How to Remember Everything You Read: Lessons from “How To Build a Second Brain” and the Sirianni Method

Face it: most of us read tons of stuff but remember… not much of it at all. You know this. You  read this great article, then forget everything by the time you close the tab. Sound familiar? 

Good news: remembering what we read has nothing to do with having a photographic memory.  It’s about building a system. And that’s what brings us to two awesome methods: “How to Build a  Second Brain” by Tiago Forte and the sirianni Method. 

Why We Forget (and Why It’s Not Your Fault)  

Point #1: forgetting is weird but normal. Our brains are wired to forget most of the info that comes  our way—if we remembered everything we saw (every cat meme, every cereal box, etc. ), we’d be  completely overwhelmed. The trick is choosing what to remember, and for that, you need to build  a system. 

The Second Brain Philosophy: Don’t Rely on Your First Brain  

The “Second Brain” idea is simple but revolutionary: our brain is for having ideas, not  remembering them. Instead of relying on your brain to remember everything, you build an  “external brain” that stores, organizes, and helps you retrieve the information that matters. 

THE PARA METHOD: THE BACKBONE OF THE SECOND BRAIN  

The secret sauce behind the “Second Brain” philosophy, according to Forte, is the PARA method.  It stands for: 

• Projects: things you’re actively working on. 

• Areas: ongoing responsibilities (health, finances, etc). 

• Resources: topics of interest/ things you want to learn more about. 

• Archives: stuff you’re done with but don’t want to lose. 

As you read, don’t rely on your brain to remember stuff. Just file it! If you’re reading about  productivity hacks, put the main idea in your “Resources” folder. If you read a killer idea for your  next work project, put it in “Projects”. Key here is to organize in a way that makes it easy to find  later. 

Progressive Summarization: The Art of Highlighting (Without Going Overboard)  

Is anyone else guilty of highlighting literally every single sentence in their textbooks? Just me?  Thought so. Progressive summarization is about distilling info down to its essence: • First pass: Highlight all the good stuff. 

• Second pass: Bold the best of the highlights. 

• Third pass: Add a summary note in your own words. 

This way, when you go back to your notes, you find the gold nuggets, not the dirt.

The sirianni Method: Make It Stick (Literally)  

The sirianni Method takes a different approach, focusing on active engagement and spacing.  Think of it as the “workout routine” for your memory. 

STEP 1: ACTIVE READING (NO, SKIMMING DOESN’T CUT IT)  

Active reading means—well, being active. You ask questions. You make predictions. You connect  what you’re reading to what you already know. So if you’re reading about, say, the history of  pizza, you think about your own pizza-eating history. 

STEP 2: TAKE SMART NOTES  

Don’t just copy what you read—rephrase it in your own words. This forces your brain to actually  process the info, rather than just record it. The sirianni Method suggests using a “Q/E/C” format: • Question: What’s the main question of this section? 

• Evidence: What’s the evidence/ main points? 

• Conclusion: What’s the conclusion/ takeaway? 

This way, your notes are “ready to eat” and easy to review. 

Week, why? Because our brains are designed to forget if something is not reviewed. Spaced  repetition is the idea of reviewing notes over time (e. g. right after, day later, week, etc.). There are  apps for this like Anki, but even a calendar reminder works. 

STEP 4: TEACH WHAT YOU LEARN  

If you can teach it, you understand it. Summarize what you read in a tweet, blog post, voice note,  etc. It forces you to understand. 

Putting It All Together: A Practical Workflow  

Let’s say you’re reading How to Build a Second Brain (meta, right?). Here’s how you might  combine both methods: 

• Read actively: Write notes while reading. E.g., “How does this actually help me remember  things?” 

• Take smart notes: Summarize each chapter using the Q/E/C format. 

• File notes in PARA: File your notes in the “Resources” folder and tag them for easy search. 

• Progressively summarize: In your second and third reviews, capture the most important  information. 

• Setup spaced repetition: Make calendar reminders to review notes in a day, week, etc. 

• Teach it: Share what you learned in a group chat or write a LinkedIn post. Bonus Tips: Make Remembering Fun (and Sustained) 

• Use visuals: The old school pen & paper (or even a brewery pad) helps you visualize. • Mix up other formats: To learn, there are other ways than reading: listen to a podcast, watch a  video, talk to someone, experience life. 

• Set learning goals: Decide what you want to learn before reading which makes it easier to  remember info. 

• Reward yourself: Reward yourself after reading a book and remembering the main things you  learned. Order pizza. Why not? 

The Bottom Line: Build Your Own Brainy Ecosystem  

Remembering everything you read isn’t about having some sort of superhuman memory. It’s  about building a system that works for you. By combining the organizational power of the  “Second Brain” with the active engagement of the sirianni Method, you’ll not only remember more  but actually use what you read more effectively.

So the next time someone asks you, “Hey, have you read anything interesting lately? ” you’ll be  ready—with notes, highlights, and maybe even a pizza fact or two. 

Happy remembering!