How I remember everything I read

About this video

Clark Kegley explains how he remembers what he reads by shifting from passive to active learning, citing Edgar Dale’s 1969 Cone of Learning: after two weeks people remember roughly 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 50% of what they see and hear, and 90% of what they say and do. Diagnosed with dyslexia and never a strong reader, he says he still aims for at least three books a month. His system includes listening on Audible at 1.5-1.7x speed while following along in the physical book to beat subvocalizing and combine seeing and hearing; writing a one-page journal summary for his top books with chapter ideas applied to his life; moving while listening — walks or doing puzzles, which he says creates strong associations; and roughing up books with underlining, highlights, margin notes and dog-ears. He also advises buying recommended books immediately, not forcing yourself to read them right away or finish them cover to cover, skipping the first third of many non-fiction books, arguing with authors via ‘devil’s advocate’ notes, dating and color-coding re-reads, writing chapter-end summaries, and teaching the material — distilling 10 big ideas, as he did in early YouTube videos.

Key takeaways

• Retention rises when reading becomes active: seeing plus hearing, saying, and doing beat reading alone, per the Cone of Learning Kegley cites.
• Listen at 1.5-1.7x on Audible while following the physical book to reduce subvocalizing and double comprehension.
• For important books, write a one-page journal summary of big ideas and how they apply to your life instead of re-reading the whole book.
• Make reading a dialogue: write devil’s advocate arguments in margins, add dated life snapshots on re-reads, and summarize each chapter.
• Don’t force linear, cover-to-cover reading: skip weak sections or books, start where it’s most relevant, and teach/share the 10 big ideas to lock them in.

Episode details: published October 11, 2022 · 13:58 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Clark Kegley’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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