Mindful Ink     Life, Living and Productivity

 A few days back I wrote a bit about the process of reading academically, and how the “tricks” we may learn to read other books do not work so well in these environments. A while back I mentioned a bit of this as well, producing a “Reading” cheatsheet you can get here as well as some “reading note cards.”

Lifehack.org has written an excellent follow up post discussing those “tricks” that DO help.

1. Skim the book. Examine the table of contents to get a feeling for the structure and main points of the book. Flip through the chapters, skimming the first few paragraphs of each, and then the section headings. Check the index for any topics you feel are especially important. Then, if you have time;
2. Read the Introduction and conclusion. Most of the author’s theoretical position will be laid out in the introduction, along with at least a summary of the chapters and sections within. The conclusion revisits much of these points, and usually gives a good overview of the data or other evidence. Sometimes the conclusion is not marked as such; in this case, read the last chapter. Then, if you have time;
3. Dip in. Read the chapters that seem most relevant or interesting. Get a sense for what the author is trying to accomplish. Flip through the rest of the book and look more closely at anything that catches your eye. Then, if you have time;
4. Finish the book. Read the whole thing. If you know you’ll have time, skip 1 - 3 and just read, cover to cover.

For a lot more like this, and a book that taught me a great deal with tips like those above and more, is the classic: How to Read a Book.