Read More and Make it Stick

Reading is great.

You can stand on the shoulders of giants, dive into the thinking of others, or explore new worlds. However, in today’s fast-paced world, finding time (or motivation) to read can be challenging.

I’ve always loved reading, but if a book didn’t grab my attention, getting myself to sit down and start was tough. Sometimes I’d feel stuck and read less than I wanted—just a handful of books a year.

Image created in cooperation with MS Copilot

Since 2021 I have been participating in a yearly reading challenge at Goodreads.

Having a reading goal in mind helps.

But, reading isn’t just about counting how many books you finish. When it comes to non-fiction, you’re probably reading to learn something new, right? That’s why it’s so important to remember what you’ve read—it’s what makes the learning stick!

In this article, I wan to share the strategies that helped me to read more and to remember what I’ve read better.

Read more

1. Set reading goals

There have been times in my life (years at school and uni) where I’ve read more and there have been years I haven’t been reading much.

I love a good competition, even if it’s just with myself. Setting a yearly reading goal and tracking my progress reduces the initial friction of getting started with the first page and keeps me motivated to dive into more books!

Since I’ve discovered Goodreads, I eagerly dive into a yearly reading challenge. At the start of a year, you set a target for the number of books you want to finish in a particular year and then keep track of your progress.

2. Reading before bed

This is nothing new.

We have known it since we were kids.

However, it still is an effective strategy. Why?

Reading before bed not only helps you wind down but also creates a consistent reading habit that helps you read more in the long run.

To me, the key is to read every evening. And yes I cannot hold up to that every evening, I know. However, I won’t miss two evenings in a row - this is non-negotiable. Because, I’ve found out that if you miss out twice or more, the non-reading becomes the habit and not the other way round.

Here’s another tip: pick the right books for your evening read. Avoid anything too heavy, like scientific books or papers that require lots of note-taking. Novels are a great choice, and so is lighter non-fiction.

3. Reading while commuting

There are these “dead times” in our day when we’re not doing much, and yet the time just slips away. Commuting on a train or bus is a perfect example of this.

Most people grab their cell phones and doom-scroll.

However, commuting (if it is longer than 10 minutes) can be a great time to grab a good book. E-books are especially helpful if you don’t want to bring your 700+ page novel with your small bag.

And what if you are commuting by car?

Audiobooks are a great option.

4. Listening to audiobooks

Some die-hard bookworms would argue that listening to audiobooks is not comparable to reading. I have to admit, I believed that myself for a few years.

But then a particular platform offered me a 3-month trial, and since I spend almost 10 hours a week commuting by car, I thought, why not give it a try?

And I found out. Yes, it definitely is different from reading.

However, it is not worse.

It is just different.

I’m not a big fan of audiobooks for most novels (they are great for longer classics you wouldn’t otherwise read though), but they’re perfect for non-fiction. With tools like voice assistants, you can even take notes by dictating.

5. Curate your reading list.

This is related to setting reading goals, but it goes further. It helps you to answer the question: What book should I read next?

In 2021, I had one big “books to read” list with over 40 entries, filled with recommendations from friends, peers, and seminars. While that list was helpful, I found that curating a reading list specifically for the year works even better. I did this for 2023 and 2024, and it helped me read more than before because the goal was much clearer.

If you want to curate your personal reading list, I’d recommend the following strategies:

• Prioritize: List books based on your interests and priorities.
• Mix it up: Include a variety of genres and formats (e.g., physical books, e-books, audiobooks) to keep things interesting.
• Don’t over-define: If your goal is to read 12 books next year, don’t pre-define all 12 books, start with half of it, and keep the rest open for recommendations and new releases down the line.

6. Join a book club

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. - Jim Rohn

I’m not sure if this is completely true, but as humans, we do tend to adapt to those around us. So, being part of a group of readers can definitely help you read more. It creates accountability and gives you access to awesome book recommendations from others.

I haven’t been part of a book club yet, but it’s something I’m definitely going to try!

Make it stick

Reading more is great, but if you read non-fiction, you most likely want to retain and apply what you read. Therefore, you should make it stick.

I learned this the hard way: after finishing my first few non-fiction books, I realized I didn’t remember much. Luckily, I found a method that helped me remember what I read, and it became my first Medium article last year.

In the following, I’d like to share some of the lessons I’ve learned.

1. Take notes

Taking notes is a game-changer for retaining the information from books.

Read with a pencil in your hand. - unknown

I wouldn’t go as far and actually grab a pencil while reading (especially if you are reading an e-book, or listening to an audiobook). However, I am fond of the mindset of reading to take notes.

What note-taking technique works best for me depends on the type of book.

• Notes while listening to an audiobook: I mostly consume audiobooks when I am physically doing something (driving, cleaning, …). Therefore, writing down notes isn’t feasible. Instead, I make use of the voice assistant and dictate what I definitely want to remember.
• Highlighting: This would work for all forms of written books, but for some reason, I don’t like to jot down notes in a physical book. I like to pass them on to someone else and don’t want to bother anybody with my notes. However, I really like to make use of highlighting in e-books.
• Summarize new knowledge from your reading session: I try to do this for all the different formats. After I finish a reading session, I take a brief moment and write down in a short format what I just read and want to remember.

2. Write a summary

Taking notes is great, but I’ve found that turning them into a book summary helps me get even more out of what I’ve read.

It’s funny—I didn’t like doing summaries back in school, but now I see the value in them. A summary lets you (1) revisit the key ideas later without re-reading the entire book, and (2) improve your retention right away.

When I write a summary, I make sure to include three key parts:

1. A summary (3-5 sentences) capturing the main idea of the book. This is great for when you want to revisit a book but only have a little time.
2. A longer, more detailed summary. This is great if I want to use the main ideas of the books (e.g. in a blog post).
3. Bullet points of lessons I’ve learned and ideas the book inspired in me.

I’ve made it a habit to finish my book summary before marking it as “read” on Goodreads - it’s my way of making sure I actually process what I’ve learned!

1. Apply what you learn

There is one thing that’s even better for retention than summaries: applying what you’ve learned.

When you read a non-fiction book, it’s probably because you want to learn something you can use. But don’t wait too long to put it into action - I’ve learned this the hard way.

I’ve read so many books and thought, “I’ll definitely use this later,” only to forget about it completely.

For the past few years, I’ve been adding action tasks from books to my to-do list. It’s a simple way to make sure I actually follow through on the things I want to try or apply.

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Thank you so much for reading my article. I hope you’ve found it helpful and I got you motivated to read more in 2025!