# 3 tips to help you read effectively

By [Tresa](https://paragraph.com/@melson) · 2021-11-27

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**The first move: finger reading**

The so-called "finger reading" is to use the finger or pen to move down the line, the speed should be steady and a little faster than the eyes feel. This is to force the eyes to follow the finger or pen movement, and then improve the reading speed. An added benefit is that this will increase the level of concentration and greatly reduce the chances of desertion.

This method must be practiced consistently, starting with one line at a time, and then slowly becoming two or three lines, so that one day you may be able to "read ten lines at a time". You may think this method is stupid and dumb, but isn't there this saying - those who are great, use the dumb way. I believe that as long as it has been persistent, even stupid methods will have great effect.

One thing to emphasize is that it must be pointed out line by line, not word by word, which has been abandoned.

**Second trick: skimming**

1.  browse the title, preface, publication introduction, table of contents, index, etc., to grasp the theme and framework structure, to determine whether there is a need to read on.
    
2.  Pick a few chapters that are relevant to the topic and read them. Focus on the beginning and end of the chapter and the first sentence of each paragraph. 3.
    
3.  then, open the book, flip through the east and west, read a paragraph or two, read a few pages in a row, but not too much, mainly pay attention to the message related to the theme. 4.
    
4.  finally, the end of a book two or three pages must not be ignored. There are few authors who don't rehearse the points they think are important at the end.
    

After a brief reading, you have pretty much understood the main content of a book. If this understanding has met your requirements, you can put it down; but if you find that it is a book worth reading intensively, you can start reading it a second time. The second time you read it, you should use the "analytical reading" method.

**The third trick: rough reading**

"Rough reading" is mainly used to read more difficult books. Especially when you want to read a classic book that is not in your field of knowledge.

For example, two weeks ago, I wanted to read Fei Xiaotong's "Fertility System", and I was ambitious at first to study this masterpiece of sociology, but I found that it was very difficult to read, and the author had his own framework for explaining things, which was very strange to me. So, with perseverance, I gave up after a hundred or so pages, and still haven't picked it up today.

"Rough reading" is the solution to this phenomenon. The rule is: the first time you face a difficult book, read it from beginning to end first, do not stop to query or think about what you do not understand. Read the part you can understand first, finish the book, then go back and read it a second time, then you will find that you can understand more content.

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*Originally published on [Tresa](https://paragraph.com/@melson/3-tips-to-help-you-read-effectively)*