While I also read just for fun, I'm a writer, so most of my readings are meant to help me get better in my craft. My reading process depends on what I'm reading. When I'm reading for fun, I just naturally go where the author brings me. However, I often read materials (mostly nonfiction) to help me think about a particular subject matter better. I also read materials (mostly poetry, prose poetry, or experimental writing) to help me learn how to execute beautiful language better or to find quotes or phrases I could use in my own writing. When I'm reading with the last two intentions, I follow a more intentional process I delineate below.

Reminders

Before I begin reading, I remind myself of the following:

1. If I want to read to learn, I avoid reading on my phone (use your phone to collect materials not read them. Instead, I read on my computer where it is easier to perform this process.
2. I save all digital copies of the material to be read (usually, a PDF or ePUB file) in my reading inbox, which is carefully curated through a process (how to manage a reading inbox and how to build and maintain a reading list).
3. If the material is a webpage, I convert it into a PDF using this tool.
4. I add the reference details of that material in my reference manager (use a reference manager), which is Zotero.

The Process

1. I begin reading the material naturally, section by section, without skipping any parts, taking note of what surprises me or what I don't understand and highlighting these parts. It is useful to share Thoreau's reading principle here. Thoreau was a focused reader. He read but focused on finding his own ideas in what he read. He only accepted what was for himself. If I am reading competitive books or comps (i.e., books in my genre and subject matter), I incorporate my close reading process and make annotations accordingly.
2. After reading and highlighting the material or a section of it, I identify quotes or phrases that could be useful in my writing, especially my collage-writing process. I tag each quote and add themes each addresses as a tag.
3. When I'm reading thicker nonfiction material I really want to study, I collate the highlights and write literature notes (how to write literature notes). Writing the literature notes help me identify the most important thoughts to remember from the material. When I'm reading poetry, prose poetry, or hybrid work, my literature notes are annotations or reactions to what I'm reading.
4. I then write prompts for thoughts I want to remember. These prompts are immediately added to the spaced repetition system I use on my daily retrieval practice.
5. After each section, I use the prompts I wrote to review.
6. Whenever applicable, I also write task prompts that force me to use what I learned in a useful context.

References

Seybold, Ethel. “Proteus.” Thoreau: The Quest and the Classics, Yale University Press, 1951, pp. 1–21.