Start with the introduction. After settling down with the right read for the particular time that you will be reading, take notice of what you would easily ignore. Notice the cover image and the title. Take note of what resonates with you and what does not. Notice the colors and think about why the author selected a particular image and title for the book. Even less noticeable aspects such as the font in which the title is written are important even though they do not automatically grab your attention. All these features will be useful when it comes to writing your own work. If it is an article, notice the main messages that have been separated from the rest of the work and consider what the title means.

Before reading the content, also read the back cover and read the summary of the book keenly. What does it suggest and what ideas come into your mind about the book after reading the summary? What do you expect when reading the book and are these expectations met after you have completed reading?

In a book, other components are also important such as the introduction which gives you an idea of what the book is about and what direction the story will take. Notice whether the book includes a table of contents and consider the reasons why it is included or not included for the specific book you are reading.

Take note of how the book starts and remember to compare the initial style and voice of the work and compare it with other parts.

Enjoy the story as you notice everything about it. Another important aspect of maximizing time spent reading is immersing yourself in the story. Without your emotional involvement, reading will be another task that you need to tick off your to-do list. Allow yourself to forget everything around you and be transported to the world the book is welcoming you into. Then look back at different scenes, character reactions, dialogue or pace and identify what made it possible for the story to be engaging to you as a reader. To fully enjoy reading and to benefit from it, you must shift from being a mere observer and become a participant in the story, feeling every instance as you move along.

As you immerse yourself in the story, you start to love and appreciate reading as a whole and you cannot wait to pick the next book. If there are books which you have read in the past and that resonated with you, reread them and find out any particular aspects about them that made them unforgettable to you. Is it the characters and their experiences? Could it be the conversations and how realistic they were?

Consider sharing experiences with readers who have read the same books as you have and have discussions on what each of you loved the most about the story. Other people may give you some ideas that you may not have noticed before as every reader’s experience is different in some aspects.