I have had the hardest time not being able to retain and recollect from the pieces read or maybe quote from the handful books I read. I never enjoyed reading because I thought it is not worth spending time on something which I can't retain. However, having figured out how to retrieve & retain has not only helped me with with the task at hand but also pushed me to read more from books.

Remember,

1. You can't retain 100% of what you read, your brain is not a ROM. Having remembered key highlights and takeaways is good enough.
2. Record to retain information rather than highlighting. Actively contributing to the process always helps.
3. Break the flow to record better. Jot down ideas whilst reading before its essences slips off your mind.
4. Prefer tool over convenience. Use tools available at your disposal and which you're most comfortable with to help the recording process much smoother.

What worked for me?

1. Bookmarking, marking, and kindle highlighting rarely works for me because it is too easy a process. Taking a conscious effort to jot down involves reiterating back to the learnings.
2. Using Twitter to tell the world about the thing you learnt today. Compressing ideas to 280 characters helps articulate better.
3. Using Google Keep to record anything and everything. Each idea is linked with a relevant tag and synced with all devices. This makes retrieval just a tap and scroll away.
4. I made my own personal digital garden on my website at https://www.tanishasabherwal.me/garden with my loosely knit thoughts, ideas, learnings, and works spread over multiple stages of growth.
5. I often revisit Google Keep and my garden to recollect ideas and brush up my learnings.