We forget almost everything we read. Yes, by reading a book we’ll develop an overarching understanding of its concepts, and we may remember the gist of what we’ve read, but the most of valuable facts and important nuances will disappear immediately after we finish reading. In these cases, reading was sort of a waste of time.
Here’s my system for remembering what I’ve read. I use this with non-fiction books related to health and wellness. For my friends who ask me how I recall so many medical facts and health statistics, here’s my answer.levitra pilule
- I’ll read a book quickly. I’ll take no days off, and will try to finish it in a week.
- I don’t pause to absorb complex material or ideas, especially for biology or science books. I just underline those parts for later.
- I also underline sentences conveying the book’s core ideas.
- One day after finishing the book, I revisit all the underlined sections.
- This time I try to absorb those parts that I didn’t understand on first reading. I’ll try to explain these concepts to someone else to cement it in my brain. My wife is usually the unfortunate recipient of my newfound “wisdom.” This part can take 2 or 3 sittings.
- I revisit the book after one week, and after then one month. I re-read the underlined sections.
- I then read a related book shortly afterwards, following the same process.
If you are a slow reader, get a speed-reading book first. Finish and practice speed reading before you read any other books. This process is easier with a Kindle than with paper books. Try it and let me know what you think!
This is the speed reading book I’ve used:
