Reading As Iteration

Also known as fractal reading

Many people (I admit I still have a hard time getting out this habit) start from page one and read slowly, deliberately until the end.

But this method can be poor for several reasons:

• You are reading deeply BEFORE you've decided whether the book is worth your time.

• You don't have a big picture "orientation" for structuring your thinking. It helps to have a general framework of what the book is about before you read.

I prefer to read iteratively. This involves going through a book multiple times, with a different frame each time:

• Flip through the book's table of contents, introduction, chapter titles, paragraph headings to get a basic idea of what the book is about.

• Do a second pass through this book. Still read "lightly", marking down passages that are interesting, difficult, important, etc. The goal here isn't to master the passages, but to mark them down for later deep thinking.

• Do a third, thorough, analytical pass. This is where you revisit your passages and go through them in a deeper fashion, deepening your understanding, making connections, correcting errors, etc.

This method has several upsides.

First, you start with a "big picture" framework of the book. Each iteration (or pass) has successive detail, which helps you fill in the details of your framework. I find this makes you feel less "lost" as you read.

Second, it's easier to decide when to give up on a book. You can skim through and make a quick yes/no judgment. Time wasted on one book is time you don't get to spend elsewhere.

Note: Of course, the analytical reading is not the end. You can take what you've learned and convert it into practice, integrate it into a knowledge system, etc.

From Reading Difficult Texts:

When experts read difficult texts they read slowly and reread often. They hold confusing passages in "mental suspension," having faith that later parts will help clarify. They "nutshell" passages as they proceed, getting the gist by marking in the margins. They interact with the text by asking questions as they read.

A Case Study

Excellent example of iterative reading from cog sci professor via this metafilter thread.

Notice the professor recommends:

• Start with the big picture. You read the abstract & conclusion before you read the introduction, even. Look at the charts to get a general idea of the key ideas, etc.

• You read out of order. Same as above.

• You read iteratively. Never a single pass over the book but multiple, each going deeper with each iteration.