3 Simple Hacks To Remember Everything You Read | Jim Kwik

Summary

The transcript emphasizes the importance of active reading for comprehension and retention. It suggests asking oneself three key questions—'How can I use this?', 'Why must I use this?', and 'When will I use this?'—to enhance learning and application. The speaker advocates for a note-taking method that separates capturing ideas from creating personal insights, aiming to integrate new knowledge into one's life. The summary also highlights the significance of motivation and the use of calendars for scheduling and implementing learned actions, ultimately leading to personal growth and productivity.

Takeaways

• 📚 Reading comprehension is improved by asking more questions while reading, which helps to engage with the material more effectively.
• ⏰ Valuable time is wasted when reading without retention; it's crucial to be intentional and focused to avoid this.
• 🤔 The speaker emphasizes a preparatory mindset before reading or listening to content, suggesting it enhances receptivity.
• 📝 Taking notes is recommended with a structured approach: capturing ideas on the left side of the page and making creative or application-based notes on the right.
• 💡 'How can I use this?' is a fundamental question to ask when reading, prompting creative thinking about applying new knowledge.
• 🛑 'Why must I use this?' is another critical question that adds a sense of urgency and necessity to the information being consumed.
• 🏆 'Who's counting on me?' is a question that leverages self-awareness and the motivation that comes from knowing others rely on one's success.
• 🗓 The calendar is highlighted as a key tool for productivity, emphasizing the importance of scheduling time to implement learned knowledge.
• 🔍 The speaker suggests being selective with reading material, seeking a balance between information, inspiration, and actionable steps.
• 🧠 Integration of new knowledge through the questions 'How', 'Why', and 'When' leads to a powerful alignment of information, motivation, and action.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the transcript regarding reading comprehension?

The main issue discussed is the tendency to forget what one has read, which leads to wasting time and not gaining any value from the reading material.

What is the key to improving reading comprehension according to the speaker?

The key to improving reading comprehension is asking more questions while reading.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of asking questions while reading?

Questions are considered the answer because they engage the reader's mind and help in retaining and applying the information.

What is the speaker's approach to preparing for reading or listening to a podcast?

The speaker suggests putting oneself in a receptive state and taking notes to enhance understanding and retention.

What is the difference between 'taking notes' and 'making notes' as described in the transcript?

Taking notes involves capturing ideas on the left side of the page, while making notes involves creating impressions and personal reflections on the right side of the page.

What are the three magical questions the speaker suggests asking oneself while reading?

The three questions are: 'How can I use this?', 'Why must I use this?', and 'When will I use this?'

Why is the question 'How can I use this?' important according to the speaker?

This question stimulates creativity and encourages the reader to find practical applications for the information they are learning.

What is the significance of the question 'Why must I use this?' in the context of reading?

This question helps the reader to determine the necessity and urgency of applying the knowledge, increasing the likelihood of taking action.

How does the speaker relate the question 'Who's counting on me to be at my best?' to self-motivation?

The speaker uses this question to tap into one's sense of responsibility and self-awareness, which can be a powerful motivator for personal improvement.

What role does the speaker assign to the calendar in relation to reading and learning?

The calendar is considered a productivity and performance tool, where the reader can schedule time to apply the knowledge gained from reading.

What does the speaker mean by 'integration' in the context of learning and reading?

Integration refers to the process of making the learned information a part of one's identity and actions, leading to a harmonious alignment and effective performance.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Enhancing Reading Comprehension Through Active Inquiry

The speaker emphasizes the importance of active engagement while reading to avoid the common issue of forgetting what was read. They suggest that the key to comprehension is asking questions to better understand and retain information. The speaker shares their personal approach to reading, which involves being receptive and taking detailed notes. They recommend dividing the note-taking page into two sides: one for capturing ideas and the other for creating notes, which are personal impressions and applications of the captured ideas. The speaker introduces three 'magical questions' to guide this process: 'How can I use this?', 'Why must I use this?', and 'When will I use this?' These questions are designed to promote creativity, necessity, and timeliness in applying the learned material. The speaker also stresses the importance of using a calendar to schedule time for implementing the learned knowledge, thereby turning reading into a productive activity.

05:01

🗓️ Integrating Knowledge Through Implementation

In the second paragraph, the speaker continues to discuss the importance of not just acquiring information and feeling inspired but also implementing the knowledge through action. They refer to this process as 'integration,' which is the ultimate goal of learning. The speaker encourages the audience to use the three questions previously mentioned to facilitate this integration. They also highlight the significance of treating scheduled time for self-improvement activities with the same importance as other critical appointments. The speaker concludes by reiterating the need for alignment between learning and doing, suggesting that this alignment can lead to remarkable results, which may appear magical to others.

Keywords

💡Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension refers to the ability to understand and interpret written material. In the context of the video, it is emphasized as a critical skill that can be improved by asking questions while reading. The speaker suggests that not getting anything out of a page is a sign of not engaging with the material through questioning, which is a key aspect of comprehension.

💡Questions

Questions are presented as the pathway to deeper understanding and retention. The speaker posits that asking oneself questions while reading is essential for comprehension and retention, as it forces the reader to engage actively with the content. This is exemplified by the speaker's mantra 'questions are the answer'.

💡Valuable Asset

The term 'valuable asset' is used to describe time, which the speaker identifies as the most precious resource we have. The video underscores the importance of not wasting time by reading without comprehension, as it equates to not making the most of this valuable asset.

💡Note-Taking

Note-taking is discussed as a method to enhance learning and retention. The speaker introduces a unique approach to note-taking, dividing the page into two sides: one for capturing ideas and the other for creating impressions and personal insights, which is a strategy to make the reading process more interactive and meaningful.

💡Creativity

Creativity is highlighted as a key component in the learning process. The speaker encourages the use of creativity when asking 'how can I use this?' about the material being read. It's about finding personal and innovative ways to apply the knowledge gained, which is a creative act in itself.

💡Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is described as a superpower that can drive personal action. The speaker suggests that knowing oneself, including one's motivations and reasons for action, can be a powerful tool for personal development and ensuring that reading material is not just consumed but also utilized.

💡Motivation

Motivation is essential for taking action after learning. The speaker points out that without a reason or motivation to remember or use information, it is likely to be forgotten. This is tied to the idea that having a purpose or goal can significantly enhance the effectiveness of reading and learning.

💡Calendar

The calendar is presented as a productivity tool for implementing learning. The speaker suggests that scheduling time to apply what has been learned is crucial. It's about treating the time for self-improvement activities as seriously as any other important appointment, which underscores the importance of action.

💡Integration

Integration is the process of incorporating new knowledge into one's existing framework of understanding. The speaker aims for learners to not just gather information but to integrate it into their lives, making it a part of their identity and actions, which is the ultimate goal of effective reading and learning.

💡Implementation

Implementation is the act of putting knowledge into practice. The speaker stresses the importance of not just being inspired by what is read but actually doing something with that inspiration. This is where the rubber meets the road, turning reading into actionable steps that lead to results.

💡Productivity

Productivity in the video is linked to the effective use of time and the application of learned knowledge. The speaker argues that reading without an intention to use the information is unproductive, as it does not lead to any tangible outcomes or improvements in one's life.

Highlights

The key to reading comprehension is asking more questions.

If you finish reading a page and don't remember anything, it's because you're not asking the right questions.

Questions are the answer: ask, and you shall receive.

Don't just pick up a book and start reading; put yourself in a receptive state first.

While taking notes, split the page: on the left, capture ideas, and on the right, create impressions.

Three magical questions to ask while reading: How can I use this? Why must I use this? When will I use this?

The importance of motivation: if you're not motivated to remember a name, you likely won't.

Find your reason for reading—if you're not motivated, your reading will be less effective.

Tap into self-awareness: know what drives you to improve your performance.

The calendar is the number one productivity and performance tool.

If you don't use what you learn, you are no better off than someone who can't read.

Sharpen the saw: improve your tools and techniques before tackling tasks.

People are already reading a lot through social media and texts, but it's about being more selective.

Information is good, but without inspiration or implementation, it’s incomplete.

Integration happens when information, inspiration, and implementation align, leading to powerful results.

Transcripts

how many of you have been the opposite

you read something you get to the end of

the page

and then you forgot what you just read

and you go back and you re-read it

and you still don't know what you just

read

right and that's a big problem right

because you're wasting your most

valuable asset which is your time

and the key to reading comprehension is

asking more questions if you read a page

in a book get to the end and not get

anything out of it it's because you're

not asking questions because questions

are the answer questions are the answer

because ask and you shall

receive

i never just pick up a book and start

reading it i never do that i never just

listen to a podcast i put myself in a

state where i'm going to be more

receptive to it and i'm going to ask you

to take a lot of notes here and i'm

going to give you like a really

big download so when you're taking notes

i'm going to actually do something new

is i'm going to ask you to put a line

right down the page

on the left side you're going to take

notes

right you're going to capture the ideas

that i'm sharing with you on the right

side you're not going to take notes

you're going to make notes

now so on the left side i'm capturing

on the right side i'm creating

and what am i creating on the right side

i'm writing my impressions of what i'm

capturing

because if your mind gets distracted

which we naturally do i'd rather be

distracted than the right side of the

page

using my imagination for something

that's going to move me forward and what

i'm learning

now there are three magical questions

you want to ask yourself and capture on

the right side of the page i ask myself

how can i use this

now it's so basic but i like to make

the the things that are going to give

you the highest return i want to make

them as simple as possible so you do it

how can i use this and this is your

creativity you're listening to me as i

speak here and all the other speakers

and you're just asked how can i use this

because you have a dominant question you

ask all the time it's been imprinted on

you since you're a child and so on the

right side i'm thinking about questions

like how can i use this and this is like

oh there's one way i could use it

another way another way the second

question i obsess about and i would

capture on the right side

why must i use this

because if there's if it's not a must

you're not going to do it because you

have plenty of other things to do and

you know what a question i ask a lot of

is like who's counting on me

to be to win today

you know what i mean first because some

of you and i bring this up because some

of you really will do more for other

people than you will for yourself

so knowing that about yourself

self-awareness is a superpower then tap

into that you don't have to change it

tap into it who's counting on me to like

be at my best

and then you're more likely to do it and

the reason i know this is because when i

was driven so much it was really my

family who i wanted to make proud like

we all have our reasons right reasons

reap results

and even remembering people's names if

you don't have a reason to remember

their name you don't and i bet you the

names you remember are people that you

have some kind of intention

you're attracted to that person they

could be good for your business right

that something there's some kind of

motivation that's there so find your

motivation in your reading because if

you're not motivated you're not going to

you're not going to read very well is

that fair the third question i ask when

i'm reading something

is when will i use this so three

questions how

can i use this why must i use this

when will i use this three powerful

questions that lead to something which i

think the number one productivity

performance tool there is is your

calendar

because a lot of you say you want to

work out or you want to meditate or you

want to do this self-care and you know

self-love and self-care is not selfish

and you know all this stuff but but how

does your daily calendars reflect that

so when i'm taking notes when i'm

reading i'm thinking those three

questions otherwise you'll just read a

page and you're like okay three five

page is great nothing happens nothing's

different in the world because of that

all you did was invest time and so

you're no better off than somebody who's

illiterate

is that fair like if you're not going to

use what you're learning you're not

better off functionally in your life in

terms of results than somebody who can't

read at all because the seventh habit of

highly effective people by stephen covey

is what sharpen the saw really good

sharpen the saw if you have all this

wood you need to cut and we have

metaphorical like to do's and everything

else but you have a saw with a dull

blade

it makes no sense to suffer and struggle

and stress trying to do that

if it's not sharp and that's what people

are doing with their reading you're

reading probably

pages like probably dozens and dozens of

pages of books a day as it is through

texts through blogs through instagram

descriptions and everything so you're

reading you just have to choose and be

more selective what you're putting in

here

information

that's good great but sometimes you

listen to podcasts a lot of information

but there's no inspiration

to use it fair

but sometimes you can listen to a

speaker or learn something and it's

inspiring

but you don't know what to do

right is that fair so you have

information you have inspiration and

then you have implementation where

you're doing it and i feel like when you

get all three eyes together you have the

most powerful eye which is integration

that's my goal for all of you is that

when you read something you listen to

something

you you know you learn something it

becomes part of who you are it's

integrated here here and here and then

you have an alignment and what you what

how it performs is it looks like magic

to people so prompting you to with these

three questions how can i use this

why must i use this when will i use this

and then it's your calendar and then

it's going to happen just like that

appointment at your doctor's appointment

or a meeting with your investor your top

client or whatever and you got to treat

that time as the most important time

because if you can't do it for yourself

you're not going to be able to do it for

anybody else

[Music]

you