--- title: Read: How to Remember What You Read description: Train your brain canonical: https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-18T20:00:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:38.462Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How to Remember What You Read og:description: Train your brain og:url: https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt834002dea634c94f/6987eef60b72e3062a6e1f63/514408483-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: man-book-pencil-thinking og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Remember What You Read twitter:description: Train your brain twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt834002dea634c94f/6987eef60b72e3062a6e1f63/514408483-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Remember What You Read ## Video: Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit? [Watch (HLS stream): Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/t67dFcgw.m3u8) (2:03)  _Published 2015-05-15. Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?_ by [Kevan Lee / Buffer](https://time.com/author/buffer/) ## Kevan Lee / Buffer Jun 18, 2015 8:00 PM UTC  Close up of man thinking at desk Close up of man thinking at deskGetty Images by [Kevan Lee / Buffer](https://time.com/author/buffer/) ## Kevan Lee / Buffer Jun 18, 2015 8:00 PM UTC A great place to start with book retention is with understanding some key ways our brain stores information. [Here are three specific elements to consider](http://productivity.stackexchange.com/questions/8638/what-methods-can-i-undertake-to-ensure-i-get-the-most-possible-information-fro): 1. Impression 2. Association 3. Repetition Let’s say you read Dale Carnegie’s _How to Win Friends and Influence People_, one of our favorites here at Buffer. You loved the information and want to remember as much as possible. Here’s how: **Impression** – Be impressed with the text. Stop and picture a scene in your mind, even adding elements like greatness, shock, or a cameo from yourself to make the impression stronger. If Dale Carnegie is explaining his distaste for criticism, picture yourself receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace and then spiking the Nobel Prize onto the dais. (Another trick with impression is to read an important passage out loud. For some of us, our sensitivity to information can be greater with sounds rather than visuals.) **Association** – Link the text to something you already know. This technique is used to great effect with [memorization and the construction of memory palaces](http://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-never-forget-the-name-of-someone-you-just-met-the-science-of-memorization). In the case of Carnegie’s book, if there is a particular principle you wish to retain, think back to a time when you were part of a specific example involving the principle. Prior knowledge is a great way to build association. **Repetition** – The more you repeat, the more you remember. This can occur by literally re-reading a certain passage or in highlighting it or writing it down then returning to it again later. [Practicing these three elements of remembering](http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-best-absorb-information-while-reading-1538836809) will help you get better and better. The more you work at it, the more you’ll remember. **Focus on the four levels of reading** Mortimer Adler’s book, _How to Read a Book_, [identifies four levels of reading](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/how-to-read-a-book/): 1. Elementary 2. Inspectional 3. Analytical 4. Syntopical Each step builds upon the previous step. Elementary reading is what you are taught in school. Inspectional reading can take two forms: 1) a quick, leisurely read or 2) skimming the book’s preface, table of contents, index, and inside jacket. Where the real work (and the real retention begins) is with analytical reading and syntopical reading. With analytical reading, you read a book thoroughly. More so than that even, you read a book according to four rules, which should help you with the context and understanding of the book. 1. Classify the book according to subject matter. 2. State what the whole book is about. Be as brief as possible. 3. List the major parts in order and relation. Outline these parts as you have outlined the whole. 4. Define the problem or problems the author is trying to solve. The final level of reading is syntopical, which requires that you read books on the same subject and challenge yourself to compare and contrast as you go. As you advance through these levels, you will find yourself incorporating the brain techniques of impression, association, and repetition along the way. Getting into detail with a book (as in the analytical and syntopical level) will help cement impressions of the book in your mind, develop associations to other books you’ve read and ideas you’ve learned, and enforce repetition in the thoughtful, studied nature of the different reading levels. ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images **Keep the book close (or at least your notes on the book.)** One of the most common threads in my research into remembering more of the books you read is this: **Take good notes.** Scribble in the margins as you go. Bookmark your favorite passages. Write a review when you’ve finished. Use your [Kindle Highlights](https://kindle.amazon.com/your%5Fhighlights) extensively. And when you’ve done these things, return to your notes periodically to review and refresh. [Shane Parrish of Farnam Street is a serial note taker](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/09/finding-time-to-read/), and he finds himself constantly returning to the books he reads. --- > “” --- Even Professor Pierre Bayard, the author of _How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read_, identifies the importance of note-taking and review: --- > “” --- I’ve tried this method for myself, and it has completely changed the way I perceive the books I read. **I look at books as investments in a future of learning rather than a fleeting moment of insight, soon to be forgotten.** I store all the reviews and notes from my books on my personal blog so I can search through them when I need to remember something I’ve read. (Kindle has a rather helpful feature online, too, where it shows you a daily, random highlight from your archive of highlights. It’s a great way to relive what you’ve read in the past.) It’s not important which method you have for note-taking and review so long as you have one. Let it be as simple as possible to complete so that you can make sure you follow through. _This_ [_article_](https://open.bufferapp.com/how-to-read-more-and-remember-it-all/) _originally appeared on_ [_Buffer_](http://open.bufferapp.com/)_._ _More from Buffer:_ * [The Two Brain Systems that Control Our Attention: The Science of Gaining Focus](https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-focus-and-how-to-improve-your-attention-span?utm%5Fsource=time&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=syndicated) * [Remember More of What You Read and Hear: 6 Research-Tested Ways to Improve Your Memory](https://blog.bufferapp.com/6-research-tested-ways-to-improve-your-memory?utm%5Fsource=time&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=syndicated) * [How to Never Forget the Name of Someone You Know: The Science of Memory](https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-never-forget-the-name-of-someone-you-just-met-the-science-of-memorization?utm%5Fsource=time&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=syndicated) _Read next:_ [_How to Get Smarter_](http://time.com/3845334/get-smarter/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/"},"headline":"How to Remember What You Read","datePublished":"2015-06-18T20:00:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:38.462Z","description":"Train your brain","url":"https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/","keywords":["Psychology","Books","How-To","reading","memory"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt834002dea634c94f/6987eef60b72e3062a6e1f63/514408483-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevan Lee / Buffer"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt834002dea634c94f/6987eef60b72e3062a6e1f63/514408483-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"man-book-pencil-thinking","caption":"man-book-pencil-thinking","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/","name":"How to Remember What You Read"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?","description":"Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/t67dFcgw/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-15T21:17:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/t67dFcgw.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/","duration":"PT2M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3851941/remember-what-you-read/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```