HOW TO REMEMBER ALL YOU READ IN A BOOK
5 Simple Ways to Retain What You Read
Someone once sent me a message asking, “Is it possible to remember all that I read in a book?” My response was in the affirmative. It is indeed possible to remember all you read in a book. While it may not be hook, line and sinker, there are ways you can absorb all that you need to in a book. The goal of reading is for knowledge which ultimately leads to personal transformation. You can remember all you read in a book and I’ll show you how — in simple steps — in this piece.
On Highlighting…
Highlighting in your book will not help you remember what you read. Haven’t you observed that you can’t even remember what you highlighted in your book after few hours? It is because highlighting with a pen or marker in your book doesn’t help memory, remembrance or retention in any way. The best purpose highlighting serves is for location. It will help you locate something faster and easier in the book.
DISCLAIMER: The principles you're about to read may not be applicable to all genres of books.
1. The 80/20 Principle or Rule
You might have heard of the Pareto principle, popularly known as the 80/20 principle. Well, if you don’t, the rule basically states that “80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes, asserting an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs”
The Pareto rule can be applied to reading too. You will not ALWAYS remember EVERYTHING you read in a book.
Let me say it in the 80/20 language: locate the vital 20% that’ll produce the vital 80% transformation you desire in a book and amplify it.
In other words, you don’t have to read a book from cover to cover before you get the best out of it. Locate the 20% you need in the book and put in the 80% effort. You can’t literarily remember everything in a book. But you must know what the book is about and see it in the light of the author. Don’t forget that reading is like traveling into the author’s world and understanding his mind’s configuration. Know the idea behind the book.
For example, I have only read 80% of Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with Why”. However, I can tell you all that is in the book and numerous examples beyond what was mentioned in the book. It’s no magic. I simply located the most useful 20% in the book and put in the 80% effort.
Let’s look at other methods you can read and retain what you read…
2. Practice What You Read/Learnt in The Book
One of the most significant books that have shaped my life is “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D Wattles. The reason I still remember everything in the book isn’t farfetched. I have been practicing what I read in the book.
If you studied pharmacy and stay redundant for years without practicing, you’ll forget most things you learned in medical school. The same thing applies to a book.
The more you practice what you read in a book, the more you’ll remember the book and retain what you read in it. It's why some people don’t finish a book at once. They probably read a chapter then go-ahead to practice what they read.
Practice doesn’t just make perfection; it helps retention too. You can’t forget what you read in a book if you commit to practicing it.
3. Read or Discuss the Book with Others
Another tested and proven method to remember what you read in a book is to discuss the book or talk about it with others. This is where joining a book club becomes beneficial. You can pre-join my book club HERE. The more you discuss a book with others, the more you’d retain what you read in a book. Don’t just read and keep it to yourself, discuss the book with your ‘clan’.
4. Meditate On What You Read
The last point (3) was to discuss the book with others. This point is to discuss the book with yourself. Meditating on what you read in a book presents you with different sides of the author’s view. Meditation is processing the information you read from the book. A lot comes to mind as you meditate on the information from the book and you’re able to amplify it better. You will retain what you read in a book more if you practice meditating on what you read.
5. Read The Book Again
Sometimes you need to read a book more than once to get the best of it. I’ve read several books more than once because I didn’t get what the book was about at first. You will hardly forget what a book is about if you read it more than once. You can read thoroughly at first, then, read the most important 20% the second time or third time.
