from 4-8 hours to just 1 hour per book, even for volumes with hundreds of pages. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a giant leap for my learning process, especially when dealing with extensive textbooks or research papers.

Curious - here you get free access to experiment with my Python Script​

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Choosing between these methods depends on your technical comfort level and the volume of highlights you typically process:

→ Notebook LM: Quick, accessible, great for smaller batches or occasional use
→ Python Script: More powerful, ideal for large volumes and regular textbook processing

Both methods serve the same ultimate goal: transforming your physical highlights into digital, searchable, and AI-ready text. The key is finding the approach that fits seamlessly into your workflow.

Now that we have our highlights and notes organized, what’s the next step?

Why AI Summaries Aren’t Enough

In our AI-driven world, you might wonder, “Why go through all this trouble when I can just ask ChatGPT to summarize a book for me?” It’s a fair question, but there are crucial reasons why AI summaries fall short:

→ Copyright limitations: AI doesn’t have full access to most books
- It creates summaries based on publicly available information, not the actual book content

→ Lack of personal context: AI can’t apply your unique perspective and needs to the summary
- It misses the nuances that make a book relevant to your specific situation

Here’s where our highlighting and note-taking system shines:

→ Personal filter: When you highlight, you’re applying your own judgment and experience. You’re capturing what’s relevant to you, not what an algorithm deems important

→ Authentic content: Your highlights come directly from the book, ensuring accuracy . You’re working with the author’s actual words and ideas, not a paraphrase

→ Contextual understanding: Your highlights reflect your current projects and interests. The summary becomes tailored to your needs, making it immediately actionable

When I provide my highlights to AI for summarization, I’m leveraging the best of both worlds:
- The authentic content from the book, filtered through my personal lens
- The processing power of AI to organize and synthesize the information

The result? A much more valuable and accurate summary that actually stems from the book and aligns with my needs.

Want to see this in action? Check out this example of a comprehensive summary based on my highlights. Notice how it captures the essence of the book while reflecting the aspects I found most relevant.

In contrast just look at the highlights:

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By combining your human insight with AI’s processing capabilities, you create a powerful tool for learning and applying new knowledge. It’s not about replacing human reading with AI, but enhancing our reading and comprehension with smart tools.

Albeit Being a Slow Reader, I Still Aim to Read One Book Per Week

You might be wondering, “How can a self-proclaimed slow reader manage to finish a book every week?” It’s a question I often asked myself until I developed a system that works for me. Here’s how I do it:

→ Embrace the early bird advantage: 5AM is my golden hour
- The world is quiet, my mind is fresh, and distractions are minimal

→ Harness the power of the Pomodoro Technique
- 25 minutes of focused reading
- 5 minutes break
- Repeat this cycle 3-4 times in a row

→ Consistency is key
- When I stick to this routine daily, I can comfortably finish a book each week

During these early morning sessions, I work with:
→ High focus: No phones, no emails, just me and the book
→ Full dedication: This time is sacred for reading and learning

This approach has transformed my reading habits. It’s not about speed; it’s about consistency and creating the right environment for deep focus. By dedicating this time each day, I’ve found that even as a slow reader, I can make significant progress.

So, now that we’ve covered how to efficiently read and extract highlights, you might be wondering: What happens after I finish a book? How do I turn these insights into actionable knowledge?

What Happens After I Finish a Book

Extracting highlights is just the beginning. The real magic happens when we apply these insights.
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My AI-first approach involves:

→ Embedding my summary alongside other sources in my Second Brain
→ Actively working on current projects using these new insights
→ Asking AI to help me connect ideas and generate new applications

As I mentioned in my previous newsletter about compounding, I work with building blocks to create higher-level outcomes.
For example, highlights from Alex Hormozi’s “$100M Offer” immediately helped me improve my own offer structure.

This process enables what I call my “AI flywheel.” By externalizing my book insights,
I can:
→ Easily feed relevant information to AI tools
→ Ask AI to help apply my learnings to specific problems
→ Combine AI’s processing power with my human creativity and context

The key to making this work? All insights reside in my Second Brain—one system, one place.
This unified approach makes it incredibly efficient to:
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→ Connect learnings across different books and topics
→ Quickly feed relevant information to AI tools
→ Easily recall topics when I need them
→ Reduce cognitive load, freeing up mental space for creativity

We’ve covered a lot of ground today, from selecting the right books to extracting insights and applying them in your life. Here are the key takeaways:

1. Use fractal reading to make informed decisions about what to read
2. Develop a systematic approach to highlighting and note-taking
3. Leverage tools like Kindle exports, Notebook LM, or custom Python scripts to digitize your insights
4. Understand the limitations of AI summaries and how to enhance them with your personal touch
5. Create a consistent reading habit, even if you’re a slow reader
6. Integrate your book insights into a Second Brain for easy access and application

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See you next Friday!

Learn Smart, Basti

P.S… To respond to this newsletter, just hit reply. I love getting replies, read all of them, and reply to as many as possible(And if you received this email from a friend, and would like to subscribe, please go here: https://pages.quintsmart.com/)

I will publish my newsletter every Friday at about 13:00 o’clock CET. See you next Friday.

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P.S I'm preparing my core program to Smart Learning enhanced with Second Brain, AI, 4MAT. I'll start in April.

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