Effective Reading Hacks!

People have been trying to hack reading for years, whether through tricks for speed-reading or apps….Reading is a lot demanding than chilling a large number of drinks in one minute! It doesn’t work like magic. The sheer need to read a large number of books as studies may demand is daunting even to the most dedicated reader. If many of us could read painlessly and speedily as the tricks to achieve other things say, a lot of us would have been record makers in the world’s literature!

That said; hacking the reading experience by speeding it up seems to miss the value of the reading process. But that doesn’t mean we should completely rule out relatively simple techniques that may help improve our reading habits just that these techniques should be narrowed down to patters that relate with the human brain and the way it function other than just a trick.

While the following tips does not promise making you an perfect reader, it should help you concentrate better, process what you are reading better and get more out of your books.

Make provision for good lighting: Make sure you choose a space with either natural light or appropriate reading lamp, when you have an appropriate lighting system, reading is much easier!

Consider an Outdoor cranny: Sometimes reading indoors is not just enough especially where everywhere seems chilly and cosy, we tend to be lured to sleep. Many other times all we need to assimilate well are just a calm, natural space where we can be undistracted as we feel nature’s air and light to its fullest. Consider somewhere away from your room to pitch an outdoor reading tent, this will help make reading a lot more fun and easier.

Take notes: The physical act of jotting down utilizes different areas of the brain; it gives our memories more points of reference when we seek to recall the said information. This method, confirms a Princeton study in 2014, based on a research indicating our brains as much more likely to remember information that we physically write down as opposed to simple auditory processing.

Use First Letter Mnemonics: This is a strategy that gained popularity in recent years and studies have supported its ability to increase memory performance. First Letter Mnemonics involve consolidating a larger piece of information or a complex idea into a simpler phrase or sentence, where key points of the concept are usually represented by a corresponding letter that begins the first word of the idea being recalled. In this case have; A=Additional, B=Brain, D=Damage, S=Syndrome; (ABDS).

The Centre for Research on Learning, reports that students who employed this method before exams received test grades that increased from an average of 51 percent to 85 percent.

Read & Repeat Reading: This method has been practiced by many also in the past; it still stands as a preferred strategy for many learners. This method suggests that the brain is more likely to remember information it sees repeatedly. When seeking to learn something new, it helps to repeat frequently. As time goes on, spacing the repetition out a few hours and then a few days between can result in better recall over longer periods of time.

Get Some Sleep: Sleep is necessary to cement our memories and keep the integrity of information we learn intact. While we rest, our brains are quietly categorizing a vast piece of items in our memories, sorting and prioritizing so that information can be pulled up with ease when the need arises. A study in Germany in 2011 suggested that our ability to learn information is enhanced directly before we sleep. To take advantage of this method, try to read and review notes immediately before wandering off. Our minds have a habit of holding onto the last thing we do or see before sleep and this may just be to your advantage!