10 KEYS FOR EFFECTIVE READING

10 KEYS FOR EFFECTIVE READING

            Do you love reading books ? You must. Books are the food for the brain. They strengthen your brain and increases your mind power. They are the ultimate source of the knowledge. They can bring the positive change in your life. 

          George R. R. Martin says," a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once."    Books shows you the right path of living the happy life. I always want you to be a avid reader forever and of course you are. Everyone has unique reason to read. Whatever it is we must keep on reading for the welfare of own self and others. 

         Here, I am going to share 10 keys for effective reading. Following these keys will help you achieve more out of your readings.

1. Be clear with the intention : 

         No body reads without intention and if anyone does so he can't go far. Before selecting a book you need to be clear with the purpose. Ask yourself why do I want read this book? What do I want get out of it? How is it going to help me in achieving my personal or professional goals? What will be my take away? Knowing the intention brings clarity and makes you focused. You will catch everything that is essential to you. 

2. Set proper timing :

          Reading whenever you get time is good but setting particular and proper timing for reading is the best. You need to be habitual of reading at the particular timing. It sets an anchor which will stimulate your thought process.

3. Begin with the mindful breathing :

       Don't be hurried to read when you sit for it. Don't wrap any other activities and begin to read immediately. Instead of this take your place. Make your body relax physically. concentrate on your breathing with closed eyes. Observe inhale and exhale. Do it just for 3 to 5 minutes. This will lessen your inner disturbance. It will make you calm and will bring you the peace of the mind. We can't see our reflection in the boiling water in the same way our mind can't accept anything when it is not peaceful. Focusing on your breath is a effective way to bend your mind for acceptance.

4. Look over the book : 

        Before starting actual reading scan the book. See its layout, cover page and back page. Go through the book by scanning parts, chapters, headlines, subheadings , highlighted words and sentences. See the pictures , graphs,maps whatever is pictorial. 

     This will make you more familiar with the book. It builds interest and increases curiosity.

5. Connect with your experience :

        Once you scan the book you get an idea about its contents and message. Ask yourself if you have gone through such information or content before. Remember if you have come across any incident which you can connect to this. This process makes you positive about reading as well as makes you eager to know more about it.

6. Read to understand not to finish :

     Many people read just to show the world that they read or just to finish the book. However is possible to them ,they want to finish the book. They do it  such hurriedly that after few days they forget the title even. 

    You have to read to understand the contents. To get the message that the author wants to deliver to you. Don't be hurry. Read with full concentration and dedication.

7. Read actively :

           When you start reading actually don't just turn on the pages but take notes. Underline the key words, phrase and important sentences. Write down important concepts. Find answers to the questions you had thought about. Make notes with mind mapping and other note making techniques.

8. Contemplate : 

         It is like thinking about learnings. It is relearning. Spend your time in isolation to ponder over the concepts that you have gone through. Contemplation helps you to learn deeply. As you spend time over it , it remains in long term memory. You come with your own ideas and opinions about it. You reach to the real meaning of the text.

9. Express yourself : 

          Put on your learnings in front of others. Discuss with your friends.share whatever you have understood. Teach to somebody. You can write an article or a blog where you can pen your ideas which you have got through the books. This will increase your knowledge. 

10. Bring it into action : 

            When you act on your learnings it becomes more concrete. Bring your learning in your thoughts and behaviour. If you do this , you will live the book. You can bring the change in yourself. This can be the ultimate goal of any book. Applying prints on your mindset.

                Applying these keys will unlock your reading skills to leap to the next level.