Why just reading a book rarely works for me ?

I am sure I do not need to justify why reading is a great habit but just reading alone rarely works for me.

I have been reading for a while now but what I have noticed is that in about 6 months time the book I have already read becomes new to me.

What does that mean?

That means I have forgotten most things I had read!

I needed to some how ensure that all these great things I read, I can remember and apply. I tried keeping a journal, writing key points on index cards etc. Nothing really worked for me. A habit would start and die a natural death

However, recently I created a habit that is working for me. I started an Instagram account @narrativestorytelling in which every day I post a key point from a book I am reading.

Why this works for me ?

This process works for me because

1) I have to really understand the content to be able to shrink it to a point that is worth putting on an Instagram account. So, I read , re read , write the point, re write the point and end up spending a lot more time with the key point than I normally would and in the process I get a huge amount of clarity from the content.

2) It is a social commitment I have made to put a key point from a book I am reading every day. So, I can't slack off.

3) It helps me create " Mental scaffolds" which are like file cabinets filled with folders that store my key learnings. It breaks the information for me in to smaller pieces which is easier to remember

I have been posting 1 key learning every day since the last 67 days. Most of the books I curate are on Communication Strategy.

You can have a look at it my Instagram Account by clicking on this link : https://www.instagram.com/narrativestorytelling/