Three ways to retain what you read…

Are you getting the most out of what you read/study? People often think they need to read fast in order to get through all the material. However, there's no point reading and not understanding or remembering the material. A more important skill is to read with understanding and memory. Focus on training your brain with impression, association and repetition.

Here are three tips that will help you read more effectively and absorb more information.

Impression – Be impressed with the text! When you are impressed by something (an idea, a picture, a situation, etc...), the probability that you will remember it is much higher. Stop reading for a second and picture a scene in your mind, even adding features like greatness, shock, or a cameo from yourself to make the impression stronger.

Association – Link the text to something you already know, the probability of remembering it becomes even stronger. For example, if there is a particular scene/topic you wish to retain, think back to a time when you were part of a specific example involving the scene/top. Prior knowledge is a great way to build association.

Repetition – The more you repeat, the more you remember. When reading a book, if you do not want to read it several times, you can highlight the parts that you want to remember, and re-read only those parts several times. And you will see that actually they will also help you remember the rest of the book.

Happy Reading!