Tailor Your Reading Habit to Your Brain’s Style
Read smarter, not harder.
Have you ever picked up a book with high hopes and put it down after 10 pages?
No, you are not alone and no, it is not because the last book you chose was about quantum physics and its effects on the sandwich making industry :)
It’s just that you might not have found a reading method that suits your brain’s natural rhythm.
Brain Waves and the Harmony of Book Pages
I remember the summer of 2019; the sun was shining, the birds were singing and I was stuck at home trying to read Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time”.
Now, before I judge, I am a big fan of Hawking, but this book was a tough cookie to crack. After only a few pages I found myself thinking about other things. At first I thought, “Maybe theoretical physics is not for me!” But then it dawned on me.
Maybe it wasn’t the content, maybe it was how I approached the reading process.
The human brain has a complex arrangement of wavelengths, and just as we all have our own personalities, our brains have our favorite ways of consuming content. Some of us feed on 280 characters of information, while others prefer a deep dive into large texts like this article.
Henry David Thoreau once said:
“Read the best books first, or you may never have a chance to read them.”
But I would like to add:
“…and read them in the style that best suits your brain.”
For example, if you are someone who assimilates snippets of information quickly, diving straight into a 600-page novel may not be the best strategy. Instead, start with chapter summaries or articles on the topic. Gradually, as your interest grows, dive into deeper waters.
On the other hand, if you are someone who enjoys thinking about a topic and making connections, intense, focused reading sessions can work wonders for you.
You can take a cue from your personal experience:
If you find that you are often distracted while reading, try linking your reading habit to a sensory pleasure.
Personally, I am a coffee brewer and I brew my coffee as a ritual and I really enjoy it. It instantly increases my concentration and motivation because I have made a special drink just for reading my book.
A personal suggestion for concentration:
Some of you may have heard of it, but I personally put my headphones on during reading time and put on a sound that you can find on the internet by typing “white noise” and I feel my concentration increase. I don’t know if it’s a placebo effect, but it obviously works for me. You can try it to see if it works for you too.
So, are you ready to explore the next section where I share some tested and proven strategies to understand your brain’s reading preferences?
Decoding Your Brain’s Preferred Book Rhythm
Do you remember the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from our childhood? When you reached the end of a page, you were faced with a dilemma. Depending on your choice, you would jump to a certain page and the story would unfold in a unique way for you.
Our brains are a bit like that.
They have a preferred way of telling a story.
I had a friend and he was a really slow reader. Everybody used to make fun of him for that. But here’s the thing.
My friend was taking a mental walk through the landscapes of the books he was reading. He could describe the taste of fictional food and the texture of dragons’ scales while the rest of us, the “fast readers”, could finish three books in the time it took him to finish one.
Goals like speed reading or 30 books in 30 days sound really good. But should that really be our goal? I don’t think our goal should be how many books I can read or how fast I can read, but how well I can absorb what I read.
For this assimilation, it is necessary to be fast sometimes, but also to know how to slow down when necessary.
These slowdowns can sometimes be to take notes, sometimes to research a word or a topic for hours.
When reading a book, approach it in a friendly and sharing way. Feel free to take notes, write, scribble in your book. Whatever you give to it, it will give you more when you pick it up again one day.
“There is no friend so faithful as a book.”
— Ernest Hemingway.
But what if I told you that this friendship can be deeper and more rewarding when you read to the rhythm of your brain?
Here are a few strategies you can use to fine-tune your reading habits:
The Pomodoro Technique for Readers: Set a timer for 25 minutes, focus solely on your book, then take a 5 minute break. You will be surprised how much you understand in these short periods of time.
Audiovisual Style: If you find that you remember things better when you hear them, try audio books.
You can listen to the audiobook while following the physical copy. In this way, you will realize dual sensory interaction.
Interactive Reading: Be in an environment where you can interactively discuss and talk about the book you are reading. This environment can be the physical world or a virtual environment. In this way, you will both learn other people’s opinions about the book and you can absorb the book much better with the energy of the discussion environment.
Sarcasm Technique: First read a summary or watch a video about the book. When you get a tantalizing taste or catch a point that excites you, your brain may crave to devour the whole book :)
Your brain, despite its complexity, is a bit like a cranky toddler. It wants to do things its own way. And just like toddlers, sometimes the trick is to make it think that it is doing things its own way while you are cunningly steering the ship.
Reading is a journey. Even if the destination (the end of the book, the feeling of completion) is satisfying, remember to enjoy the journey.
Further Reading
- “How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading” by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren: A comprehensive guide on how to read books of different genres and levels of difficulty. It includes various techniques that can aid in understanding and remembering what you read.
- “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport: Newport discusses the benefits of deep, focused work (or reading), and provides practical strategies for increasing focus and reducing distractions.
- “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World” by Mark Williams and Danny Penman: Although not exclusively about reading, this book provides an excellent introduction to mindfulness, which can be applied to reading and many other areas of life.
- “Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them” by Francine Prose: This book offers insight into the mind of a writer, helping readers to approach books from a writer’s perspective, enhancing comprehension and enjoyment.
Author’s Note: These resources will provide a deeper understanding of mindful reading and its benefits, as well as practical strategies to improve focus, comprehension, and enjoyment of reading.
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