Use this guide when you read books or reports for work, study or interest but forget most of it soon after. Have the book, a notebook or notes app and a pen or highlighter ready.
Step by step
Decide why you are reading
Write one or two questions you want the book to answer. Knowing your purpose helps you focus on what matters and skip what does not. Not every book needs to be read cover to cover.
Preview before reading
Spend five to ten minutes on the contents page, introduction, conclusion and chapter headings. This gives you a map of the main argument. Your brain then has a structure to hang details on.
Read actively in chunks
Read one chapter or section at a time with your questions in mind. Mark only key ideas, not whole paragraphs. Slow down for important parts and skim examples you already understand.
Summarise in your own words
At the end of each chapter, close the book and write three to five sentences on what it said. Add one way you could use the idea. Writing from memory is what makes it stick.
Review and connect
A few days later, reread your summaries and try to recall the main points before looking. Link new ideas to things you already know or other books. Turn the most useful ideas into a few flashcards.
Apply one idea
Choose one idea from the book and put it into practice within a week. Using knowledge is the best way to remember it. Note how it went in your summary.
Ready-to-use checklist
- Reading questions written
- Contents and headings previewed
- Introduction and conclusion read first
- Key ideas marked sparingly
- Chapter summaries in your own words
- Review planned a few days later
- One idea chosen to apply
Practical tips
- Reading on paper or with notifications off helps you concentrate and remember more.
- Explaining a book's main idea to a friend is a quick test of whether you really understood it.
- It is fine to stop reading a book that does not answer your questions and move on to a better one.
Common problems
I highlight a lot but still forget everything.
Highlighting alone is passive, so replace most of it with short summaries written from memory. Keep highlights for a few key sentences you want to find again.
I lose focus after a few pages.
Read in shorter sessions, such as 20 minutes, with your reading questions written in front of you. Removing your phone from the room also helps.
Speed-reading techniques leave me understanding less.
Reading much faster than normal usually reduces understanding. Instead, save time by previewing and choosing which sections need careful reading.