Just like a teacher is able to master a subject because they know they'll be teaching it later on, attacking a book with the same level of purpose means you'll be able to recall information a lot quicker. A recent study in the journal Memory &amp; Cognition <a href="http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/27160.aspx">showed the effect </a>that reading with intention and purpose can have. Two groups were given the same material to read-one was told they'd have a test at the end, while the others were told they'd have to teach someone the material. In the end, both groups were given the same test. Surprisingly, the group that was told they'd have to teach the material (rather than be tested on it) performed much better:

read -> intention to teach

This doesn't necessarily mean you need to read through the book multiple times ( <a href="http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf">although that does help </a>). But rather, that you need to have a method for taking and organizing notes around the key parts you want to revisit later on. The most successful creatives don't just read for pleasure, they read to learn. This might not seem like much of a distinction, but it is. Reading with intention is the sum of all of the parts of memory-it means that you have a specific goal at hand (impression), that you want to connect what you're reading to other information (association), and that it is something you're invested in and will come back to again and again (repetition).

Reading with 3 intentions

Artist and author Austin Kleon leverages the fact that our brains <a href="http://blog-pickcrew.s3.amazonaws.com/6-things-know-brain-learns/">respond better to visual information </a>by taking notes in a mind map fashion. Here's <a href="http://austinkleon.com/2008/07/15/mind-maps-pictures-and-words-in-space/">how he explains it </a>: I'm trying to construct a 2-D memory palace on paper. By making notes in a non-linear manner, by arranging images and words in space, I can see connections that would otherwise be impossible with just words written in sequence. While not as intricate or as interesting as some of the other methods, Josh's method-named "The McDowell Grid" after Benchmark Revenue Management CEO Tyson McDowell-is <a href="http://joshkaufman.net/3-simple-techniques-to-optimize-your-reading-comprehension-and-retention/">an excellent way </a>to connect new thoughts with your own opinions and ideas. Here's how The McDowell Grid works:

2D memory palace on paper

A random sampling of the world's most successful people will show one common trait: a love of reading. Reading is the easiest way to continue the learning process, increase empathy, boost creativity, and even just unwind from a long day. But books can also change the way we think and live.

Reading with intention can change your life

Bartosz Tuczynski