Yes, you want to read faster, but before you chow down on that book consider what you’re reading. College reading material is not fast food, and your brain is not an order of fries and a milk shake. Did you know that when it comes to reading in college that the best mental trick to prime your brain is the slow fast food approach to reading? Skimming the book without proper training is like ordering a quick hamburger at the drive through window. You eat it. It tastes delicious, but it is over. Gone. Zilch. And you’re hungry again.
Just imagine if you spent just a few more minutes preparing that burger yourself, maybe putting your favorite sauce on top, or a bit of lettuce you picked up at the farmer’s market. It’s a few extra steps, but it makes what you’re eating a zillion times better. It’s the slow fast food approach to eating, and the analogy rings true for how our brain processes information.
The goal is to understand what you’re reading at a more meaningful level. Understanding quickly what you’re reading is not simply a matter of skimming faster, but reading deeper andfaster. It is, in the words of John Dewey:
A result that is attained only when acquisition is accompanied by constant reflection upon the meaning of what is studied.
That’s why training your mind to comprehend what you read is a slow fast food approach to reading better, faster. It’s taking time to whip your brain into shape (that’s where results-proven brain training comes in handy), making what your eye sees on the page translate into constant reflection on the meaning of what you’re studying.
To get the exercises you need to prime your brain for better reading, contact us. We have the tools you need to take a few minutes every day to sharpen your comprehension and your understanding of whatever you’re reading next on your syllabus.
