Have you ever finished a book, felt inspired, and then realised a week later you couldn’t recall much of it? You remember the feeling but not the facts. You recall the story but not the details. For many of us, reading feels like pouring water into a leaky bucket—it goes in, but much of it slips out.
This can be frustrating, especially if you’re reading for learning, growth, or work. We spend hours devouring books, only to find our memory empty when it matters most. The truth is, reading itself isn’t the problem—it’s how we process what we read.
Successful readers, scholars, and thinkers don’t just consume books—they interact with them. They use a simple trick that transforms passive reading into active retention. The best part? It’s not complicated, doesn’t require fancy tools, and works for anyone.
The Trick: active recall + teaching
The secret isn’t just reading—it’s active recall and teaching back what you’ve learned. Here’s how it works:
- Active recall means testing yourself instead of rereading. After finishing a chapter, close the book and ask yourself, “What did I just learn?”
- Teaching back means explaining the idea to someone else (or even to yourself out loud) in your own words. When you teach, your brain processes the concept deeper, turning short-term memory into long-term knowledge.
This technique is powerful because it forces your brain to engage, not just absorb.
Step 1: Pause and summarise
After each section or chapter, stop and summarise what you learned in 2–3 sentences. Don’t peek at the text—test your brain.
Example: If you read about “atomic habits,” summarise it as: “Small, consistent actions compound into big changes over time.”
Step 2: Ask and answer questions
Turn content into questions. For example:
- What is the main idea of this chapter?
- How does this apply to my life?
- Why is this important?
When you challenge your brain with questions, you strengthen recall.
Step 3: Teach it back
Find someone to explain the idea to—your friend, colleague, or even your journal. If you can’t explain it clearly, you haven’t fully learned it yet.
Richard Feynman, the Nobel-winning physicist, famously used this approach: simplify what you learn until even a child could understand it. This is known as the Feynman Technique.
Step 4: Use notes, but differently
Instead of copying sentences word-for-word, rewrite concepts in your own words. This forces you to process rather than parrot. Add personal examples to connect it to your life.
Step 5: Space it out
Memory strengthens with repetition. Revisit your notes or summaries after 24 hours, then again after a week. This is called spaced repetition, and it makes your recall sharper with less effort.
Why does this trick work?
- It engages your brain. Passive reading doesn’t stick. Active recall builds strong memory links.
- It makes learning personal. Teaching forces you to use your own language, which is easier to remember.
- It turns knowledge into action. When you reflect on an application, you naturally internalise lessons.
Real-life example
Imagine you’re reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. Instead of finishing the book and forgetting, you:
- Summarise: “Deep work means focused work without distraction for meaningful results.”
- Teach: Explain to a friend why checking emails every 10 minutes destroys productivity.
- Apply: Block 2 hours the next day for distraction-free work.
Now, instead of fading, the lesson becomes a part of your routine.
Final thoughts
The problem isn’t forgetting—it’s passive reading. By using the active recall and teaching-back trick, you’ll find yourself remembering more from a single book than from ten skimmed ones.
The next time you pick up a book, don’t just read—engage, question, and teach. That’s how you turn words into wisdom.
Because real knowledge isn’t what you read—it’s what you remember and use.
