12/28/2023 0 Comments Define skim through book![]() ![]() If that sounds familiar, here are some factors to consider: They pick a book they think they’ll like and then force themselves to read it cover to cover. This sounds obvious, but I know many people who ignore their own taste. See it as a welcome break from the constant information barrage. Forget about “getting through” the book and focus on the process. Give your mind the space and time to reflect on a chapter. This one’s simple: Try to slow down your reading speed. Here’s everything I’ve learned about deep reading condensed into five actionable tips. Sure, sometimes I still switch to skimming - when I need to hunt down one specific piece of information, for example.īut the essence of my creative juice - ideas, inspiration, motivation - all of these things stem directly from deep reading. So what are some concrete ways to practice deep reading? 5 Ways to Harness the Power of Deep ReadingĮver since I started to deep-read, I get more value out of two chapters than two entire books. It teaches your brain to commit to one task. Deep reading, on the other hand, can improve your focus. This constant switching can take a serious toll on your attention. Today’s era of data overload makes us think a potentially better piece of information is always just one click away. And that, in turn, makes it easier for you to take positive action based on that information. Whether it’s a character from a novel or a philosophical idea-you start viewing the world through that lens. Once you’re really immersed in a book, it follows you everywhere. Or, as Nicholas Carr writes in The Shallows, “Deep reading becomes a form of deep thinking.” Thus, reading deeply becomes fuel for creativity. And the more you engage with a book, the more you associate those thoughts with other unique ideas. It’s about spending time with someone else’s thoughts. But I found that reading isn’t really about that. Discovering nuggets of inspiration in books is great. Which approach do you think is more fruitful? Now, compare that to switching between tabs and skimming through twenty different articles. Just think back to when you were a child. This is because our brains are simply not wired to deal with information overflow. Deep reading is our default mode of dealing with texts. Here are the four biggest benefits of deep reading: Getting stuck with reading while forgetting about the real work.īut what makes deep reading better? Is it really worth sacrificing speed for depth? Prioritizing quality over quantity? Turns out, in the vast majority of cases, the answer is yes.Letting ideas slip through your brain like water through a sieve.Pursuing arbitrary numbers and vanity metrics.So far, we’ve seen that shallow reading leads to: Sadly, the former has become the norm in our hyper-active modern lifestyle.Īnd this is where deep reading provides a powerful antidote… Why Deep Reading Is So Powerful (4 Benefits) Put differently: Speed reading is like swiping through snapshots of a place, whereas deep reading is like actually going there. Books turn into a substitution for your actions rather than a supplement. When you bombard your brain with information, it becomes tough to implement what you read. In this sense, reading can also become a form of procrastination. And so, the number of books I’d finish every month fueled my ego rather than my mind. For example, I noticed the more books I read, the more I see them as vanity metrics. “There is a trade-off between speed and accuracy in reading.”Īnother problem with reading too much too quickly is reading for reading’s sake. “There is no such magic bullet,” researchers write about speed reading. And before you jump at my virtual throat - yes, speed reading can be helpful in specific situations.īut speed reading means consuming information like fast food: it feels like a quick win, but you don’t get long-lasting value out of it. That is, skimming a text without internalizing it. ![]() The evil sibling of deep reading is speed reading (or shallow reading). To deep-read is to crawl through the page into a different universe. We don’t just read the words, we dream our lives in their vicinity.” “ the slow and meditative possession of a book. I love how Sven Birkerts put it in his book The Gutenberg Elegies, where he coined the term: That’s why deep reading is also called slow reading. What matters is that you eliminate distractions, open your mind, and really take your time with a book. It doesn’t matter whether you deep-read for enjoyment or education. I like to define deep reading as the intentional practice of complete engagement with a text. Want to Get More Out of Everything You Read?.5 Ways to Harness the Power of Deep Reading.Why Deep Reading Is So Powerful (4 Benefits).
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