1.
Define Your Purpose for Reading
Before you start reading, ask yourself why are you
reading this book. Most people read for two main reasons – pleasure or
knowledge.
Being specific and clear about your reading
purpose not only helps you to eliminate books that you don’t need to read. It
also reminds you why reading the book is important to you as you are reading
it. This motivates you to keep reading and complete the book faster.
2.
Read Only What You Are Attracted to
Whether you are reading fiction or nonfiction,
it’s important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may recommend books that
they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.
Don’t read for the sake of reading. Reading
shouldn’t be another task in your to-do-list to be checked off. Reading books
that you think you “should” read or which you think are good for you will slow
down your reading process if you have no interest in it.
Instead, find books that spark your interest and
curiosity. You’ll find yourself reading these books faster.
3.
Feel Free to Skip Pages
When it comes to reading for personal pleasure and
knowledge, you set your own rules. Don’t feel guilty about skipping pages. You
don’t need to read all the pages in a book. It’s not cheating!
In fact, skipping pages is more productive. It
helps you move through boring or irrelevant parts quicker. You don’t waste time
reading something that doesn’t serve you.
4.
Give up Books That You Don’t Enjoy
You may have selected books that are aligned with
your purpose. You may have selected books that you are attracted to. But as you
are reading them, there may still be some books that you won’t enjoy reading.
Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the
book you are reading, give it up. Remember reading shouldn’t be a chore.
Giving up doesn’t mean that you are a quitter.
Giving up books that you don’t enjoy reading actually frees up your time for
books that you would enjoy.
5.
Set a Reading Goal
Having a reading goal helps you figure out how
much reading you need to do in a week or even a day.
For example, this year, my reading goal is to read
100 books. Since there are 52 weeks a year, each week I need to read at least 2
books. Having a reading goal allows me to strategize how much time I need to
allocate each day for reading and it helps me to decide what information I need
from each book.
Instead of dabbling in reading and hoping to find
something useful to you, come prepared with a set of reading objectives. This
helps you focus on specific parts of the book and find information that is
useful to you when reading.
6.
Give Yourself a Deadline to Complete Each Book
Before you read each book, ask yourself when you
need to complete this book by.
What I find interesting is that I tend to read
books that I borrow from libraries faster than the books I bought. The reason
is the books I bought don’t have a due date! I don’t need to return those
books. So I can take as long as I want to read those books.
When you don’t set a deadline to complete your
book. There isn’t a sense of urgency. And when something isn’t urgent, you tend
to procrastinate and your books get left on the shelves untouched and unread.
So setting a deadline is important.
7.
Make Reading a Part of Your Daily Routine
If reading is important to you, no matter how busy
you are, you will find and schedule time to read.
Making reading a part of your daily routine
removes the hassle of finding time each day to read. Allocating a fixed time to
read each day reduces procrastination. It’s also easier for others to know your
reading schedule and not to disturb you when you are reading.
8.
Prepare Your Reading List in Advance
To keep your reading momentum, always have the
next book ready. Don’t wait untill you have completed all your books, then find
the next book to read. You’ll waste unnecessary time trying to find the next
book.
Instead, prepare a reading list in advance. List
all the books you want to read. Add books that are recommended by your friends
and family. Go to your local bookstores and see what intrigues you. You can
also find a list of recommended books suggested by bloggers on their websites.
9.
Use Your Free Time
Reading in the morning before you start your work
or reading at night when you are winding down are the best times to read. At
these time, you won’t get caught up in the daily distractions that interrupt
your reading.
However, if you want to maximize your reading
time, try carrying a book with you wherever you go. There will be times during
the day when you are free or waiting in queue. Use this time to catch up on
your reading.
10.
Find a Quiet Place
Reading requires focus and concentration. If
possible, find a quiet place to read.
Reading in a quiet environment increases your
comprehension. You don’t get disrupted by external noises. You don’t have to
reread previous pages and paragraphs to recall what you have just read.
So choose a good environment in which to read.
Switch off your phone or put it away. Close your door if necessary. You read
more in one hour of focused reading than in three hours of interrupted reading.
11.
Get Some Context First, If Possible
Sometimes, if you watch the trailer, read the
synopsis or follow some of the online content that the author has been
providing, you are able to get into the author’s world much faster.
You won’t have to spend as much time establishing
the context or understanding the characters in the beginning.
12.
Read for Meaning, Not Words
Have you experienced times when you are just
reading words, but not comprehending anything that the book says?
Reading a book word by word isn’t an effective way
to read. Some words such as “a”, “an” and “the” don’t add any meaning to what
you read. Your brain is smarter than you think it is. With just a few important
words, your brain can devise meanings and comprehend what the author is saying
by tapping on your prior knowledge and experience.
Furthermore, reading word by word is boring unless
you are reading to appreciate the author’s use of language. Instead, allow your
eyes to scan the page and pick up words that help you form meanings.
13.
Read in Layers
Reading in layers is especially useful for
nonfiction readers. Instead of reading your book once through in detail, read
your book with multiple passes.
So for example, your first pass could be just
browsing the book, reading the content page and some of the headers to get the
overall big picture first. Then your second pass could be selecting specific
sections of the book you need more detail in and zooming in on them.
Before you start each pass, decide if you need
more detail. Sometimes, you are able to comprehend the information without
needing to read the examples. Other times, some information might not apply to
you now. So you don’t need to read everything in detail.
14.
Keep an Open Mind While Reading
Don’t critique the author while you are reading
the book. Arguing with the author as you read lowers your comprehension. You
can always disagree with the author after you have completed the book.
Also, spotting grammar and spelling mistakes while
you read slows down your reading process. Although constant bad grammar could
affect your reading, small grammar and spelling mistakes hardly affect your
comprehension at all.
Again, ask yourself what the purpose of reading
this book is. Are you reading for pleasure and knowledge or are you reading to
proofread or critique the book?
15.
Read Several Books At a Time
This sounds counterproductive. But it works well
if you are doing research or want to accumulate knowledge on a topic fast.
When I was writing my book, Fearless Passion, I
read several books about passion at the same time. Some books have similar
information. I just picked one book that clearly explained the information I
needed and skipped the rest. Reading several books at once also allows me to
receive different points of view on the same topic quicker.
Even if you are reading fiction books, you can
also read books in the same series at the same time. That will help you retain
information about the plot and characters.
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