This is probably one of the most important reading tips that I can give you. It does not apply as much too reading fiction – where our goal should just be to enjoy a good book. It however applies to almost everything else. Reading study material, non-fiction, essays, e-mail, articles, news etc.

Before you start your reading – ask yourself why you are reading that book or article. Are you searching for a specific tip or help on something? Do you have a specific problem that you need to fix or a question that is unanswered? This is an important step in becoming a focused reader.

 - For more on this check out my - 11 Tips On How To Read A Non-Fiction Or Self Help Book With Good Comprehension And Focus

Before you pick up a book – what questions arise? Why did you buy the book? What solutions are you hoping to find? Keep these questions in mind – or better yet – put them on a piece of paper or a mind map.

Sometimes it is only one question that drives us through a book. A problem with a software or hardware and we need to find the answer. However the questions can be five or ten and then we should consider putting them on paper. As students reading study material it could be thirty or forty questions for which we need an answer.
It all depends on how well we know the subject. Are we seeking new knowledge or are we trying to find little tidbits of new information within the text. This should affect our reading goal, our reading speed and our reading technique in going through the text.

There is not just one way to read a book, there are many phases to reading and we need to learn to evolve our reading to be able to assess what kind of reading is needed each time. How fast can I allow myself to read the book, how deep do I have to go, where can I skim, because I know the subject and where should a mark an important part. These are just a few of the assessment tools that you need to have an answer to before you read a book or an article. This is why you should have a clear goal in mind while reading.

If you read with a clear goal in mind, and you work through the text actively seeking the answer – you are far less prone to losing focus while reading. You increase your chance of locating the answer, you amass more knowledge and you have the ability to gather more of the right information – the information – the answer – that you needed from the book or the text in the first place.

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