Whether you skim a blog post, peruse files for work, or browse through a book, you most likely do some type of reading every day. But slogging through dense passages of text can be time-consuming, mentally exhausting, and hard on your eyes. Ah! I get you! How about if I give you some secret tips to read faster (and still understand what you read). Oh wait this doesn’t end here. You can also retain every piece of that content you read! Yes, that true!
Let’s get started:
- Get an overview:
Contrary to what many educators believe, presenting information in fragments doesn’t actually make learning more manageable. Getting the basic outline of a concept, however, can. While it’s true that the brain simultaneously perceives parts and wholes, without any idea of what the whole should look like, the brain can’t assemble it from the disembodied parts that make up a concept. Once it has a lay of the land from 1,000 feet, the brain can correctly place and interrelate all of the hills and meandering rivers of new insight and knowledge. Isn’t that interesting?
2. Drum up curiosity:
When presented with new concepts, it’s our own curiosity that awakens an attitude of awe — which is great, because that awe primes our brains to learn. So what is the essence of curiosity? That gap between what you want to know and what you already know. Before you begin to read, craft a few good curiosity gap questions. Check out the back of the book or a few reviews online for help: this content is made to get you interested in the book, so it’ll lead you in the right direction.
3. Record key insights:
Grab your pencil! It’s time to take some (original) notes. We’ve been wrong about what actually constitutes the smartest techniques for learning, like highlighting. Neither highlighting nor writing down word-for-word notes straight out of the book is effective because you aren’t creating and enforcing original neural pathways. The good news is that your brain will take the smaller chunks of information that you write down in your own words and connect it to knowledge you already have — particularly if you contextualize that information by placing it in your structure.
4. Be Mindful:
Reading quickly with good comprehension requires focus and concentration. Minimize external noise, distractions, and interruptions, and be mindful when your thoughts wander as you read. If you notice that you’re fantasizing about your next meal rather than focusing on the text, gently bring your mind back to the material. Many readers read a few sentences passively, without focus, then spend time going back and re-reading to make sure they understand them.
5. Don’t read every section
According to Dartmouth College’s Academic Skills Center, it’s an old-fashioned myth that students must read every section of a textbook or article. Unless you’re reading something extremely important, skip the sections that aren’t relevant to your purpose. Reading selectively will make it possible for you to digest the main points of many texts, rather than only having time to fully read a couple.
Oh! Have you already started reading faster? And you also remember all the tips you have just read? It’s time to apply them folks. Get started NOW!
Urmi Joiser
Content Team
Zuperly
