Show notes
The best reading technique is not necessarily one that gets you reading faster.
It’s not even necessarily a single technique.
Often, the best way to achieve your goals is to combine a number of active reading techniques.
Particularly the kind that we’ll discuss on this page.
I’ve used them all while studying for my PhD and as a bestselling author.
The reading strategies we’ll discuss have also made the site you’re on now one of the most read memory improvement blogs in the world.
Not to mention the reading and research I do for my YouTube channel, which has over 100,000 subscribers.
I don’t tell you these things to brag. Only to underscore the importance of having a wide variety of reading techniques and strategies. The results this brings can be life-changing for you.
Why Having Multiple Reading Techniques Matters
Simply put, you need to have multiple reading techniques because there’s more than one kind of book.
In fact, any given book can contain multiple types of content. For example, when I read Sir Roger Penrose’s ideas about memory related to his theory of consciousness, I encounter complex terms, physics equations and concepts. Each of these require a different reading strategy to handle.
Then there’s the “depth reading” that can happen only when you memorize the details, skills I share with you in my post on How To Memorize A Textbook.
With all this in mind, let’s now discuss the variety of reading techniques I recommend from my experiences as a grad student, professor and author working in the Internet age.
5 Reading Techniques For Every Kind Of Book
As we go through these reading techniques, keep in mind that there’s no particular order of importance. They all matter.
Just keep in mind that they don’t all apply to each and every kind of book.
You’re about to become a Swiss Army Knife of reading skills. Let’s dive in!
One: Priming
Many people overwhelm themselves by starting new books at the beginning. They wade through long introductions, often tiring themselves out with the least important parts.
Don’t get me wrong. Introductions can be very important. But they’re not necessarily the first part of the book to read.
When I read books at university, I read books out of order, typically like this:
- Back cover
- Index
- Works Cited
- Conclusion
- Colophon page
- Table of Contents
- The most interesting chapters
- Introduction
Now, if you’re wondering why I would read the conclusion before reading the introduction, that’s a good question.
Part of reading faster, especially as a busy grad student, requires knowing two things:
- What big ideas does the author conclude on?
- Are those ideas worth the time it will take to read the entire book?
Frankly, if the author’s conclusions are not intriguing or monumental, often the book can be set aside. That in itself saves a lot of time.
Please note that “priming” is a term I learned from the world of speed reading. It’s not to be confused with previewing, which scientists disagree about in studies like this and this.
Barbara Oakley, who co-created Learning How to Learn talks about a version of priming she calls the “picture walk.” It’s discussed in some detail in this video review of her excellent work:
https://youtu.be/vAg7eN2SatI
Two: Interrogate Everything You Read
Many people struggle to read and remember because they read passively instead of using active reading principles.
I suggest you question everything as you read. The exact questions you ask will depend on your memory and comprehension goals.
Some valid approaches you can pursue include SQ3R:
- Survey
- Question
- Read
- Recite
- Review
You can also look into using the KWL table, or something like Giordano Bruno‘s take on memory wheels for asking questions.
The questions I usually ask while reading include:
- What is the claim the author is making?
- What is the evidence or what are the main points?
- If the claim is true, who benefits?
I share more about this questioning process in this popular video tutorial:
https://youtu.be/si0aTKs_cmQ
At the end of the day, the quality of your questioning process will boil down to practicing it consistently over time.
The more you use this reading technique, the better it will serve you.
Three: Skim & Scan With Care
Many people talk about skimming and scanning – including me.
The problem is that these techniques typically only work when you’re already basically familiar with a topic.
These are definitely techniques you can use, but make sure to deploy them only when you already enjoy basic comprehension of a topic.
For developing that first, I suggest finding the most authoritative books you can find and read those materials thoroughly. We’ll talk about how next.
Four: Supplement The Superheroes
Sometimes you just have to read introductory textbooks in order to grasp a technique.
But let’s face it. Sometimes even the most basic book can still be challenging.
That’s why I suggest persisting with the challenging book, but also reading around it.
As you read, take breaks to:
- Look up summaries and commentaries
- Find podcast discussions
- Watch video tutorials
How you read a book does not have to be linear. We already talked about this principle with priming, but reading out of order also comes into play when it comes to supplementary texts.
You might worry that switching around might just wind up confusing you. As counterintuitive as it might be, the principle of interleaving shows otherwise in many studies. Scott Young’s well-received books like Get Better At Anything and Ultralearning also present evidence supporting the benefits of skipping around.
Five: Visualize Along Multiple Channels
As this researcher shows, scientists are divided when it comes to the exact definition of mental imagery and its effectiveness as a reading technique.
Dr. Timothy Shanahan says that visualization definitely works, but is usually best saved for when you’re already able to read. In other words, he has found that kids struggle to “see pictures” in their minds.
We know that many adults do as well, some of whom have aphantasia. For years, I myself struggled with seeing images in my mind’s eye.
But then I completed some visualization exercises focused on multisensory imagination. These made it possible for me to read using all of my senses, a strategy taught for decades by people like Tony Buzan and Harry Lorayne.
In fact, the idea of using all your senses while reading was also popular during the Renaissance. Robert Fludd has wonderful training on that.
Basically, you begin by identifying different multisensory visualization experiences and putting them into practice.
As I read, I deploy what I call KAVE COGS:
- Kinesthetic
- Auditory
- Visual
- Emotional
- Conceptual
- Olfactory
- Gustatory
- Spatial
Here’s an example:
When reading about Penrose’s theory of “orchestrated objective reduction,” I struggled at first to remember the term. By applying a kinesthetic sensation of what it feels like to play in an orchestra, followed by hearing the sound of someone singing the word “object,” I easily placed the term in long-term memory.
True, this reading technique takes a bit of practice. But it is well worth it. This kind of multisensory visualization is at the core of most memory techniques as well.
The Ultimate Reading Technique
I once heard that someone asked the legendary mentalist Max Maven how to get better as a performer.
“Read,” Maven said.
“Yes, but read what?”
“Everything.”
Maven’s point was that reading widely is the best strategy of them all. It’s not just that variety is the spice of life, or anything cliche like that.
It’s that by making reading widely your core strategy, your mind will naturally make connections.
As it does, you’ll comprehend and remember much more without having to use elaborate mnemonics like the Memory Palace or linking.
Better said, you can save those advanced mnemonic strategies for tough or evasive terms, like “orchestrated objective reduction.”
I would add a second step to Maven’s wonderful advice.
Read widely and also read consistently.
How much time should you spend reading a day? That really comes down to your goals. But even if you had an exact answer, it’s the consistency that will help you most in the end.
So too with using your memory in a targeted (and consistent) way that includes lots of variety. If you’d like help with that, feel free to grab my free course:
It gives you four video lessons and three worksheets that will help you boost your memory quickly.
Taking the time to improve your memory is itself a reading strategy. That way, you can remember a lot more so that connections do fall into place much more often and with much greater ease.
So what do you say?
Are you ready to put these reading techniques to use?
Happy reading!
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