Why do I forget what I read

Are you reading the pages or are you simply skimming? If you are reading thoroughly, you should retain at least some of the information but it's very easy to forget things as soon as you have read them.

How often to you read?

I was never a big reader and did not pick up a book by my own will up until just 2 years ago... but only because I wasn't good at it and I couldn't remember anything that I read.

About 2 years ago when I discovered self improvement, I stopped watching TV and picked up my first book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

Naturally, I stunk at it, but in time I got better and slowly started to remember everything that I was reading. To this day though, I will forget some paragraphs that I read but I simply go back and read them over and over again until they sink in...

The reason for my not remembering what I read is I'm simply not involved in the book. My mind is pondering something else while I'm reading the words of the book. This will generally happen when I start reading, but once I get warmed up and deeply involved, it's smooth sailing from there...

I also believe that it is very important to enjoy what you are reading and become captivated by it. Example: I'm reading "Outwitting the Devil" by Napoleon Hill right now and I flew through half the book in just 2 days(a record for me). I have never been so addicted to a book like I am with this one...

To sum it up, keep reading to get better at it. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect. And read something you truly enjoy reading. Don't force yourself to read something that's not fun or interesting to you. This will link negative emotions to reading which will keep you from reading at all...

BTW excellent advice MikeHuff! I will definitely use this...

Edit: Be in a quiet place where there are no distractions. If you can't find one, pop in some earphones and play some soothing music. I listen to a meditation channel on Pandora when I can't get away from noise...

It is important that you read and then understand what you read. If the case that you do that and you still forgot then you're right, your memory is weak better consult. How old are you anyway?

Studies have shown that retention is improved when we take frequent breaks. Without breaks, everything kind of runs together. But with frequent breaks it's easier to "chunk" the information into memorable packets.

Try reading one story and putting the book down. Go do something else for a few minutes and come back and read another story. I think you'll find your retention improves.

Possibly...your reading sessions might be too long.
Your mind could be on other things as you're reading.

Try...20 to 40 minute reading sessions (set the timer )
Try to imagine the story as you read line by line.
Consider your reading sessions an important daily activity.

The book "How to Read a Book" might help

I agree with Mike. Taking notes and then reviewing them really helps me. Otherwise I think we all have so much going on in our lives that our minds tend to wander while we are reading.

Same thing with watching a You Tube video. Taking short notes and going back over them really helps me.

I totally agree with some of you guys.

What I personally do is keeping a journal of the things that I have read and liked.

Read through them from time to time.

The brain has it's way to store information especially if you see them often.

Because you perhaps concentrate on too many things at a time.

Lot's of probable causes if you could see and read the comments here, i bet you are trying each and every advice then let us now if still doesn't work.

I used to have a memory like a sieve until I started meditating. Your brain actually stores all memories just fine. It's the retrieval that causes problems :-)

When you meditate, you relax your mind and it's much easier to dig into the archives. Whenever I want to remember something, I meditate, visualize that I am easily remembering "the story I just read" (or whatever), and then relax and allow it to come without forcing it (NO "come on, dammit, remember!"). Almost without fail, the memory comes up very soon. If not, I meditate on it again just before I go to bed. Either during the night or first thing in the morning, voila!

Underline the most important concepts. Take some notes in each chapter.
Close the book after reading for a while and ask yourself what you learned.


Good luck!

Try to create interest on the topic you are reading. Otherwise you will not be able to remember them.

There's nothing wrong with you.....

Instead of just reading the words, understand the meaning and the lesson in the story....
then share it to as many people as you can, as soon as you can...

Hi

In tests, subjects who read a book once had very poor comprehension a week later. This is normal!

The way to remember what you read is to makes notes as you go - as someone else said: but then the important thing is to REVIEW those notes 24 hours and 7 days later.

Studies show that subjects who read the book, made notes, reviewed next day - only taking 5-10 minutes - then repeated the review 7 days later retain ten times as much as the person who just read once.

So that's the answer to remembering what you read!

Also, rather counter-intuitively, if you speed read you are likely to remember more (as long as you review) because you develop the habit of distilling out the most important facts in the topic.

:-)

Malc

It's quite possible that you are not in the present moment when you are reading. It could be that your mind wanders to other things. I have done this myself many times. I read a page and then realize after that I didn't even absorb anything I just read. Similar to when we are driving(although it is very dangerous) but many of us let our minds wander while driving and arrive at our destination without even knowing or remembering how we got there. Sometimes, referred to as "hypnotic driving".
This could be what is happening to you when you read. You are going through the motion of reading the words but not letting your mind stay focused on the words. When you notice this happening, stop and refocus back to the page and this time let your mind stay there.
Hope that helps!
Tracey

re=read it over and over. It's really impossible for most of us to comprhend what is being told the first time. You think you might know and maybe you do but re-read it anyways. I'm in the process of reading "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" by T. Harv Eker. Actually it's by third time going though the book cover to cover.

I'm reading The Power of Now, its hard to get my head round but I'm getting there.

Read it aloud and record yourself to play it back for review.