Posts tagged Taking The Time
Improve Reading Comprehension
Aug 23rd
Everyone has been reading, not noticed their mind wander, only to come back to reality and think, “What did I just read?” And for others, they may keep their focus, but still not fully understand what the text is trying to say. By increasing reading comprehension, those scenarios – and others – can be avoided. Here’s how:
Do Your Research Beforehand It may seem silly to say that in order to understand Book A, you should first read Book B and Essay C. However, if there’s one book in particular you really need to fully understand (for work, class, etc.) then you’ll want a strong foundation to work from. That way, when a topic comes up you may not fully grasp, you at least have a general understanding.
Skim First, Then Read Again, this is to get a good understanding of what you’re about to read. By taking the time in advance to skim the material and get a good understanding of it, you’re actually saving yourself more time in the long run. You’ll spend less time going back to previous chapters or looking up certain sections.
Review the Material Once you’ve read through it once, review what you read. Too often we finish reading something any say we’re done. In fact, we may never be “done” reading a text if it’s something important or could provide us ongoing insights. This doesn’t mean you have to reread every word, but take the time to go over the main points.
Try Reading Out Loud This doesn’t necessarily work for everyone – and it can slow you down – but hearing the text (especially if you’re a more auditory learner) can help you better understand what you’re reading.
Look Stuff Up If there’s a word or phrase or reference you don’t understand, then take the time to look it up. Again, this will initially take a bit of time, but in the long run you’ll be saving yourself more time because you’ll have a better understanding of what you’re reading.
Get Rid of Distractions Find a quiet place to read, void of distractions. Your mind needs to be able to focus on the task at hand.
Ask Questions Perhaps the best way to increase overall reading comprehension is to ask questions. This may mean coming up with questions beforehand (or finding a good reading guide) or it may mean asking questions as you go. This will keep you engaged in your reading and help make sure the information is being processed well.
Do the Mental Work
Aug 13th
How many people do we know that work endless hours in an effort to ‘get ahead’? I call them ‘workaholics’. It is not because they love the work or because they really have to. It is because they feel they need to in order to accomplish their goals. Beliefs like, “you have to work hard in life” or “work hard now reap the rewards later” are what fuel us. I know, I used to be a workaholic. I was raised to believe that only those who work hard and put in long hours get ahead. Where did I learn this? Well, from my parents and others around me as I grew up. My father would put in long 10-hour days only to come home exhausted to put in more time working after dinner. I have repeated this recipe myself exactly the same way.
The question is, did he ever really get ahead? I saw him repeat this cycle day in and day out for at least 20 years. I figure if he was ever going to get ahead he should be there by now. I am not saying there is not value to a good honest days work, but not at the expense of personal happiness and fulfillment. Somewhere along the line we lost sight of our goal.
Real success in any endeavour really comes from doing the mental work. By mental work I mean taking the time to get clear on what it is we truly wish to be, do or have. Once that has been decided it is about focusing on that goal as already realized. The more we think about it from the end result the more energy we give it. As we give focus to certain things in life our minds start to redirect our thoughts and minds natural problem solving abilities to find the best possible paths and decisions to get that goal accomplished. We make different decisions, see problems more as challenges and move forward rather than wallow in stagnant doubt and despair.
Think about it, everything in our world was once only a thought in someones mind. The Eiffel Tower was a concept in an architects sketch book. The automobile was a dream of inventors like Henry Ford. The telephone was Graham Bells endless pursuit. Had any of these people given up after a failure or two we would likely not be enjoying those creations today. The point is they believed in their own minds that it was possible and they endured, they persisted and they ultimately succeeded. Sure they worked hard, but they kept their eye on the goal and they saw it in their minds eye more clearly in spite of what others said or thought.
If you want to succeed with anything do what a great speaker once said to me, “persist without exception. That does not mean persist till it gets tough or till you are tired, persist without exception. Never give up.” – Andy Andrews.
