How to Read Purposefully and Remember (Almost) Everything You Learn

Simply reading a book cover to cover might not quite cut it.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Hey. I know why you’re here.

You are a voracious reader but can’t seem to remember what you read. Your shelves are probably stocked with books you’ve already finished, yet you can remember very little — if anything.

This used to be me, up until recently.

I eventually got fed up with reading and feeling like I could not retain anything. With a little bit of research, I built myself a whole process that allows me to get the most out of my reading. Mind you, I’m no memory wonder — but I remember significantly more now than I used to.

Books are by nature very linear, so the obvious approach is to go through them from start to end without jumping around much. As it turns out, the optimal way is a little more complicated than that.

My process consists of three main phases — the before, during, and after. Let’s have a look, shall we?

1. Prepare — what you should do before diving in

Know what you want to get out of the book.