Tips for Effective Reading By Raheem Hameed

Effective reading is one of the inevitable endeavours to achieve success on a quest. A vibrant mind can’t do without reading. What you read is determined by what inspires you to engage in this mind-enriching activity. What is more important to note is that reading is an active process, not a passive one. When you read actively, that is when you understand the message the text is passing across.

Effective reading requires mental alertness

This article is suggesting a general tips for effective reading. To read effectively simply means to read productively or engagingly. It also means the ability to read meaningfully—being competent enough to extract the nitty-gritty contained in a text. Not only that, it involves the ability to retain, express, and respond to the message.

In nutshell, to read effectively means having a desired result or effect after reading. Here are five great tips of reading effectively;

-         👉Understand the type of the text you want to read. Is it a novel, a newspaper, classroom notes or textbooks? This will aid you in configuring a mind-set prior to the reading activity.

-         👉Scan the text. First, go to the back of the text, read about the author and about the book. Also, try to read the preface of the book. This will give you an insight of what you will probably meet in the text.

-         👉Search for the new ideas: open your mind for big ideas in the contents you are reading. In some well written books, big Ideas are easy to spot because they are often in italic, bold, before the first chapter or in a separate page or section.

-         👉Back up the ideas with details: read in the direction of the ideas by looking for the paragraphs that explain the ideas. 

-        👉 Try to have the book in your library. Many people remember the tips they read in a book anytime they have eye contact with the book. This will help lay the ideas within your sub-conscious mind and therefore form the pattern of your actions, decisions and ultimately improve you as a person.