Learn These 6 Reading Comprehension Strategies to Retain What You Read

Reading comprehension is essential for learning from books. 

Without it, even the best insights can slip through the cracks.

Let me break it down for you this way. 

Think about someone you admire from a distance—someone you'd like to learn from. For me, a few names come to mind: Theodore Roosevelt, Ryan Holiday, John Calvin, and Francis Schaeffer. Three of these four have passed away, but I can still enjoy a conversation with them and Ryan Holiday without knowing them personally. 

How? By reading their books.

You see, reading a book is like talking with the author.

If you're reading a nonfiction book, you're most likely interested in learning from the author. Whether you are looking for an answer to a question, a solution to a problem, or how to do something new, you purchased their book to help you along the way. 

This sounds obvious, but it's important to point out.

When you purchase a book, you do so because you believe the author knows more about the topic than you do. If this isn't the case, let me offer you unsolicited advice: Don't buy their book.

To get everything out of the books you read, you need to think of yourself as a student while you read. You want to treat the book before you like sitting in a classroom with the author. 

You are the student.

The author is the teacher.

And this shift in mindset makes all the difference.

In this post, I'll walk you through six practical steps you can take to not only understand what you read but to retain it and put it into action. From previewing your material to taking thoughtful notes, I'll show you how to make the most of your reading, whether tackling a classic text or diving into a modern nonfiction book. 

Let's get started.

6 reading comprehension strategies

To comprehend a book, there are 6-steps you need to take. This process should be done in its entirety and in the order below to best digest the material you read.  

Step 1: Get an overview

Before reading a book, even when speed reading, fight the urge to sit down, open up your book or e-reader, and start reading from beginning to end. It's best to take a few moments to preview what you are about to read. This way, you can prepare to comprehend as much as possible.

This may sound counterintuitive, but hear me out.

Over the years, different reading comprehension methods (SQR3 and PQRST) have included this step because it works. Giving yourself a preview of what you are about to read goes a long way in preparing you to become an active reader, which ultimately enhances your reading comprehension. 

When it comes to getting an overview, here's what you need to do: 

• Know what you are going to read (e.g., one chapter)
• Skim the introduction and conclusion
• Familiarize yourself with the chapter title and section headings
• Identify any points of emphasis (e.g., bold, italics)
• Limit yourself to 3–5 minutes

Remember, the point of this step isn't to learn everything. The idea is to prepare to ask questions and engage with the material on a deeper level, which leads me to the next step. 

Step 2: Ask questions

Reading a book is a conversation. And at the heart of any good conversation are some well-thought-out questions. 

As a reader, you don't want to ask just any question. This isn't the time for small talk or locker room chatter. You want to ask the right questions in the right order. This way, you'll understand what the author intended to say—not what you thought he or she said, and there's a big difference between the two.

Think about it like this: Imagine standing face-to-face with an author to discuss their book. The book they recently published has the potential to help you solve a problem, answer a question, or overcome a challenge you're facing. To maximize your time and learn as much as possible, preparing yourself for this chat is essential. And the way you do this is by asking questions.

Knowing what questions to ask before reading is a straightforward way to boost reading comprehension. Preparing questions will activate your mind to find the answers to your reading. In a sense, they serve as a North Star in guiding your efforts.

In boosting your reading comprehension, here are three questions you can use today today:

• What question is this chapter trying to answer?
• What problem does this chapter want to solve? 
• What questions would I like answered in this chapter? 

I understand you probably learned these reading comprehension tips in elementary school. But I also know it's a good idea to have a refresher.

Alright, so you're ready to talk with the author. You've previewed their book, and you are ready to ask questions. Now, it's time to prepare to record your answers, which leads us to the next step. 

Step 3: Write in your book

I'm a fan of physical books. At one point, my family and I owned well over 3,000 books. However, one year ago, we gave away at least 1,500 books.  

I like the feel of physical books—the way they feel in my hands and their smell. Most importantly, reading a physical book is ideal for my reading style and places me in the best position to have a conversation with the author. 

Writing in your book is a great way to answer the questions we just discussed. I guess you can take notes in your e-reader, but that's not for me. 

As for one caveat, jotting down fancy symbols or highlighting everything you read doesn't necessarily help you retain information. But that's not the point per se. Asking questions, actively engaging with the material, and highlighting and writing in your book along the way will position you to comprehend better what you're reading. In one way, writing in your book is like talking with the author.

Here's what I mean: It would be awkward if you met an author in person and just sat there while they spoke the entire time. It's challenging to keep a conversation going when only one person is talking, and it'd be hard for you to retain what they're saying without taking notes. If you were meeting with an author in person, and you knew they had the answer to your questions, we bet you would have a pen and paper (or phone) ready to take notes. This is like writing in your book.  

Here are a dozen ways you can liberally write in your book: 

1. Underline or highlight interesting sentences
2. Make a vertical line in the margins for interesting paragraphs or sections
3. Write questions or comments in the margins
4. Answer the questions previously mentioned in the margins
5. Circle keywords or points
6. Use a dot or asterisk to capture the main idea
7. Write notes in the margins
8. Write down the page number where an idea is repeated
9. Write numbers beside a sequence of points
10. Summarize each chapter on the blank page in between chapters
11. Create an outline of the book on blank pages in the book
12. Summarize the main idea of the book in the blank pages at the back

Don't be afraid to write in your book. Make marks. Highlight sentences. Fold the top corner of pages (called dog ears). Jot down notes. Leave your thoughts in the margins. Converse with the book you're reading.

Not convinced you should write in your book? No sweat. Feel free to use Post-It Flags to mark places in your book. If you go this route, consider purchasing a set of multicolor flags you can use to capture different ideas. For example, you can use a blue flag to draw attention to a quote and a pink flag to remind you of an essential point.

Writing in your book (or using Post-It Flags) activates your mind, helps you to comprehend what you read, and is a great way to keep track of your ideas, which takes me to the next point.

Step 4: Take notes 

When reading, it's essential to capture key findings in notes. As with many things in life, you can take notes in several equally valuable ways.

What works well for me or someone else may not be a good fit for you, and that's okay. Use what I share here as a starting point. 

a. Keep notes in your books

In the previous step, I suggested keeping notes in your books. Whether you summarize chapters, mention highlights, or rewrite key insights in the book, using the book as a notepad is one way to keep your thoughts in one spot.

One of the reasons my co-author of Read to Lead, Jeff Brown, loves this method so much is that you never have to remember where your notes are. They're in the book, and you can refer back to them with ease. Talk about a win.  

Use notecards

I started doing this at one point, but I've fallen out of the practice. In time, as I prepare to write another book, I'll pick this practice back up.

In the meantime, here's how it works: Assuming you made marks in your book after reading, go through the book page-by-page, looking for the marks you made, and then write down quotes or key insights on index cards. I started doing this after hearing about this process from Ryan Holiday (you can learn more about it here).

Use a word processor or note-taking app.

For many people, maybe you, a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs or note-taking apps such as Evernote or Apple Notes are where they store their notes.

Obviously, you can keep your notes in one of these pieces of software, and I have to admit, it's a whole lot easier to store your outlines and lengthy summaries this way.

Regardless of your choice, pick one, commit to it, and don't get too hung up on your process. You'll figure out what works best for you when taking notes.

Even though this step is geared toward increasing your retention, it's also helpful in further solidifying your comprehension since you're reengaging with the book.

Use a notebook

Another technique my co-author, Jeff, leaned on the most for his reading notes was to use a single notebook. In going this route, he doesn't use this notebook for anything other than keeping notes from what he reads. He would keep this notebook by his side while reading. He'd add notes to it regularly, and he would only move on to a new notebook once it was complete.

Again, there are many note-taking options. Even though I prefer physical options, go for it as long as you're taking and keeping notes.

Step 5: Review your notes 

Here's the thing about notes: They're not helpful if you never look at them.

How often you review your notes is up to you and your situation. If you're a student preparing for an exam, it's ideal to keep what you study fresh by frequently reviewing it. To retain what you read, consider revisiting the notes you've read every several months or more.

To be successful in this step, it's key to nail down the previous step. For example, in preparing to write Read to Lead, I skimmed back through a dozen or more books to help me wrap my brain around what I wanted to share. Even though this was before I used a notecard system, I still left marks on the books I read, making it easy to write down the essential ideas.

Reviewing your notes is helpful for writing books and for many other things. Whether you're preparing for a presentation, developing new business ideas, or drafting a speech, reviewing your notes will be like adding nitroglycerin to your fuel tank—it'll give your work more power. 

Step 6: Take action

There's one thing a book cannot do for you.

Know what it is? 

It cannot make you do anything—only you can do that. 

You may have found the answer to your problem in a book. But if you don't do something about it, you're still stuck. It's not like the author can hold your hand and make you do what they suggest. 

You see, "a practical problem can only be solved by action itself." 

The words you read cannot stay within the confines of your mind. You have to actively wrestle with what you're reading by asking questions, engaging with the content, and applying it to your life. Not doing this happens all of the time. We read a book on healthcare, finances, business, or whatever, and instead of applying the lessons we learned—we move on to the next book. 

We're not saying every book you read needs to be reflected upon for weeks, months, or years. But I'm saying that if you have a particular problem you're trying to resolve, then at some point in time, you have to actually implement what you're learning. This is simple in concept. But it isn't easy in practice. 

What lessons did you learn from the book you're reading? Think about the top 1–3 lessons you learned that will provide the best results for your situation, and apply them to your life. Set a goal. Share it with someone else. See what results you gain from taking action on what you read.  

Over to you

Reading is one of life’s greatest joys, but it’s also a powerful tool for growth—if you use it well. To truly benefit from the books you read, you need more than just time and effort. You need a strategy. By mastering reading comprehension and retention, you can transform reading into a conversation that equips you with actionable insights and lasting value.

Take what you’ve learned here—preview, ask questions, take notes, review, and apply. With these six steps, you’re ready to unlock the full potential of the books you read and, in turn, unlock your potential. Now, it’s your turn to take action. Happy reading!

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