Probably one of the hardest things that I have come across in all my years of self studying is the reading. Multiple reading assignments of page after page can be overwhelming. It's not realistic to think that you can read every word in every book. The key is to know what to read. This is also a topic that Cal Newport discusses in his book How to Become a Straight A Student that I discussed an earlier blog. While this can be difficult there are some things to remember. It's important to know which reading material is important and which can be skimmed. Taking suggestions from Cal Newport's book, you can figure this out by focusing on the syllabus of the course. You can normally tell which assigned readings should be focused on and which can be skimmed. Another point to remember, that is discussed in my website, is the importance of good note taking. It can be easy to assume that note taking isn't as neccessary when you are taking a self study as it would be in a classroom setting. This is a dire mistakes. You cannot realistically expect to remember every thing you read. A great way to absord some of that information is to write it down. Just the act of doing that can help improve your memory of what you have read. Also, creating notes can help you when it comes time to review for assignments or quizzes. The notes that you take should not be a complete regurgitation of what you have read but should simply focus on key topics within the reading.
Being able to minimize reading assignments and knowing the key to taking good notes could not only save you time and energy but can also allow you more time to focus on other tasks.
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