How to highlight for maximum retention and results

Do you use a highlighter when you speed read? Have you ever highlighted so much 'important' stuff that you end up highlighting more of the page than not? Have you ever wondered 'how do I know what is worth highlighting and what's not'?

I've done the same, myself. In fact, I used to highlight a lot of what I read on the page - not being sure what was really important and what was just important.

Until one delay realised that I was wasting my time and not really remembering much of what I highlighted anyway. On top of that, the stuff that I did highlight was often not even in the test!

The reason for this is because the FIRST time you read and highlight anything, it's hard for you to know what's important and what's not. Plus, you end up reading slower and you highlight more often. And that's if you read normally!

When you speed read AND highlight, chances are that your reading speed will be slower than your usual speed and you will highlight two or three times more. Which means you'll waste a lot of time reviewing and highlighting.

Because I know this, I advise students who learn to do speed reading to NOT highlight while speed reading something for the first time. And here's why...

When you read anything for the first time, it's only when you finish the chapter that its meaning becomes obvious to you. You then understand what the important bits are that you will need to remember (and highlight) and you will be able to recognise these points in the text.

More than likely, also, these important bits may have been different than what you would have highlighted when you started reading.

Now, I'll tell you what works best for me and for thousands of other students. These strategies I teach take time to implement, and the key is to TRUST them as you apply them.

* When CHOOSING to highlight something, you need to trust your instincts - to highlight LESS than you THINK you should...
* Highlight ONLY those items you feel you're not going to remember automatically. Yes, I know this takes judgment on your part.
* You have to trust yourself. Start with MORE highlights and REDUCE them as you get better at CHOOSING what to highlight.
* You'll soon know what you MUST highlight versus what you WANT to highlight. These are not often the same thing.
* You can TEST what I suggest - sometimes highlight WHILE you are speed reading and then AFTER... You determine what works best for you.
* IF you are the EXCEPTION, that's OK - DO what works for you, but DO IT because it works, not because you THINK it works.
* To KNOW IT WORKS, you have to track your time and comprehension BOTH ways, otherwise it's a value judgment and chances are you will be biased and wrong in your self-assessment.

posted by syahmi 0thman