Become Harvard-smart in half an hour a day; it’s possible

At the beginning of this endlessly long quarantine, I set two goals for myself: to have less stress and to come out of the pandemic smarter. I’m managing to reduce stress because I walk and meditate more than ever. I’m still struggling a bit with that smart part, but I think I have the solution. The lockdown seemed very suitable for learning Greek, especially if you ever want to live there. I suddenly find it possible to read books that actually teach you something. Not that I only read thin literature before, on the contrary, but as soon as there was a predetermined learning curve, I lost interest. Think of it this way: I could read Geert Maks' In Europe for fun, but as soon as a cover indicated that my brain was going to be trained, it was over. It felt like I had to go back to school, and thus the whole essence of enjoying a book was gone. Until now.

Two wins, that’s already something, but I would now like to learn a lot in a short time. And you always learn a lot by reading a lot. And reading a lot is fun, but you need time for that. Former Harvard president Charles W. Eliot claims that you need to read 51 books to become Harvard-smart. That sounds appealing, as smart as an average Harvard Graduate. Just need that time now, because it’s not the intention for me to get stressed about becoming smart, of course. It’s a matter of handling that a bit wisely, so I need to learn to read faster, and there are techniques for that.

Tijdwinst.com states that you need to consider three things while reading: subvocalization, eye movements, and regression. Subvocalization is the voice you hear in your head when you read, which you probably hear right now, and you need to turn it down a bit. Secondly, it’s important that your eyes glide over the text and don’t jump around hesitantly, which strangely brings immediate relief to my head. And regression is repeatedly reading words and paragraphs, which of course takes up a lot of time, so you need to stop doing that. These three already provide time savings, but there’s more.

To read those 51 Harvard classics in one year, it’s essential to dive into a bubble for half an hour every day. No distractions from the outside, just you and that book. Furthermore, you need a tool to point at the text, like a pen or highlighter (also handy for marking brilliant sentences). This way, you prevent losing track of where you are in your reading. Before you start reading, skim and scan a book first, because by leisurely flipping through and seeing headings, you get an idea of what the book is about, making it easier to read. Sounds like a solid plan.

Okay, I’ll let you know on March 16 next year whether I’m Harvard-smart. First, let me.

order those 51 books Timemanagement.nl.

Source: Adeline reading