Many of us read different books but find it very difficult to remember little details from what we read. It is one thing to read a book or an article and it’s another thing to remember everything you read.
A lot of enthusiasm and motivation is lost when you find it difficult to recall the things you read recently within a short period.
This situation is very common among students and has caused lots of them to find it difficult to read their school books due to the fear that they would forget because they have low retentive memory.
Follow these steps below and put them into action and I assure you that your retentive ability will increase rapidly.
1. Read To Understand And To Know
Your thoughts and mindset while reading goes a long way to determine your retentive capacity, it has a good influence on if you would remember or forget what you are reading. Your purpose or goal for reading a book or an article should be to acquire knowledge and to be informed.
A lot of readers today find it difficult to recall things they read because their mindset is based on either reading to pass an examination or to give a speech and this makes them cram the contents of the book or the article which they are reading and eventually they find it hard to remember a single thing from what they had read immediately after the examination or the speech.
2. Avoid Skipping Sentences And Paragraphs
Paragraphs and sentences in books are interrelated. Some readers term some sentences or paragraphs in a book or an article irrelevant and then decide to skip them. One thing you should know is that every new sentence or paragraph is used by the writer to pass the message and to further explain his point.
3. Jot Things Down And Make Notes
There’s a famous saying that A short pen is better than a long memory. Research has also proved that writing down things helps one to remember more.
After reading for some minutes try to write down all you’ve read without looking at it. Paraphrasing also helps you know the part you find difficult to understand.
4. Explain It To Yourself Or Friends
After reading for a period of time, try to explain it to yourself or try teaching your friends, it will help you know if you really understand what you have been reading and it will help increase your retentive memory.
5. Take A Break No Matter How Little
Reading for 15hours straight without taking a break doesn’t actually make you a bookworm but it’s rather a waste of time. It is not about how far it’s how well.
Whenever you decide to study all through the night, try to take a break even if it’s for a few minutes to rest your head or else you might end up sleeping all through instead of reading. Remember your brain is not a computer; it also gets tired and so needs rest.
6. Use Mnemonics
Mnemonic is a technique used to remember what you read very quickly and accurately. It is used mostly to remember listed items.
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