Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed and later on had difficulty trying to remember what you have read? This used to happen more often than I care to admit. I found it frustrating because I felt like I was bombarded with so much information at times, that it became difficult to pull up the information as quickly as I would like.
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I enjoy reading when I can, and while I love fiction and non-fiction, I especially love to read business books. When I was a productivity manager, I would often read business books by Peter Drucker and Steven Covey. As a finance major in college, I loved reading books with financial tips like and The Millionaire Next Door and A Random Walk Down Wall Street. I can still recall many of the key points of these because they offered really helpful advice that I was able to apply to my life.
Lately, I have been enjoying books such as Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt and The One Thing by Gary Keller. These are both really great business books if you are an entrepreneur or aspiring to be one, by the way. Both give you substantial cases for actionable methods you can put in place right away. The key is to remember how to implement ideas that will work for you.
Many business and personal development books offer suggestions to increase productivity, develop effective habits, gain financial independence, maximize marketing efforts and improve time management. Today I am sharing some tips that I have found helpful to absorb the information more quickly, and avoid having to reread books.
Tips to Remember what you have read:
- Do not try to multitask, it is difficult to retain anything if the TV is on, you are checking social media or even eating a meal.
- Keep some bookmark tags or a highlighter handy (if it is a physical book) so that you can bookmark sections that resonate.
- Read books on paper instead of electronic versions. Did you know that research shows that you retain more reading on paper than on an electronic device?
- Take notes and create an action plan. I have a handy book notes template that you can download for free below.
Your time is important and you can use these to help you remember what you have read.
The template is here => Book Notes Template. If you liked what you read today, please consider sharing with others.
What is the last helpful book you read?
Tamara says
Book Notes! Brilliant! I absolutely have trouble. I read so much that situations, titles and characters get mixed up in my head. I retain just enough for Google searches, but I’d rather have it more fresh.
Raquel says
It has really helped me to make some notes and hope you found it helpful Tamara!
Barbara Radisalvjeivc says
I always have trouble retaining what I read, and it’s worse as I grow older. I have to take notes on what I want to remember.
Raquel says
Yes me too Barbara – it really helps to have the notes and is a great reinforcer when it’s something I want to implement.
Loren says
Wonderful article. I read a lot and I tend to forget what I read.
Raquel says
Thank you. It really helps me improve my memory. Appreciate you stopping by Loren.