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Building a Better Reading Memory
Avoid time-wasting efforts
I don't know about you, but as I get older, it gets harder to remember ANYTHING! With reading it can always be a challenge. These days, there are so many things that demand our attention that remembering what we read needs a true conscious intent.
There are two factors at play:
-
When you are reading, you do not usually know
when you will need the information again.
- You probably need to use some mindful, conscious or active reading strategies to keep your memory fresh.
So what can you do to engage your memory for longer than a day? Here are some of the easiest things you can do to boost your reading memory:
-
Ask yourself, "WHY am I reading THIS?" and
"WHAT do I need it for?"
If you know the specific answers these questions, you
will read more intently keeping you more focused on what
you need. If you do not come up with solid enough answers
to these questions, then you have no business reading it
in the first place.
-
Intend to remember.
Engage your brain by telling it you want to
remember what you are reading. Think about how you might
use the material and create ways you can remember, like
writing keeper notes, highlighting key words and
phrases, summarizing aloud, and so on.
-
Stop trying to memorize.
Use repetition-over-time instead.
Memorizing, or study reading - which typically means
reading word-for-word - is a much slower reading rate
than just reading for general information. Your working
memory is limited to a few days so if you need to
remember something, build in ways to review, discuss, or
be exposed to the topic again on a regular basis.
-
Have a good system for finding it, later. Instead of worrying about trying to
remember something you do not know when or if you will
need again, it is a better use of your time and memory
power to create a good system for locating the material
when you need it.
- Make notes for future reference. Effectively highlight just key words or phrases OR write notes in the margins of your reading before filing it away so when you go back to it, you can avoid re-reading it in its entirety and you will easily find what is important.
Wishing you a stronger reading memory!
This guest post was written by Abby Marks Beale. Abby is America’s #1 Speed Reading Expert. She is the creator of the popular online speed reading course called Rev It Up Reading and author of three books on speed reading and learning. For more, please visit www.RevItUpReading.com.
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