Reading is a huge part of our lives. From scrolling through social media to scouring through academic texts, almost every one of us reads. As a skill, however, reading is something that most of us fail to polish. After all, the question of how to read books properly doesn’t cross our minds after preschool.
With people staying inside and having more free time on their hands, many individuals revisited the habit of reading. The quiet time at home has impressed upon people the importance of reading educational books and learning materials. As a result, more people turned to books . Much like speaking, we can never really lose the ability to read--but it does dull without constant practice. If you haven’t really been reading a lot, you might have encountered some difficulties focusing and retaining certain information.
It can be frustrating to feel like a slow reader, especially if you were a particularly voracious reader before. It can be tempting to buy a lot of online books available in the Philippines and to start binge reading, but doing so can be counterproductive. After all, you want to be able to enjoy reading rather than force yourself into doing so.
Whether you’re relearning how to read books faster and more effectively or evaluating your reading habits for the first time, check out this guide to improving your reading skills.
What is “Effective Reading”?
Once you know how to read words and sentences, reading becomes an automatic process for most. After all, our first instinct is to simply go through words and pick up on what seems to be the most important or relevant information. This way of reading, however, is not the most effective way as one is usually too distracted and disengaged from the actual activity.
So if that was the wrong way to read, then what is the right way to properly read books?
Before we delve even further into the topic of reading, it should be clear to readers that there is no “right” way of reading--at the end of day, reading should be pleasurable. If you find a fun and enjoyable way to read, then by all means do so. However, for those who want to maximize the skill, you should look into effective reading.
Effective reading is not a fancy new way to read, nor is it an overly complicated method that takes the fun out of reading. Quite simply, effective reading is making sure to absorb and comprehend the vital information from whatever piece you are reading. It is not strictly limited to books, although reading books is a great way to test out if you are an effective reader.
While it seems silly to ask how to read books faster with understanding, it’s actually a very common question. Experienced readers and experts have different suggestions, but there are a few common points among them. Again, it is important to note that reading will differ for every individual, but a common goal in effective reading is retaining and comprehending information from the books that you read.
In the next section, we detail out some tips and tricks on how to read books faster and more effectively.
How To Read Books Effectively
Pick the Right Book
It’s difficult to read effectively with the wrong book. If you’re trying to pick out the right book, make sure to choose something that is in the appropriate level for you. This is especially important for children as picking out a book that is too difficult or complicated for them may lead to frustration and flawed understanding of concepts. A good starting point would be learning how to read self help books effectively as they are books which are designed to be practical and quite easy to process.
If you’re re-learning how to read books faster, don’t be in a rush to read thick tomes as well. If you were a voracious reader before, you know how nice it feels to finish reading a particularly long novel. If you took a break from reading, though, it will be quite difficult to just jump back in. Start with reads that you find enjoyable (or challenging even!), but not overwhelming. At the end of the day, keep in mind that your main goal should be to read and understand the book and not just to merely finish it.
Contextualize
It’s easier to comprehend a book when you have the right information about the book. Knowing a little (or a lot!) about the author and the landscape of when and where the book was written gives you additional insights into the piece. This makes understanding a book easier, especially when looking at nuances and context-driven pieces.
Have the Right Mindset
It can be frustrating, relearning how to read books properly. After all, it can be quite jarring to relearn the basics. Having the right mindset when reading sets you up for success and lessens your feelings of frustration when it comes to reading.
Take Notes
If your goal is to be able to retain information, then you should absolutely take notes about your current read. Similar to how you take notes in meetings, taking notes while you’re reading helps your mind keep track of important information. Actively try to look for things that you feel are important and keep track of them in a nifty notepad.
Go through your notes once you finish reading the book and amend as needed. The great thing about this is that you not only learn how to read books faster and understand information better, you also get to note important points in your reading process. Since you’ll primarily be writing notes for yourself, you don’t have to be so conscious about how you write.
Improve Your Book Reading Skills
Reading is a basic skill that isn’t often given a second thought. After all, reading is something that most of us do reflexively. However, it’s never a bad idea to level up your reading skills.
Process and retain information better and enjoy reading more once you relearn how to read books more effectively. With effective reading you not only finish books, you also gain valuable insights and store important information in your mind. These will surely apply and complement your other skills, further contributing to your overall development as an individual