Triple Your Reading, Memory and Concentration in 30 minutes
🚀 What is it about in 3 Sentences
This short book of 42 pages gives you some of the approaches to:
- Increase reading speed
- Improve memory
- Enhance concentration
Who’s it for?
- Students studying any subject
- Academicians
- Readers, Tutors and Teachers
My Top 3 Quotes
“The trick to speed reading is to open your field of vision to capture multiple words at a glance”
“You didn’t actually make the decision to become distracted. It was your habituated and impulsive response that acted on your behalf”.
“Just because you know what to do, want to do it, and can benefit from doing it, doesn’t mean you will actually be able to do it. It will take practice, and at times, will power to integrate the strategies into your life”.
📒 Summary + Reflections
How To Read Fastly
One of the ways by which people read is by applying the word-to-word approach. However, this form of reading is not just slow but also puts the reader in a state where he or she is unable to comprehend the message of what they have read. The key to reading fast with better comprehension by not looking at the words themselves, but rather at the spaces between the words.
The focus of reading is changed from individual words to the spaces between them. Our brain has the ability to automatically pick and comprehend the words that appear on both sides of the space. In fact, it is not just space between two words that our brains comprehend. Instead, our brains can comprehend spaces between phrases. For example, just focus on the dots given below:
Even though you O are not looking O at individual words O in this paragraph O your eyes and mind O are still able O to pick up the text.
This technique is known as space reading. It is simple and straightforward and uses our innate ability to widen our focus and develop a more peripheral vision.
The other idea to read fastly is by chunking words together as a single word. The trick to speed reading is to open your field of vision to capture multiple words at a glance. While chunking, words are combined to form phrases that are read together as a single phrase. For example,
Even though you / are not looking / at individual words / in this paragraph / your eyes and mind / are still able / to pick up the text.
Finally, avoid sub-vocalizations. Sub-vocalization is the act of pronouncing every word in your head. This makes reading slower and adds an unnecessary step to reading. Eliminating this habit alone is a way to read faster.
How To Improve Memory
Memory, learning, and understanding are all intertwined with each other. It is not possible to separate one element from the other. The ideas applied to enhance memory also apply to learning and understanding. The most important tool for memory is repetition. Repetition, however, is not just about rote memorization. Rote memorization is just one of the methods employed for repetition. ****
The key is to develop memory tools that incline with the natural functioning of the brain. Such tools will have a greater impact and are easier to repeat than others. The first tool is previewing. Preview the material you want to read or learn. By glancing through the title, subheadings, graphs, and diagrams, a framework of the material are presented to our brains which are then easier to grasp and retain.
The second tool is note-taking. The benefits of note-taking are many and often well-known. Note-taking is an active process. It prevents one from having distracted thoughts during lectures. Taking notes requires one to pay attention to what one decides to write. Note-taking also increases comprehension of the text. We have discussed the best note-taking methods here.
The next tool is taking appropriate breaks while learning. Our brains are like muscles that get fatigued and consume a high amount of glucose when involved in learning. This is why taking breaks are important in improving our memory. Regular breaks help our brains to digest the information that we consume. It provides time to internalize the material that we have learned.
The most important of all tools to retain information in memory is reviewing. We usually forget 50-70 %of what we have learned within a day. Hence, it is essential to review what we have learned every day. For every hour of the study done, at least a 5-10 minute review must be done daily starting from the first day itself.
Retrieval is the act of recalling information placed in memory. It acts as feedback to our memory and learning. It helps us to find our areas of knowledge and gaps in our learning. It also helps in building better and stronger neuronal connections in our brains.
The oldest tool amongst all of the above-mentioned is forming associations. Associating what we learn with tales or stories helps to retain memory better. The ability to create a bigger picture is key to learning better. When one studies about an organ in the body, he or she must associate its relation and function with other organs and with the total functioning of the body. I personally believe that, without forming associations, learning is narrow-minded and incomplete.
Start to test your knowledge and teach others. Our brains have the ability to solve problems. It seeks to find answers to the question. This is why asking questions helps you to learn better and retain information better. After testing yourself, start teaching it to others. By teaching, you will have combined all the memory tools that we have discussed so far. Teaching transforms you into a master of the material.
To sum up, the memory tools are:
- Preview
- Note-Taking
- Taking Breaks
- Review
- Retrieval
- Forming Associations
- Test Yourself
- Teach Others
Some of these methods can be easily employed while others are difficult to employ. The key point to note is that the more we employ these tools, the less resistance and pain they create.
How To Enhance Concentration
Concentration is the ability to stay focused and not get distracted. It is important for both reading and learning. Most of the advice given to enhance concentration such as building a reward system or eliminating distractions stems from a judgemental notion that people already have good concentration and are distracted by these factors which need to be removed. However, Kam Knight focuses on methods that improve concentration for all people.
The first method is to calm your inner state. Concentration is not possible when a person’s thoughts are racing and jumping, creating a sense of fear and anxiety. The solution offered by Kam is relaxation exercise. The exercise is similar to deep-breathing exercises wherein one closes his or her eyes and takes slow, deep breaths. Personally, the best solution I found to have a calm inner state of mind is by reciting the Quran or listening to it. After all, the Quran is a healer of hearts.
The next method is to build endurance, ie, to focus on objects for longer periods of time. To do this, take any object like an apple or orange. Focus on the object alone. We will find that after 10 to 20 seconds, our thoughts start to wander away. It moves from apple to apple pies to desserts to hotels to hanging out with friends. This happens because of the ability of our mind to associate (something which aided memory but no concentration). Our unconscious thoughts and behaviors have the power to override our voluntary thoughts and actions. Every time, we drift from our focus, bring the attention back again. Practice this technique over and over again. Eventually, we will be able to focus on the apple for more than two minutes.
The third method involves resisting distractions. It includes building endurance against distractions. Anytime a distraction comes up, just pause and wait. Most of us will start to feel agitation and tension as most of our distractions are habituated. The goal is to hold on as much time as possible and record them down. Continue the activity over and over again and notice the improvement.
