If you want to make proper use of and process the texts you read, you should proceed in the following way. These rules do not only apply to books or magazines, you can apply them to all reading material:
- Get an overview of the reading material: topic, heading(s), tables of contents, summaries, diagrams, pictures, etc.
- Then take a few minutes to ask yourself: Why do I want to read the following? Write down in key words three to five questions to which you expect an answer. You can also write them down on paper in the form of a mind map.
- Then read at your reading speed.
- Underline the meaning carriers, i.e. the key concepts in relation to your questions. You can also put symbols in the margin whose meaning is clear to you.
- Recapitulate after each chapter by writing down keywords and answers to your original questions. You can also add to the mind map you started.
- Review: If you need to memorise the content, you should read for 50 minutes and then spend 10 minutes reviewing what you have read. To do this, create checklists or mindmaps from your key words that you can use later for repetition and self-testing.
In order to grasp a longer text quickly and correctly, preparation and follow-up are just as important as the reading itself. If you go into a text with concrete questions, you will find the answers much faster and more accurately.