How to Read and Remember

Our taking of information into the mind through reading may be compared to our taking of food into the stomach. In both instances we must be selective. The eater, even when just satisfying his appetite, is foolish to take into his stomach that which is indigestible or that which offers no real benefit to the body, or worse, may even poison him. For best results, for long-lasting benefits, food should be easily digested and assimilated by our bodies.

Schedule for personal reading. Having selected the right kind of material to read, you need to take the next step. This is to establish a schedule of reading that will fit into your particular life pattern. If you fail to set aside specific days, or evenings, for periods of reading, your efforts are likely to be too haphazard to be successful.

Thoughtful reading requires ample time as well as surroundings that favor pondering over the material examined. But not all your reading will be done during extended study periods. If you can set aside even ten or fifteen minutes regularly each day to do some reading, you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish. Some persons do this reading early in the morning, or before going to bed at night. Others read while riding public transportation en route to their place of secular employment or school, or during their lunchtime. In some homes, the entire family read together for five or ten minutes after one meal each day or just before going to bed. Regularly doing some reading every day, produces good results.

Memory aids. To benefit fully from what we read, we need to remember it. People will often say that they do not remember because they have a bad memory. It may be in many instances, however, simply an untrained or un-tasked memory. It is the course of wisdom to endeavor to get the most good out of the reading that we do. Much of the good would be lost if the material read were quickly forgotten. We need to learn how to read so as to remember. There are a number of suggestions that have worked well for experienced readers. They may assist you.

Read Phrases: 
As you read, endeavor to read phrases or word groupings rather than individual words. This will make it possible to speed up your reading and will help you to grasp ideas instead of struggling with words. For usual reading, do not sound out the words or move your lips as you read, and do not make a practice of backing up to read again unless it is to impress a key thought. Of course, for weighty, involved material you need to slow down so as to be sure to get the right thought. You may even want to read it aloud, or in an undertone.

Use a Marker: 
It also helps if you read with pencil in hand, underlining key words and otherwise noting special points you may wish to go over again. Underlining, however, should be done sparingly, for if overdone it defeats the purpose of isolating the principal ideas. When you come across some specially valuable explanation or an argument that could be used to meet some common objections. It would be helpful to make note of the page and paragraph at the back of your book. Then it can be found quickly when needed. Never mark a book, of course, unless it is your own property.

Reflection: 
You cannot just read through an article or a book without pausing, reflecting, comparing the information with what facts you already know on the subject-not if you really want to remember the outstanding points. Learn to analyze what you read, taking note of reasons given and arguments in support of conclusions that are presented. Also, be on the lookout for principles that apply to your life and that are a guide to daily living. Pause to consider how you can apply them.

Scanning: 
In a serious reading of your school books it is often helpful to consider first the title and the logical order of the table of contents. This will impress on your mind the overall theme. When you prepare to read a magazine article or a chapter in a book, look first at the various subheadings. These show the order in which the theme will be developed. Be alert to take note of topic sentences, which usually appear near the beginning of each paragraph. They will often tell you in a nutshell what the paragraph is about. Concentrate on getting the overall view of the subject on which you are reading.

Visualize: 
Another suggestion is to try to visualize what you read, making mental pictures as an aid to memory. In imagination see the actors and the background, hear the sounds and voices, smell the odors, taste the food and drink, share the happiness or grief of a situation. Try to put yourself in the scene being described. Every sense can be brought into play imaginatively to reproduce vividly the account in the material you are reading. Passages of the material can be more easily committed to mind in this way.

Review: 
When you come to the close of a chapter, give it a final brief mental review. Then compare your mental outline with the written material again.

Discuss: 
If possible, discuss with someone else the points you have covered, doing so while they are still fresh in mind. Your expression of them will deepen the impression on your mind, while the other person may well be able to add to your fund of knowledge on the subject. If you have found some practical field points, use them in your preaching ministry as soon as possible. This, too, will fix the material in your memory.

Value of effective reading. 
Reading has a direct influence on our lives. The kind of work we do, the skills we develop, our enjoyment of life, our spiritual growth are all connected with our reading ability. Without this ability to read one is denied much of the richness of learning and experience. Parents can help to train their children to read by a systematic home program of reading. From time to time it would be good to call on your children to read aloud. If you are not a fluent reader, it would be well worth your while to practice for fifteen to thirty minutes each day. In a few months you will experience satisfying results.

Good reading habits, scheduled times for reading and research, and use of the various suggestions outlined here will greatly improve your reading ability. You will be able to remember more of the precious information, so as to apply them in your life and relationship with others. Even elderly persons can improve their ability to remember if they practice the points here offered. No one should feel that he is too old to benefit.

Conclusion 
Our appreciation for the gift of reading can greatly be enhanced by our diligence in reading and remembering that all effort is recommended if positive result must be attained as a student, teacher or any other profession.

For those who read just as a pastime, for their own entertainment, remembering what they read is of little importance. But for someone who is studying for a profession, it is vital to remember what he reads in his textbooks. Passing an examination and entering upon the chosen occupation depend on it.

Our taking of information into the mind through reading may be compared to our taking of food into the stomach. In both instances we must be selective. The eater, even when just satisfying his appetite, is foolish to take into his stomach that which is indigestible or that which offers no real benefit to the body, or worse, may even poison him. For best results, for long-lasting benefits, food should be easily digested and assimilated by our bodies.

So, too, with our reading. Whether it is casual or serious reading, what we take in should be mentally digestible and it should be something that will lastingly benefit our minds. Obviously it is unwise to feed the mind on that which is untrue, godless or immoral, and which may therefore cause spiritual indigestion. And why waste time reading material of little value? Just as we are selective in what we eat, so we should be in what we read.