Train Your Brain to Retain: A Quick & Simple Trick to Improve Your Memory

Want to improve your memory? Here’s an easy, effective, and somewhat unlikely tip that really works: Read—a lot.

Read a lot, but don’t just read for getting the information in your head. If you don’t like reading, then listen to an audiobook or listen to a podcast.

But in other words, consume media.

Media, I believe, changes identity more than anything else. Media changes how you think. If you want to become vegan, just go watch a couple of vegan documentaries. You’ll probably become vegan because you’ll be like, “Well, yeah.”

It changes your mind when you consume media. That’s why there’s a lot of talk about parents letting their kids watch R-rated movies. It changes their mindset, like the way our minds operate.

So, consume a massive amount of media about whatever it is you’re trying to do. Do this if you want to be a real estate investor, especially if you’re new.

And quick tip for you guys: I read this study once that talked about the best way to remember something that you read. You’ve probably heard the story before, we remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we blah, blah, blah… and we remember most of what we teach. That’s often what is said.

But there’s actually one higher than that. There’s one thing that helps you retain information better than almost anything else while you read, so here’s a tip: Read as if you are going to teach.

As you’re reading, assume you have to communicate this knowledge on a podcast later on that day. And if you have that mindset, like the study that was done, that was the number one best way to retain information—assume that later on, you’re going to have to teach it.

This is one of the reasons I think that I read a lot and I remember almost everything I read. It’s because I just subconsciously believe every single thing I read, I’m going to have to tell somebody later on a podcast or on a webinar or in an interview.

What media have you consumed that changed the way you think?

Share your recommendations in the comments.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.