4 Steps to Read Difficult Texts Faster (Academic Speed Reading Comprehension)

Summary

Dr. Justin, a medical doctor and productivity coach, shares insights on efficient reading strategies for studying. He emphasizes the importance of reading technique versus strategy, particularly for complex texts. Techniques like reducing sub-vocalization and grouping words for faster comprehension are discussed. However, the video primarily focuses on the strategy of reading in bursts, taking processing breaks, and maintaining focus to enhance retention and stamina for extended reading sessions.

Takeaways

• 😌 Dr. Justin, a medical doctor and productivity coach, shares his reading techniques to read quickly while maintaining focus.
• 🕒 Focus loss during reading can waste significant time, so regaining focus quickly is crucial for efficiency.
• 📚 The technique of reading quickly is less important than the strategy, especially for complex texts.
• 🧠 Processing information takes longer with difficult texts, making reading speed less relevant than the ability to understand and retain information.
• 🔍 For simple texts like children's books, reading technique is more important due to the lower cognitive load.
• 🤔 Dr. Justin initially increased his reading speed to 1000 words per minute but found it unsustainable and exhausting.
• 🎯 The key to effective reading is a balance between technique and strategy, focusing on understanding and learning from the text.
• 🗣️ Subvocalization, or silently 'hearing' words in your head, can slow reading speed but aids in comprehension and should be used strategically.
• 👀 Grouping words together can increase reading speed and efficiency by reducing the number of eye movements needed to read a line.
• ⏱️ Strategic breaks for processing information can improve retention and make reading more sustainable over longer periods.
• 📝 Taking notes and making predictions about upcoming content can enhance understanding and make reading more engaging.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Dr. Justin's video?

The main focus of Dr. Justin's video is to share techniques and strategies for reading quickly while maintaining focus and comprehension, particularly for academic and dense texts.

Why is maintaining focus while reading considered important by Dr. Justin?

Maintaining focus while reading is important because losing focus can lead to re-reading sections, wasting time, and increasing fatigue, which are counterproductive for effective learning and studying.

What is the difference between reading technique and reading strategy according to Dr. Justin?

Reading technique refers to the physical methods of reading faster, such as reducing sub-vocalization. Reading strategy, on the other hand, involves structuring learning and managing cognitive processes to read more efficiently, especially for difficult texts.

How does sub-vocalization affect reading speed and comprehension?

Sub-vocalization can slow down reading speed because it involves mentally pronouncing words, but it also aids comprehension by reducing cognitive load and making information processing easier.

What is one technique Dr. Justin suggests to reduce sub-vocalization while reading?

One technique suggested by Dr. Justin to reduce sub-vocalization is to group words together during reading, which helps to automatically shut off sub-vocalization as pronouncing multiple words simultaneously in the mind is not possible.

Why is it beneficial to read in bursts according to the video?

Reading in bursts allows for the rapid consumption of information in concentrated periods, followed by strategic pauses for processing and prediction of upcoming content, which enhances overall reading efficiency and retention.

What role do processing breaks play in Dr. Justin's reading strategy?

Processing breaks are essential in Dr. Justin's strategy as they provide time to mentally log and understand the information read, predict upcoming content, and reduce fatigue, thus maintaining a high retention rate and reading speed over time.

How does Dr. Justin demonstrate the application of reading techniques in the video?

Dr. Justin demonstrates the application of reading techniques by showing literal examples of how he groups words, sub-vocalizes keywords, and takes processing breaks while reading a sample text.

What is the significance of grouping words in Dr. Justin's reading technique?

Grouping words is significant as it increases reading speed by allowing the reader to take in more information at once, reduces the need for sub-vocalization, and is more energy-efficient, making it suitable for high-level academic texts.

What adjustments does Dr. Justin make to the reading environment to enhance his reading stamina?

Dr. Justin adjusts the reading environment by using a narrow field of text, setting the background to gray, and enabling features like reduced eye strain in his reading app to save energy and preserve his reading stamina.