What are the 5 ways to become a better reader? Usually, we give a lot of thought to the way we talk and interact, the way we dress up and appear. On other occasions, we also pay a lot of heed to the way we behave and carry ourselves, particularly when concerned with social and professional interactions. But have you thought about the 5 ways to become a better reader?
Have you ever given a great deal of thought in this direction? Truth be told, books are our window to understanding the world and the environment within which we live and exist. They open up our world to a better, hopefully, a greater understanding of the world in which we live. Books can unlock the way we see and understand the larger ecosystem we are a part of. But often, in the trappings of the modern world, being stuck in the usual rigmarole of life; there’s not an awful lot of time reserved for enriching the soul.
Truth be told, we often don’t read as much as we should. So the key question is how to become a better reader? How can we extract the most from the wonderful and giving world of books and knowledge?
That Said, Let’s Try And Understand The 5 Ways To Become A Better Reader:
Try To Read With A Pen In Your Hand
Now, this might sound a bit strange and even uncanny to most of us. But truth be told, it is usually considered good practice to read a book along with a pen in the hand.
So here’s the most obvious question: why so? Nearly every time we read an interesting book, we tend to come across something that’s rather deep and meaningful. There’s always scope for encountering something interesting that’s worthy of being revisited. So when you begin reading along with a pen; you can always note something interesting and simply mark it down by underlining it.
This simple process can help you draw more from the book than what you may have originally expected.
Avoid Something That’s Less Important, Focus Your Time On Reading
They say that if you are reading for up to two to three hours a day, then you are doing wonderfully well. But quite often, one is simply not able to dedicate that much time toward important reading simply because the mind is distracted by something that’s often less important and could well be completely unimportant.
Wondering what; need clues? How about texting or messaging using an app or simply revisiting your own social media posts (something we do so commonly)?
One of the 5 ways to become a better reader is to simply transfer the attention from the ‘unimportant’ toward the ‘relevant,’ which in this case means, reading.
Jot Down Book Notes On Index Cards
Ever come across the vacant pages in a book? Well, in most novels and other books, there’s hardly any dearth of empty pages. But very often and rather surprisingly so, these absolutely vacant pages aren’t utilized at all.
Among the 5 simple ways to become a better reader is to make use of these empty slots in a book. These can be used for jotting down something interesting and memorable from the reading material so that it can be visited again and with greater meaning and vigor.
It could be a quote, a saying, a fantastic instance of an interaction between the book’s characters or something completely different altogether. Every book has something unique to offer. So what better way to capture some of that by recording it in either the blank pages or the index cards?
Sit With A Notepad When You Are Reading
Some of us might be curious to know what purpose might this serve? It could really happen that whilst you are busy reading and engrossed in the middle of a book, you are struck by a thought or an idea. In fact, some of us might be reminded of something important like a task or an activity that has to be done at any cost but we stand the chance of ignoring or forgetting about it completely.
In such a scenario, having a notepad gives you access to write any particular important thing that is to be done. So that one doesn’t forget about it at all and it can always be revisited at a later stage. This way, the book reading process can prove to be a smooth one.
Leave Behind Any Possible Distractions In Another Room
Now one of the easiest and simplest ways to become a better reader is to simply ignore any such distractions that prove to be an antidote to a good and smooth reading experience.
But there remains a key question. How To Improve The Reading Skills?
Well, simply keep things that might distract you afar- how else? At the same time, it’s worth knowing what could potentially cause some disturbance or breakage in our attention span.
First things first! In this day and age, there’s hardly anything more bothersome and even cumbersome than an electric gadget. Say a smartphone.
Suggested read: Benefits of Reading
When you are reading, try to be as far as possible from your smartphone or laptop. In fact, keeping them in another room is even better. Furthermore, try not to read a book in the same room that has a television set or a regular phone.
The lesser our access to channels of (unwanted) communication whilst reading a book, the better our focus and ability to completely immerse in the literary process.
Therefore, among the 5 simple ways to become a better reader is to simply abstain from objects or things that can cause unwanted distraction. In the absence of these, one can simply read better and even faster.