There’s something quietly transformative about reading. It invites you to slow down, breathe, and think deeply in a world that’s always rushing.
For me, it started with something simple reading just ten pages a day. It didn’t sound ambitious, but that small daily act became one of the most grounding and life-enhancing habits I’ve ever built. It gave me space to pause, reflect, and learn something new every single day.
Then, as life got busier events, family, work, constant distractions the habit slipped until recently, I’ve found my way back, and this time I understand something that changes everything: it’s not just about reading more; it’s about remembering better because the real magic of reading isn’t in turning the pages it’s in turning knowledge into lasting understanding.
If you’ve ever closed a book you loved and then realised, a week later, you can’t recall most of it you’re not alone. Psychologists estimate that within one hour of reading, we forget around 50% of what we’ve learned, and after 24 hours, that can rise to as much as 70–80% unless we actively revisit and reinforce it.
In an age where information comes at us faster than ever, our attention spans have shortened dramatically. Studies show that the average adult in the UK reads fewer than 12 books a year, down from over 15 just a few years ago, and around one in two adults say they rarely read for pleasure anymore.
We aren’t forgetting because our memories are weak we’re forgetting because our focus is scattered. To truly remember what we read, we have to slow down, engage our senses, and make reading an active experience.
These days, before I open a book, I pause for a moment and ask myself why. Am I reading to learn something new, to be inspired, or to reflect? That moment of intention completely changes the experience. When your brain knows the purpose behind what you’re doing, it automatically filters and stores information differently. Focus gives memory direction.
I used to read quickly, racing through books just to finish them but when I began slowing down underlining sentences, rereading paragraphs that resonated, and pausing to think everything changed. Deep reading isn’t about speed; it’s about connection. When you take time to engage with a book, you allow your mind to feel the message, not just read the words. It’s that emotional connection that helps ideas stick.
Writing down thoughts and ideas in your own words is one of the most powerful ways to reinforce memory. The act of writing turns information into understanding. But here’s the real secret: say it aloud. Speaking what you’ve read even to yourself helps cement the knowledge in your brain. When you articulate something, you’re processing it twice: once internally and once externally.
Research suggests that when we teach or explain a concept to someone else, we can retain up to 90% of that information. So, share what you’ve read — over dinner, with a friend, in a journal, or even on a podcast. When you speak knowledge, you own it.
The best books stay with us because they touch something personal. Whenever a passage moves me, I stop and ask: how does this relate to my life right now? Maybe it shifts how I see wellness, reminds me to set a boundary, or opens my eyes to something bigger. When we link new ideas to our own experiences, our brains treat them as emotionally relevant and emotionally charged memories last far longer.
Memory is built on repetition. Revisit your highlights, reread your notes, or simply flick back through a chapter a week later. Each small moment of review strengthens those neural pathways and helps convert information into long-term memory. True learning doesn’t end when you finish the book — it deepens with every return.
If you’d like to explore this topic further, here are two wonderful reads that combine science and practice beautifully.
You Can Have an Amazing Memory by Dominic O’Brien written by an eight-time World Memory Champion, it’s full of practical tools and visual techniques to help anyone remember names, facts, and ideas and most importantly, to build confidence in how your mind works.
The Memory Book by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas a timeless guide that teaches how to remember anything using creative associations, mental pictures, and storytelling.
Reading has once again become one of the simplest and most nourishing parts of my day. Ten pages, a cup of tea, a quiet corner it’s my daily reset and now, instead of measuring how many books I finish, I think about what I take from each one. When you read with intention, slow down, write, speak, and connect what you learn to your life, something shifts. You start to remember
If like me, you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the long list of books waiting on your Kindle or stacked by your bed, take heart. It’s such a lovely feeling when you make time, open one, and simply begin. Every book holds something even if it’s just one line, one lesson, one spark that stays with you. That’s powerful and that’s what I love most about reading.