Don't Be A Passive Reader: How to Retain What You Read

Regular reading is a valuable habit for solopreneurs. But it’s not enough to read a lot of books if you can’t recall anything about them. You need a system so you can track what you read, when you read it, and what you learned from it. Otherwise, you’ll be relying on your memory which may not always be accurate.

But that doesn’t mean that tracking what you read has to be boring or difficult. Here are the details you want to make sure you hold onto…

Start with These Facts

You want to record the basics first like the title and author name. You may also want the page count and publisher information. This can be helpful if it’s a resource you plan to recommend to friends or if it’s a technical book that may be updated by the publisher periodically.

Next, grab the book summary. You can write your own if you prefer to share your impressions of the book. But if not, then use the book blurb found on websites like Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Capture the Details

Now that you have the basics out of the way, it’s time to focus on recording details about the book you’ve just read. Note any quotes you loved or passages you want to remember. Be sure to add the page number or chapter title so you can find them again.

Next, rank the book. You can create your own ranking system if you like or you can keep it simple and use the five-star method that’s popular on Amazon. You may also want to include three to five tags to jog your memory later or help you if you want to recommend the book.

Take Notes

Finally, take some time to craft your own notes. These don’t have to be shared with anyone else and don’t need to be long or complex.

You can write 3-5 sentences talking about the book. You could say something like, “Great book. I love the points made in the first three chapters but the middle was a bit repetitive. I’d skim read those chapters on a re-read.”

Splurge on a Journal

Another way to keep track of what you read is to splurge on a reading journal. There are a plenty of journals available at a variety of price points, but one of the most popular ones is The Book Lover’sJournal. You’ll have plenty of space to record what you read and what you thought about it. It's the one I use and I love it!

Use an App

Some people prefer to track their reading digitally. If that describes you, then you might be interested in the Goodreads app.

You can post your own reviews and add books to your virtual shelves called tags. It’s part catalogue system and part social network so you can interact with other users and discuss your favorite books.


It doesn’t matter how you prefer to track your reading. It’s just important that you have a system in place so you can retain what you’ve read and refer back to it in the future.