16 Of The Best Tips To Better Comprehend and Remember What You Read

If you're having problem with remembering and comprehending a book or something you read on a website, then know that this article is written for you. I used to have these problems as well, until I learned these tips.

Some of them I use often and I saw a real improvement in remembering and comprehending what I read (I frequently use just a couple and I'm doing pretty good - if I would use them all I would become a master in comprehension :) maybe in the future I will).

These are very simple and easy to put to action tips, and they do the trick. They will help you become a better reader, improve your memory skills and comprehension skills. Try them out and share your experience with us all, and if you have new ideas and tips on how to improve comprehension, all you have to do is leave your comment.

1. Do you have a pen?

This is one of the simplest and yet, most effective tips to comprehend and remember what you read. I'm talking about having a pen or pencil near you so that you can underline the paragraphs that you find inspiring or important. This is so simple to do, but I wonder how many people actually do it. Do you do this? I sure do. But, in the past, I use to think that underlining only makes the book look ugly and I wouldn't do it.

But you know what? I realized that it's my book and I can do whatever I want with it and even more, I asked myself: "Why is the real reason why I'm reading a book?" Do you know why you are reading? Well, my reason was "Because I want to learn new things and put them to use to improve my life and the lives of people around me."

If you want to get the same results as me, then you should at least think about underlining. It's just great! I can't even begin to tell you how much time underlining saves me, because I often re-read books and because I underline, I find it easier to remember a lot of things and this makes it easy to read the book again.

2. Grab an agenda

Have an agenda near you as well. You ca use it to write down interesting facts, statistics or quotes that you find inspiring and motivational. It's a great way to remember the essential of a book. I know it takes a little time, but I say it's well worth it! I do this all the time, because it helps me remember things better (because of the fact that I read the text and also write it down, and this pushes it even deeper into my memory).

Writing things down also helps you if you need some inspiration in a specific area. It's like a resume of the book (and it's even better and faster then reading the whole book because it's what you liked the first time you've read it and now you can find it faster then if you had to research it through the book). Think about it and give the agenda a try!

3. Stop reading!

From time to time, put a stop to your reading and just relax. Try to imagine (if possible) what you are reading. Try to see the things described in the book. Try to feel them. This will make your reading a great experience and one that you will surely remember for a long time. It's a great way to get the most out of a book, so try it out!

4. Talk about it

After you have read a chapter or even the whole book, try to find someone to talk to about it. It could be someone that has read the book and remembers it. You could even do something like before you start reading a book, search for people that are reading the same book (search online and offline) so that after you have finished it, you could have a discussion about it, if the others are also interested.

This will ensure that you remember and comprehend the book you've just read. It will also give you a chance to see what others are thinking about different subjects and maybe someone will point out something from the book that you didn't observe. It's definitely a good idea to try.

If you can't find anyone to do this with, at least talk to someone who is a good listener. Tell him/her about the best parts in the book and try to get a conversation going. It's a win-win situation. You will better comprehend the book and by talking about it you will make it stick to your brain a lot longer, and the other person will be able to learn the essential from this book without having to read it himself.

5. A quiet corner or the melodious sound of a drum?

Try to find a quiet place to read. Or make it as loud as you can! I'm not kidding! Some people have this "gift" of being able to read and comprehend what they are reading even if someone is playing the drums right next to them! For me, this is just amazing! For others, this is actually a must. They need some kind of noise around them when they read. You just have to find out if you read better where there's quiet or if you need some music, maybe, to get the most out of reading.

Some people find it very difficult to concentrate when there's noise around them. A quiet place makes them feel relaxed and reading a book is a wonderful experience for them, in these conditions. You just have to see what fits you and do it.

6. Should I do this too...?

Don't try to multitask while reading. Even if you have a lot of things to do, don't try do do something else while you read. This will get you nowhere. You won't remember much form the book and your other activity will also have to suffer. It's like trying to shoot two rabbits at once: you end up by getting none.

Although there are a small number of people that can multitask and get the most out of what they are reading, I would suggest that you don't try this. When you want to read, do just that, read. Don't do anything else.

7. Get ready! Set! Go!

Don't hurry! You are not in a race here! Read in your own pace. When reading, you must enjoy it so that you can truly comprehend and remember what you read. No one is hurrying you but yourself, so don't go this way. Take is slow and easy! Try to absorb what you are reading and really feel the book if you can.

8. Take a brake

In my country, Romania, we have an old saying or kind of a joke which goes something like this: "Taking long and often breaks leads to success". while in some fields this is a bad thing, when it comes to reading this is a very good things to do. By taking a break after 20 minutes of reading you are giving your brain a chance to get some fresh oxygen and you are also filling up your comprehension batteries. After the brake, you will have a higher level of comprehension.

9. A super technique for comprehending and remembering more of what you read!

Very important!

This is one of the greatest techniques to better comprehend and remember what you are reading! It's one of the most important 3 things on my "to do when reading" list!

Read a chapter twice and only then move to the next one and do the same with the others (I first heard of this technique from Dale Carnegie's book called How to Win Friends & Influence People) Although this will take you more time, you are sure to get a lot more out of the book and remember more. I use this often and it works like magic. It's just unbelievable! I often even remember page numbers of where what I'm looking for is in a certain book! So, yes, this really works!

10. You are not at school!

Don't try to read correctly. You are not reading for someone else. You are reading for yourself and you are allowed to make mistakes. It's ok. No one is going to give you an F if you read a word or two or even more incorrectly. No one is looking, so read normally, without any fear.

11. Say it loud and proud

Read out loud if you can. This will greatly benefit your comprehension of what you are reading and will allow you to better grasp the book. When you are also saying out loud what you are reading, you are actually repeating it and so, you will remember more and understand better.

12. Get prepared

Before you start reading you can get a first impression of the book. You could skim some pages and see if there are some unfamiliar words that you need to look up in the dictionary. This will save a lot of time and you won't be needing to stop reading and loose track of what you are reading, just because there's a little darn word that doesn't make any sense in there. You can also check the book's summary to see what's this book all about.

13. Tip number seven in reverse

Get some speed in there! While reading slowly is a very good thing to do, reading too slowly is just as bad as reading too fast (well, maybe not as bad, but it's pretty close :). Some people take too much time to correctly pronounce the words they are reading that they often become unable to see the ig picture any more. Too much concentration is as bad as none at all!

If you tend to also focus on correctly pronouncing the words, then it's a good idea to put a piece of paper over the words right before you read them. This way, you will be "training" your eyes to look ahead instead of the word you are reading.

14. Make connections

Try to make a couple of connections here and there. Try to connect what you are reading with something that you have experienced in the past or even something that you know about. Maybe you are reading a description of a beautiful house. To remember it better, try to look around in your own house and put the things from the book right in your house using imagination. It's really a fun and useful process to do! Making connections will increase the level of your comprehension.

15. What's really important?

After you have read the book try to summarize it in under 100 words. Ask yourself: "What's really important from this book? What should I really remember from it?" Then,write it down and don't go over the 100 words. This exercise will help you to be more concise and will will show you the level of comprehension that you are currently at.

16. Again and again

Set yourself a goal of reading 30 to 50 pages or more per day. This way you will improve your reading and comprehension skills. Reading makes perfect! Whenever you have a break, sit down and red 4-5 pages of your book and this way you will improve your reading and comprehension skills and also your memory.

Bonus Tip

This is mostly useful to find a book that you read in the past, faster. Tag each book with keywords just like if you were searching for something on google. What words could describe the book you just read? motivation? being happy? Write all the keywords you think the book fits in so that in your agenda, under motivation you would have this book, if it fits there and others that also fit.

This way, whenever you need motivation or something else, you just have to look into your agenda and you have a whole list to choose from.

I hope this article helped you find new ways to better comprehend and remember what you are reading. I am very interested to know what you think of these tips. Did they help you improve the quality of your reading?

The only way I can improve and write better articles for you, is if you give me feedback like rating this article and commenting on it! Thank you!

I embrace you,
Razvan Dobre

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