Over the past few years, I have read multiple books on the subject of learning and digesting content from books.

Reading books is a great habit, but after reading 100's of books, I realised I wasn't actually learning or retaining much from them. I'd learn lessons and have eureka moments, but then 2 weeks on, I couldn't summarise anything about the book.

That's when I started to learn about learning. Specifically, how to read.

I encourage you to give these 3 a read to help put the foundations in place to get the most from your reading time.

Book #1: Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski

I first read this book in 2020 after joining a free Coursera course provided by the authors

Here's why I think you'll love it:

• It gives a simple overview to the neuroscience of learning. This background was crucial to me understanding what's going on in the brain when we learn

• Recommends using multiple sense to boost learning efficacy i.e. read and listen, or watch and listen.

• Provides an overview on how to use metaphors and mental pictures as a powerful tool for both comprehension and retention

Book #2: Make it Stick by Henry Roediger and Mark McDaniel

This book teaches you how to learn and study based on research about how the brain understands and retains information.

Here's why I think you'll love it:

• Suggests easy-to-implement strategies to understand the underlying principles of a subject

• Covers how to leverage mental models for better comprehension

• Covers how to best implement retrieval techniques for retention

Book #3: How to Read by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren

Finally, I think everyone should read this book.

For me, this book changed my mindset towards reading in 2 ways:

1. Be intentional about what and why I'm reading a book. There are 2 types of reading for learning; a) to collect facts and b) for comprehension

2. You can 'read' a book in 15 minutes through inspectional reading. You don't have to read every word cover to cover.

Some of the techniques are even easier today such as keyword searching on e-books and availability of summaries didn't exist in the 1970's.

What approach do you use when you read a book?