Reading can be highly beneficial, but how to make your reading even more efficient?
You can maximize your reading efficiency by eliminating distractions, reading with thought, and writing down bullet points of what you just read. On top of that, there are other tips to maximize your efficiency when reading.
How to make your reading more efficient?
There are a lot of ways you can make your reading even more beneficial and effective.
Some of these help you to stay focused while reading, others can help you to remember and retain the information better. Let’s get started with the first tip.
1. Eliminate distractions
The first and one of the most crucial things to do to maximize your reading efficiency is to eliminate distractions.
This means putting your phone into the do-not-disturb mode, or even better, leaving it for another room.
By leaving it in another room, you will reduce the temptation to check your phone at any time.
It is highly unlikely that anything so important would happen during your brief reading session, that you should answer your phone immediately.
Another good way to eliminate distractions is to go to another room to read if you have other family members at home.
Having a completely silent space with no distractions will make focusing on your book a lot easier.
2. Read through the headlines first
The next thing to get the most out of your books is to read through the headlines first.
This way, you know what you are going to learn when you read the book, and you can connect the purpose of each chapter a lot easier, as you read through them.
One chapter on its own might seem confusing and not as important, but when you know how it related to the big picture, you might pay more attention to it.
3. Use a timer
Using a timer when you read can also help out a lot if you want to read for a specific time each day.
That might be 10 minutes or an hour. Having a timer set to that exact time makes it easier for you to focus on your book, instead of checking the clock every two minutes or so.
You might use the timer on your phone, or have an analogical stopwatch or use one in your smartwatch if you have one.
Whatever way you prefer, having a timer eliminates the need to check the clock and how much time has passed during your reading session.
When you are finished, the timer will beep.
4. Take breaks
Taking breaks if you read for longer can help you to focus better.
Going outside to get some fresh air can help you to focus a lot better, compared to sitting indoors all day reading without any breaks.
You can choose for yourself how long your breaks will be. One example could be 45 minutes of reading and 15 minutes break.
This way, you let your mind rest a little bit each hour and can maximize your focus on the book.
Fresh air can do wonders for your ability to concentrate. I first thought it was overhyped to take a walk outside, but it really does work.
Oftentimes, the CO2 levels indoors could be significantly higher than outdoors. High CO2 levels can directly affect your ability to focus and might cause you to feel sleepy.
5. Write down bullet points
The last tip is to write down bullet points, to make your learning more efficient. By doing so, you have personal notes on each book you have ever read.
You don’t necessarily have to read the whole book again after a few years, you can just skim through your notes on that book, and recall what the main points of the book were.
It can also help you to pay more attention to the book as you read when you know you have to take notes on the key points.
A simple thing like this can make a huge difference when it comes to remembering and understanding what you read.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, there are a lot of ways you can make your reading as efficient as possible.
However, the most important thing is to pick up the book and start reading. That is most of the time the most difficult part of reading.
After you have developed a solid reading habit, you can start to perfect your reading sessions.
If you have any additional tips, please leave them in the comments below!
Hopefully, this was helpful and can make your reading moments more efficient. Have a wonderful day!
