Be honest — how many times have you read a chapter, closed the book, and then realized you can’t recall a single thing you just read? Maybe you even highlighted entire pages, took neat notes, or told yourself “I’ll come back to this later.” But when “later” comes, the ideas are gone.

It’s frustrating. You put in the effort. You spend the time. Yet your memory feels like a leaky bucket — no matter how much knowledge you pour in, most of it drains away.

Here’s the thing: this problem isn’t your fault. Most of us were never actually taught how to read for memory. In school, we were told to “read carefully” or “read again if you don’t get it.” But nobody explained that reading and learning are two completely different skills.

The secret isn’t about reading more books, faster, or for longer hours. It’s about reading differently — with the right strategy for each type of information.

And that’s what this post is about. I’m going to show you a simple framework that makes remembering what you read almost effortless. It’s based on two phases that mirror how we eat food:

1. Consumption – taking in information (just like eating).

2. Digestion – processing that information so your brain absorbs it (just like extracting nutrients from food).
   
   

Once you understand this difference, you’ll see why so many reading attempts fail — and more importantly, how to fix it.

By the end of this guide, you’ll not only know why you forget what you read, but also exactly what to do to make ideas stick — whether you’re reading a textbook, a novel, or a research paper.

So, if you’ve ever wished you could finally remember everything you read and stop wasting time re-reading the same pages over and over… keep reading. 

1. The Big Misconception About Reading

Most people think: Reading = Learning.
But here’s the reality:

1. Reading = Consuming

2. Learning = Digesting what you consumed

You don’t forget because you’re dumb or lazy. You forget because you’re trying to process all information the same way. But not all information is created equal.

Reading is a set of micro-skills. Just like cooking involves chopping, boiling, and seasoning, reading involves decoding, understanding, linking, and rehearsing. Skip the last two, and the memory fades.

3. The Six Types of Information (and How to Remember Each One)

Not all information is created equal. Reading a textbook is completely different from reading a novel or watching a tutorial. If you try to treat them the same, you’re bound to forget.

Here are the six major categories of information you consume — and the best way to digest each:

🔧 Procedural Information — How-To Steps

Example: A YouTube tutorial on fixing a bicycle.

• Digest by: Practicing immediately. Don’t just read the steps. Do them.

• Why? Because “reading about swimming won’t make you a swimmer. You’ve got to jump in the water.”
  
  

🪞 Analogous Information — Comparisons and Metaphors

Example: “Your brain is like a sponge.”

• Digest by: Creating your own analogies.

• Try asking yourself: “The mitochondria is like a power plant… so what’s my own metaphor for DNA?”
  
  

🧠 Conceptual Information — Abstract Ideas and Frameworks

Example: Reading about “opportunity cost” in economics.

• Digest by: Mind Mapping or Drawing.

• Tools like sticky notes or apps like Miro work great. Visual connections make abstract ideas stick.
  
  

📖 Narrative Information — Stories, History, Anecdotes

Example: A biography or novel.

• Digest by: Emotional Anchoring.

• Ask yourself: “What emotion did I feel? What was the turning point of this story?” Emotion burns stories into memory.
  
  

🧾 Evidence-Based Information — Data, Stats, and Studies

Example: “60% of people forget what they learn in 24 hours.”

• Digest by: Critiquing or Teaching.

• Argue with it. Explain it out loud. Teach it to someone else — or pretend to.
  
  

📚 Reference Information — Facts, Dates, Formulas

Example: “Pi = 3.14159…”

• Digest by: Spaced Repetition + Mnemonics.

• Use apps like Anki, or create rhymes: “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”

Final Note

Reading without remembering is like buying food and throwing it away before eating. To truly learn, you need to pair consumption with digestion.

Remember this:

• There’s a way to eat salad, and there’s a way to eat ice cream.

• Similarly, there’s a way to process stories, and a way to process formulas.

• Treat information according to its type, and your brain will thank you.

So the next time you pick up a book or article, don’t just read. Digest. Encode. Apply.

💡 Try one of these strategies the next time you read, and see how much more sticks.
And if you’ve got that one friend who highlights everything but remembers nothing — share this with them.

Because reading is only the beginning. Remembering is where the real power begins.