How to Retain Massive Amounts of Information From the Books You Read

Reading is responsible for me multiplying my income five times over, finding a career I love, and making connections with other smart people (who also tend to love to read.)

The verdict is in, and it can be summed up by the prolific reader Charlie Munger:

“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn`t read all the time — none, zero.”

Of course, there are exceptions to this, but if you`re the type of person to point out exceptions to rules for pleasure, you`re annoying.

Before we get into my personal favorite reading comprehension strategies, let`s start by talking about the idea that ties them all together.

Don`t Be This Person

Some people treat reading like a sport.

You know these people. They talk about how many books they`ve read. It seems like they`re reading just to increase that number.

People like this don`t read to learn, they read to signal virtue. They read to appear smart, instead of reading to be smart.

The point of reading more is…whatever you want it to be. It`s a means to often unknown ends. You`re just learning, having fun, and expanding your brain with new material across wide subjects.

I started reading because my life sucked and some smart people said reading could help me fix that. The fact that I didn`t know exactly what I was trying to achieve and didn`t use books as a status symbol helped me read the right way.

Follow Naval Ravikant`s advice:

Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now.

Don`t Try so Hard

The fact you`re reading a post about reading comprehension strategies tells me you care a little bit too much about comprehending what you read in the first place. James Altucher says he holds only about 2 percent of what you read. That sounds right. Therefore, I read a lot of books on the same subject, and I also read books on other subjects.

You can see that many authors use similar stories and information. Eventually, the same anecdotes and insights are often seen, so they stick.

Don`t try to speed read. If you read slowly, read slowly. Books are meant to be enjoyed. Trying to speed read puts you in the same mindset as someone trying to learn enough to pass a test and then forget all the information.

Being less goaloriented about your reading habits actually makes reading more enjoyable and helps you retain the information better.

Never, never, never do this

I remember buying the highly acclaimed New York Times best-selling book. With a length of about 50 pages, I found it very difficult to finish.

Not because the material is too dense. I read an interesting book as well as confusing.

No, this book seems absolutely boring and useless. Some of me felt that the book had to be completed. Again, this was when I was in book addiction mode. When you are in the cult reading this book, you feel that you need to increase your score at any cost. Not you.

I put the book down and never read it again after 50 pages. I found it meaningless to read a book for reading. If the book doesn't catch me right away, I just stop reading.

Life is too short to read bad books.

Don't get in the way

Go ahead and read your fair share of business and pop psychology books. Most people who read nonfiction go through this stage. How does reading the cover of the Barnes & Noble Business Section make your reading strategy?

Knowledge from these books creates a level of understanding. If you want to read more advanced books on psychology, Thinking Fast and Slow is a good starting point. Before jumping into the extensive catalog of philosophy, TheMeditations is an excellent gateway drug.

These books are easy to read and will help you get used to reading. If there is an advantage to reading the same book that others are reading, it is the fact that it draws you into the game. The goal is to start reading the period.