How can i use reading to improve my comprehension and memory?

Submitted by Aumusa t3_yfb22u in books

First, please excuse my English, I am not native speaker. Growing up, i would read anything and everything, i was always hungry for books. Adulthood came and that love just disappeared with stress and god knows why. I finally found love with reading again now.

I am mostly interested in self improvement, psychology, science. My biggest issues now are significant decreasing in comprehension and ability to retain information (stress/ sleep deprivation and health issue). I have to read very slowly and sometimes re-read same paragraph again and again to get the idea even if it’s basic. Or if i do understand what i just read, it basically just fly out of my head when i turn the page. So Im looking for a way to improve it. Im not sure how though. Is there any method i could use to help with this? Is there any app or something like that that works for me? I am trying to go all digital to save space, and to use built in dictionary on devices. How do you guys/girls read and remember what you read? Any advice would be much appreciated. Please explain it to me like you’d do to a 5 years old. Thank you

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kallisti_gold t1_iu2mqyu wrote

Take notes. Physical notes. The act of writing will help you remember, it doesn't work the same when you're tapping on your phone screen.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2qx0h wrote

Thank you 🙏

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Chymick6 t1_iu3ejpb wrote

I can confirm, i have ADHD back at McGill university i was in a chemistry heavy field and what helped me keep a decent GPA despite living on my own was writing down notes and studying by reading and re writing my notes.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu3g34s wrote

Thank you for sharing. It’s great to know. Maybe not related but As somebody with ADHD, how do you keep your focus on task and dismiss the distraction/ other stimulation around you?

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Chymick6 t1_iu3go2u wrote

Lots of practice, I've been fortunate to be born in the military, so i had a disciplined father and access to more tools (ie a doctor that specializes in ADHD that gave me multiple strategies to help cope) it usually is shrinking down goals into smaller chunks and writing down the entire chunk line to do the thing, so to do grocery, it's plan my menu, figure out what foods i already have, make the list, figure out the space i need (i often walk) go to the store, buy and return, put away the stuff.

For most people it's go and get grocery.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu3y3fw wrote

Thank you very much for sharing

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purlingpearl t1_iu2nljq wrote

I’m currently recovering from a brain injury and my occupational therapist introduced me to the SQ3R method.

SQ3R

  • survey
  • question
  • read
  • recite
  • recall

I haven’t tried it yet, but I did read up on the method and it seems promising.

Many people online use it for studying so it could apply to your self improvement, psychology, and science books!

Another tip was to read out loud to yourself or mouth the words. I do this a lot now as I struggle to read. Haha 😅

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2pn4x wrote

Thanks for sharing. I just looked up SQ3R and it really seems promising. I will definitely check it out further to apply it. Wishing you all the best.

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purlingpearl t1_iu2q10z wrote

I hope it can work for you! Good luck and have fun! 😊

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nucleartaco130 t1_iu2niax wrote

Use sticky notes to make notes in your book so that you can go back to them later. It also looks cool imo. Like someone else said, writing things down helps you remember it better.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2qdb0 wrote

Thank you. Those colorful sticky notes are sure cute. I only got a few physical books left but this would be lovely idea to put on those.

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nucleartaco130 t1_iu2qiay wrote

What device do you use to read books? If it's something like a phone or an iPad you can take screenshots of the page and add notes that way. Keep them in an album or something so they're easy to find.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2rfbn wrote

I use kindle and ipad, actually kindle most of the time so I won’t get side track. I was wondering if there’s a way to take note directly on the books i read in ipad as the writing would be easier with the pencil

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nucleartaco130 t1_iu2rinu wrote

What reading app do you use on the iPad?

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2rrsj wrote

I just read from ibook , occasionally would use kindle app

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nucleartaco130 t1_iu2t3gm wrote

You should be able to annotate it with an apple pencil. Try tapping the page (with the pencil), click the annotation tool in the sidebar, and then you should be able to highlight and add notes to selected text. I'm bad at explaining stuff LOL but let me know if it works! I'm not sure about kindle though.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2tn05 wrote

Thank you, i just tried it, i can’t believe i have been missing the “note” word next to the “hightlight” word all these time using the ipad 😂. Now im going to fiddle with the kindle app

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Aumusa OP t1_iu2txsh wrote

Kindle has similar functions too. Now i feel like i just came out from a rock. Lol.

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nucleartaco130 t1_iu2uvlr wrote

Haha you're welcome, no worries! Enjoy. It's always fun discovering new features (even if they've been there this whole time 😆).

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anch_7515-7485-7889 t1_iu46gg8 wrote

I strongly suggest that, if you go digital, you steer away from mobile/pc/table. Having trouble retaining information may be directly linked to social media use, multitasking, mental fatigue, poor diet, poor sleep. Physical books and e-readers help you because you don't have the chance to switch to another tab.

Before you try any complicated method, try to set up the room where you read to be quiet, turn off notification or leave your phone in another room, have a soft light, no background noise. You basically need to be quiet and concentrated. It's normal to forget some stuff you read, I read a lot and some books I completely forgot after a month. But at least you'll give your brain quiet time and you get used to focus.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu48ze2 wrote

Thank you for the suggestion. Yes, i tried to stay with kindle most of the time. I don’t even have any other social media app on my devices, but they sure keep me distracted while reading as i would not be able to resist the urge to look up something from the book, then before i know it, i would be reading news and non related stuff that pop up while i was searching.

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Shoebill333 t1_iu4q5r3 wrote

Try reading "The Art of Memory" by Frances A. Yates. The concept of a "memory palace" is extremely useful for improving one's own memory.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu4ss0z wrote

Thank you for the suggestion

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Mr_Tulkinghorn t1_iu4rq06 wrote

>My biggest issues now are significant decreasing in comprehension and
ability to retain information (stress/ sleep deprivation and health
issue). I have to read very slowly and sometimes re-read same paragraph
again and again to get the idea even if it’s basic. Or if i do
understand what i just read, it basically just fly out of my head when i
turn the page.

  1. If your mind is distracted by other things while you're reading then you're likely to be reading the words at a superficial level without taking on the meaning of those words. You're not retaining that information because you're only reading the words at a surface level. This can happen to anyone. The only "cure" is to either "resolve" the things that you're worrying about so that you have time to read without distraction, or find a time to read that allows you to give yourself a break from all your worries during that time.
  2. If you're having difficulty with comprehension because you're reading in English and English is not your native language, then it might help to read some easier books (in a more relaxed way, i.e. without having to think so hard) and gradually increase the difficulty level of the books you're reading. Or have a dictionary on hand, so that you're not relying so much on your intuition and trying to piece together the meaning of a sentence when you encounter a word you're unfamiliar with.
  3. Some books are more engaging than others. If you find you can't "get into" a book and you keep re-reading the same paragraphs because the book seems boring and it's failing to draw you in. Pick up a different book. Return to that book, if you want to, at a later time, at which point you might find yourself getting into it without having to try.
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indigo-fog t1_iu72git wrote

Try going for a walk first, and then when you return home immediately pick up your book and read a paragraph (or chapter). Doing a bit of cardio helps your brain perform.

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Aumusa OP t1_iu797zc wrote

☺️ thank you! i learnt something new today.

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