How to retain more from the books you read

The author of *Influence*, Cialdini, revealed a technique to one of his readers: On a flight to Omaha, he was reading a book. While reading, he took notes, and after finishing each chapter, he would take out a blank sheet of paper and write a summary of what he had read. He then filed these notes in a separate folder. This practice allowed him to have a deeper understanding of the content, and in the future, these summaries would serve as valuable references for him.

Similarly, in the book *The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills*, author Daniel Coyle writes: Research shows that people who follow Strategy B (reading 10 pages and then closing the book to write a one-page summary) remember 50% more content in the long term compared to those who follow Strategy A (reading 10 pages four times to try to memorize the material).