HOW TO READ ANYTHING SO THAT YOU REMEMBER.

We usually start reading a book or an article or perhaps a research paper (if you're into that stuff) from the first page to the last. That is how most of us are taught to read, even i was. However, that is how fiction is intended to be read, not information. Information that we intend to remember and apply.

The whole idea is to make the mind go from passive to active reading. Once you are beforehand aware of what you're reading (the whole content and not just the theme) and know what's important your retention will increase manifold.

Here are five simple steps that will help you retain what you read:

Step-1) Flip through the entire article or chapter page by page. Cursorily look at the graphs, figures, images without too much attention. This lets you know what's in store.

Step-2) Go through the end of chapter questions if you're reading a text book. If you're reading an article, mentally ask yourself what information are you looking to extract. This will let you know what to look for.

Step-3) Go through each Header, Sub-headers, bolds and italics. This will give you a skeletal idea of what the content is all about.

Step-4) Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph. At least the ones you think are important. You would know what's important by the fourth step. This will enable you to understand the theme of each section.

Step-5) Read start to bottom as you normally would.

From my own experience, it usually takes 10-15 mins to complete the first four steps of a 30 page chapter. But they are worth it. Fair warning: It would take a bit more time if you are reading something like Quantitative Finance or the Philosophy of Making Decisions; first-hand experience.

In conclusion as Jimi Kwik said "If Knowledge is Power, then Learning is your Superpower."