乔里·麦凯 李苹

A random sampling of the worlds most successful people will show one common trait： a love of reading. Reading is the easiest way to continue the learning process， increase empathy， boost creativity， and even just unwind from a long day. But books can also change the way we think and live.

So theres the why of reading， but what about the how？ Too often we get through a book， flip the last page， sit back， and think， “What the hell did I just read？” Reading and being able to use what youve read are completely different things.

Understanding how to get the most out of your time reading starts with understanding why we remember things at all， and then figuring out the best way to use that information.

The basics of memory

Without purpose and intention， the ideas sparked while reading easily slip away. Learning to hold onto them means understanding how our memory works. For the purposes of reading retention， we can think of our memory as being basically made up of three components： Impression. Association. Repetition.

Read to be impressed （and to impress others）

When youre impressed by something， theres a much higher probability that youll remember it. This could mean a phrase or quote that catches you off guard or changes the way you think about a certain topic. Or an interesting fact that youll want to teach someone later on.

Just like a teacher is able to master a subject because they know theyll be teaching it later on， attacking a book with the same level of purpose means youll be able to recall information a lot quicker.

Having a clear question in mind or a topic youre focusing on can make all the difference in helping you to remember and recall information. While this can be as easy as defining a subject to look into beforehand， if time is no object heres how to effectively “hack” your brain into being impressed with the subject matter：

Before reading

Ruin the ending. Read reviews and summaries of the work. Youre trying to learn why something happened， so the what is secondary. Frame your reading with knowledge around the subject and perspective of whats being said and how it relates to the larger topic.

During reading

As you read， have a specific purpose in mind and stick to it. Dont let your mind be the river that sweeps your thoughts away as you read. Be a ruthless notetaker. Your librarian might kill you for this， but using a technique such as marginalia （writing notes in the margin and marking up key patterns for follow-ups）， will make you a more active reader and help lock information in your memory.

After reading

Engage with the material. Write a summary or analysis of the main ideas you want to recall or use， research supporting topics and ideas noting how they connect with what youve read， and then present， discuss， or write about your final ideas.

Make associations with what you already know

Association is a peg upon which you hang a new idea， fact， or figure. When you know where the peg is located， its a lot easier to find what youve hung upon it. As you read and come across new ideas and thoughts， youll want to connect and associate these with familiar memories as a means of creating a bond between old and new. There are many different ways to create associations in your mind， from pairing new thoughts with familiar objects， to creating acronyms.

Repeat， revisit， and re-engage

The final factor influencing our memory， and the one that is most important for long-term memorization， is repetition. Without revisiting or re-engaging with the material that youve read， theres a pretty low chance youll be able to remember and apply any of that knowledge in the real world.

This doesnt necessarily mean you need to read through the book multiple times （although that does help）. But rather， that you need to have a method for taking and organizing notes around the key parts you want to revisit later on.

How the smartest people read

Reading with intention is the sum of all of the parts of memory—it means that you have a specific goal at hand （impression）， that you want to connect what youre reading to other information （association）， and that it is something youre invested in and will come back to again and again （repetition）.

Heres how some of the most well-read and successful people organize their thoughts and get the most out of reading：

Ryan Holiday： author and marketer

Ryan uses a method he picked up from his mentor Robert Greene.

Heres the rundown：

While reading， write detailed notes in the margins and then fold the bottom corner of any page youve written on.

After a week or two， come back to the book and transcribe the notes youre still impressed by onto 4×6 cards.

Each card gets a category or theme in the top righthand corner （or you can use color-coded cards）.

Organize the cards by category （or by chapter if youre working on a book project）. This way you can move them around as you please and connect random ideas （the basis of creativity）.

Maria Popova： author and founder of Brainpickings.org

Maria relies on making her own indexes of books in order to quickly scan whats inside and connect it to what shes writing. Heres how it works：

While reading， highlight any passages or quotes you find interesting （making notes in the margin）.

In the back （or front） of the book， create an index listing each page youve highlighted and what category the note should be under （This could be “C” for creativity， or even the title of your latest project）.

Austin Kleon： artist， author

Artist and author Austin Kleon leverages the fact that our brains respond better to visual information by taking notes in a mind map fashion. Heres how he explains it：

“Im trying to construct a 2-D memory palace on paper. By making notes in a non-linear manner， by arranging images and words in space， I can see connections that would otherwise be impossible with just words written in sequence.”

Josh Kaufman： bestselling author of The Personal MBA

While not as intricate or as interesting as some of the other methods， Joshs method named “The McDowell Grid” is an excellent way to connect new thoughts with your own opinions and ideas. Heres how The McDowell Grid works：

Create a simple two-column grid.

On one side， write the fact， thought， or quote you are impressed by.

On the other side， write your own personal reaction and thought.

Thats it！ This way， when you revisit your reading notes later on， youll be able to put yourself back into the same frame of mind you were in when you originally read.

Reading is one of the great joys of life. And while it is an incredible way to unwind from the busyness of our day-to-day lives， reading with intention allows us to increase our skills and learn from the lives of others.              ■

對世界上最成功的人进行随机抽样，你会发现他们有一个共同的特点：热爱阅读。阅读是一种最简单的方法，能让人持续学习、增强同理心、激发创造力，甚至是从漫长的一天中放松下来。不过，书籍也可以改变我们思考和生活的方式。

这是阅读的原因，可如何阅读呢？我们常常读完一本书，翻过最后一页，舒舒服服地坐好，心想：“我刚才到底读了些什么？”阅读和能运用所读的知识完全是两码事。

要想了解如何从阅读时间中获得最大收获，首先要了解我们究竟为何能记忆并找到利用这一点的最佳方式。

记忆的基本要素

没有目的和意图，阅读时激发出的想法很容易溜走。学会抓住这些想法就要理解记忆的运作方式。以阅读记忆为目的，我们可以认为记忆基本由三部分组成：印象、联系、重复。

给自己（及别人）留下印象

当你对某件事印象深刻时，记住这件事的机率会高很多。这可能是一个短语或引语，或令你意想不到，或改变你思考某个话题的方式;也可能是某个有趣的知识，让你想以后分享给别人。

就像老师之所以能够精通一门课程，是因为他们知道自己以后会教这门课一样，用同等目的来攻读一本书，回忆起信息的速度会快很多。

头脑中有清晰的问题或专注于一个话题对帮助记忆和回忆信息十分重要。虽然这和事先确定研究主题一样简单，但如果时间充裕的话，以下方法能帮助你有效“侵入”大脑，加深对主题的印象：