{"id":4008,"date":"2015-08-07t09:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-07t16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/sat\/?p=3894"},"modified":"2015-08-06t11:55:16","modified_gmt":"2015-08-06t18:55:16","slug":"how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/","title":{"rendered":"how to get through boring reading assignments"},"content":{"rendered":"

many students would probably say that long readings are the most boring type of homework. if the material doesn\u2019t interest you, it\u2019s easy to begin skimming the words without actually absorbing their meaning, or worse, falling asleep. but don\u2019t let these things happen to you! in college, professors often expect you to learn by reading rather than listening, so start getting used to it now.
\n <\/p>\n

note: don\u2019t just read sparknotes summaries<\/h2>\n

although this may technically be the fastest way to get through boring reading assignments, it won\u2019t help you out in the long run. the students that get the best grades are those that form their own ideas about the readings, not those that simply restate the most commonly held viewpoints. so actually read the words for yourself and decide what they mean to you as an individual. you\u2019ll learn more, and your teachers will be able to tell that you\u2019re trying harder.
\n <\/p>\n

take notes<\/h2>\n

this is a pretty obvious strategy but it\u2019s also the most effective. if you want to keep yourself engaged in the reading, turn it into a more interactive experience. write all over the margins. highlight. underline. make the text your own. all of this will be especially helpful if you need to refer to the reading later in class because you can skim over your comments in order to jog your memory.
\n <\/p>\n

take frequent short breaks<\/h2>\n

one idea is to take a five-minute break every 30 minutes but feel free to personalize your schedule in the way that works best for you. you can keep the breaks frequent as long as you are intensely focusing and studying when you\u2019re not on break. let the breaks be like little rewards that motivate you to work harder.
\n <\/p>\n

read aloud<\/h2>\n

if you\u2019re feeling really tired, reading aloud can stop you from falling asleep. but try to actually absorb the words you\u2019re saying. don\u2019t fall into the trap of mindlessly speaking the words without thinking about what they mean.<\/p>\n

if it helps, you can even try using different accents. or you can use different voices for different characters if you\u2019re reading a novel. do whatever gets you through, even if you feel silly.
\n <\/p>\n

eliminate distractions<\/h2>\n

sit in a quiet room with nothing else around you but your reading and some writing utensils to take notes. maybe have a timer if you\u2019re planning on taking breaks. when you\u2019re doing something really boring, the temptation to check facebook (or instagram or tumblr…) increases times a million, so it\u2019s especially important to get rid of these distractions.
\n <\/p>\n

gummy bear rewards<\/h2>\n

\"htgtbra_img1\"<\/p>\n

if all else fails, use your favorite candy as motivation. when you complete a paragraph, have a gummy bear!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

many students would probably say that long readings are the most boring type of homework. if the material doesn\u2019t interest you, it\u2019s easy to begin skimming the words without actually absorbing their meaning, or worse, falling asleep. but don\u2019t let these things happen to you! in college, professors often expect you to learn by reading rather than listening, so start getting used to it now. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[67],"ppma_author":[24903],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nhow to get through boring reading assignments - magoosh blog | high school<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"how to get through boring reading assignments\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"many students would probably say that long readings are the most boring type of homework. if the material doesn\u2019t interest you, it\u2019s easy to begin skimming the words without actually absorbing their meaning, or worse, falling asleep. but don\u2019t let these things happen to you! in college, professors often expect you to learn by reading rather than listening, so start getting used to it now.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"magoosh blog | high school\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/magooshsat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-07t16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-08-06t18:55:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/magoosh-company-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/sat\/files\/2015\/07\/07162317\/htgtbra_img1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"nadira berman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@magooshsat_act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@magooshsat_act\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"nadira berman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"article\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/#article\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"nadira berman\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/#\/schema\/person\/cd91c33a9b415932280e4bc631efaacf\"},\"headline\":\"how to get through boring reading assignments\",\"datepublished\":\"2015-08-07t16:00:00+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2015-08-06t18:55:16+00:00\",\"mainentityofpage\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/\"},\"wordcount\":476,\"commentcount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"college life\"],\"articlesection\":[\"high school life\"],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"commentaction\",\"name\":\"comment\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"webpage\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/gen\/how-to-get-through-boring-reading-assignments\/\",\"name\":\"how to get through boring reading assignments - 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