Reading books is one of the best forms of learning, from Elon musk to Mark Zuckerberg to Bill gates and almost everyone who is successful reads. I’m not suggesting that reading books is the only differentiator between success and failure. But it does provide you with an edge.



Reading books makes you curious, which makes you learn more and thus builds your knowledge bank and understanding.

But here’s the catch, there’s no point in reading nonfiction books if you don’t remember what you’ve read.

Remembering what you’ve read depends upon how you’ve read. If you read it with the sole intention of just finishing, then you're unlikely to be able to retain much from it.

On the other hand, if you’ve read the book with an intention to absorb it and learn from it, then there is a higher possibility that you’ll be able to apply the lessons in your life and in effect, you’ll be able to retain more from that nonfiction book.

Here are 5 powerful techniques that I’ve used over the years to retain what I’ve read from nonfiction books. All of these techniques are refined through personal experience so they are not perfect but they have been effective for me over the years.

#1 - Sharing is Caring:

Sharing is the single most effective technique I've found to get the most out of a nonfiction book, or anything for that matter. When you read something in a nonfiction book don’t just keep it to yourself, share it with someone. 



When you share what you’ve read with others it multiplies your understanding of the concept. Not everyone will share the same perspective as you do on that topic and when you get to hear those different perspectives your mindset tend to grow as well in the process.

#2  - Read a Book Multiple Times:

Good books deserve to be read multiple times. Reading once isn't enough. We are constantly evolving, so when you reread a book at a different phase of your life, you are bound to discover new lessons, and gain fresh perspectives, and new ideas.

As you grow, your capacity as an individual changes. You are not the same person you were before. Sometimes you are able to grasp a certain concept at a later stage of your life and understand it in a better way.



I’m not suggesting to re-read the entire book cover to cover. You can just reread your favorite chapters or chapters or sections that you didn’t quite understand the first time around. Repetition of content is a highly effective way to build retention.