How to Remember What You Read (and Watch)

You finish a great book. A week later someone asks what it was about, and all you have is a feeling: "It was really good." The same happens with a long YouTube video, a podcast on a walk, an article you swore you would come back to.

You didn't do anything wrong. That's just how memory works when you only take things in. If you want to remember what you read, the fix is not to read more slowly or highlight more. It's a small habit after you read, and a way to see the idea again later.

Why we forget what we read

Three things make most of the difference.

We never pull it back out. Reading puts information in. Remembering means pulling it out, and we almost never practice that. Trying to recall something, even when it's hard, is what makes it stick. (More on this: You haven't really thought something until you've pulled it back out.)

It never became our words. A highlight is someone else's sentence. Until you say what it means to you, it doesn't have a hook in your own thinking.

It isn't linked to anything. A new idea that connects to something you already know has a place to live. An idea on its own floats away.

So a good method fixes all three: put it in your words, connect it, and bring it back.

A four-step habit

1. Write one note in your own words

When you finish a chapter, an article or a video, write one to three sentences. Not a summary of everything. Just: what's the one idea I want to keep, and why does it matter to me?

Bad: "Chapter 4 is about habits."

Better: "Habits stick when the cue is obvious. My phone is my cue for scrolling, so I'll leave it in the kitchen at night."

A voice note on a walk counts too. The point is that the words come from you.

2. Connect it to something you already know

Ask one question: where have I seen this before? Maybe it agrees with a podcast from last month, or argues with a book you liked. Write that link down, even as one line.

Connections are what turn a pile of notes into something you can think with.

3. See it again, on purpose

This is the step almost everyone skips. You need to meet the idea again, a day later, a week later, a month later. And it helps most if you try to recall it before you look.

You can do this by hand: keep a short list, and once a day pick a few old notes and ask yourself what they said. Or let an app do the picking.

4. Use it once

Explain the idea to a friend. Use it in a decision. Put it in a message or a post. Using an idea is the strongest form of recall, and it shows you whether you really understood it.

Videos and podcasts work the same way, with one twist

Video and audio go by fast, and you can't flip back a page. So:

• Note the moment. Write down the time where the idea is, so you can find it again.
• Write right after. You can't flip back through a video, so it slips away faster. Two sentences in the first five minutes beat a long note tomorrow.
• Keep the note with the source. Later, you'll want your note and the video side by side.

Where Linko helps

You can do all of this with paper. But steps 2 and 3, connecting and coming back, are where most people give up. That's what Linko is built for.

Save the source, write your note. Save articles, videos, podcasts and books to Linko from your phone's share sheet or the web extension. Your note stays linked to what it's about. See Save links from your phone and your browser. For books, you can add one by title and track your reading. See Books and reading status.

Linko connects it. Each note gets tags and topics automatically, and Linko links your notes across books, articles and videos. When you open a note, related notes from other sources show up next to it.

Daily review brings it back. This is step 3, done for you. Daily review gives you one set of your own notes each day. Linko turns a note into a question; you think of the answer, then you see your note. A few minutes a day, and the ideas you cared about keep coming back before you forget them. If forgetting is an old story for you, For the readers who forget things too is for you.

Ask when you need it. Months later, when you half remember an idea, Ask Linko answers from your notes and shows the notes it used. See Linko's latest update for everything that's new.

Other tools that help

Linko isn't the only option. Pick by what you want to come back.

• Readwise — What it brings back: Your highlights from Kindle, Apple Books, Instapaper and more, in a daily review with spaced repetition; Best for: Heavy readers who mostly highlight
• Anki — What it brings back: Flashcards you make, scheduled by how well you know them; Best for: Facts you must recall exactly
• Linko — What it brings back: Your own notes on books, articles, videos and podcasts, as a daily set of questions; Best for: People who write a little about what they learn

FAQ

What is the best way to remember what you read?

Write one short note in your own words, connect it to something you know, and see it again on purpose a few days later. Trying to recall it before you look is what makes it stick.

Should I highlight or take notes?

Both are fine, but notes matter more. A highlight saves the author's words; a note saves what you understood.

How often should I review my notes?

A little every day beats a lot once a month. A daily set of a few notes is enough.

How do I remember YouTube videos and podcasts?

Write two sentences right after, note the time of the key moment, and keep the note with the video or episode. Then review it like any other note.

Is there an app that brings my notes back automatically?

Yes. Linko's Daily review brings back one set of your notes each day, as questions you answer from memory.

Start tonight

Pick the last thing you read or watched. Write two sentences about the one idea you want to keep. Tomorrow, try to recall it before you look.

If you want that second step to happen on its own, start with Linko and let Daily review bring your notes back.