There are a lot of tactics you can use to understand and retain what you read:

• Taking notes

• Retrieval practice

• Drawing connections

• Mind-mapping

• Teaching it to someone else

Or, you could just write about what you read.

For centuries, reading then writing has been the go-to method most great thinkers have used to become experts in their subjects.

Writing is note-taking, retrieval practice, the Feynman technique, connecting ideas, and teaching all in one exercise—one that generates a result you can actually show people.