This is specifically for non fiction books that don’t aim to tell a story but instead aim to teach you something.
If I read a novel or a biography I find it much easier to retain than something like a self improvement book. I’d be able to tell someone about the Charles dickens novel that I read but i’d struggle with retaining what I learn from books like Atomic habits (James Clear) or zero to one (Peter Thiel). Is there a way to improve that?
by EnormousMitochondria
8 Comments
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Underlining things and highlighting in books has never worked for me. I keep a notebook. When I find a passage or a bit of information I want to remember, I try to summarize it in my own words in a few sentences. That helps me internalize it better. (Plus, I have it written down now for future reference.)
Another trick I use is making a bookmark with the info on it and leaving it in the book on the shelf. I do that with longer, more complicated, things, or if a book has the full text of a famous speech or an important photo or something like that.
Edit: I should mention that I might only get one or two notes out of a whole book. I try to read the book for fun and only stop and take notes when something really grabs me. Usually, what happens is that I will read the same book a year later and a whole new thing will grab me and I will write another note. I don’t try to get everything out of a book at one sitting. I think my brain works too slow for that.
They’re hard to retain because they’re bullshit, most self help book authors biggest achievement is selling their book.
It’s something that gets better then more you read. There’s no other practice you need to be doing, and no need to feel insecure about it.
Break it down into smaller chunks. Start by reading one chapter. After reading one chapter, then you can either re-read and take notes on note-taking app or write it down. Or you can alternatively close the first chapter, and do a brain dump or mindmap to write down what you remember. Then refer back to the chapter and see what you else you missed. of course this would take more time but i think the effort is worth it if it’s something that is important.
I keep a reading journal. I typically write in it in the mornings about what i read the day before. It gives my brain time to sort it out, before I put it to paper.
Read less
Take notes about what you read.