How To Read A Book Thoroughly? 📚

Finding the right approach to make reading a daily habit

Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

In this blog I’ll discuss the 3 steps to improve you reading and comprehension.

Can reading be difficult?

Well it is for many of us. In our daily lives we need to read many things which are in textual format like coding documentation, blogs, fiction books, and course books. Text format is not the same as Video or audio, where watching or listening to things like Youtube video or podcast can make us understand a topic.

Going through a book page-by-page, word-to-word is not reading. Reading is about assimilating which is a lot more difficult for people in today’s hyper-connected world. If you think you have forgotten how to read - don’t worry, I have your back. Below I have summarized a few simple steps that can help you redevelop your habit of reading.

Step 1. Skimming

First always try to skim through the book or article before actually reading it. By skimming I mean, see things like index, chapter names and have a brief look at the contents of each chapter, you could also count the number of pages from each chapter.

Once you got an overview about the book, the next time when you actually try to read the book line-by-line, it will feel much more familiar. By getting skimming the contents, you are much more likely to focus on chapters or indexes you are interested in reading — thus saving you time and effort.

Step 2: Reading and Underlining

Try and keep a pencil by your side while your reading and whenever you feel something is important you could mark it there and then. Consider highlighting the text if your reading in PDF format or kindle.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Don’t be afraid to make your books or PDFs a bit dirty. Underlining and marking key points indicate that you have gone through the topic before and it will be much more easier to pick up from where you left the next time.