Feedback Focus

I really enjoyed trying out these techniques, and I think they will be very helpful as I go about reading other peoples stories. I do have some trouble with focus at times because I have so much going on in my life. My mind tends to wander a lot and I start to think about something else. By the time I have gotten back to reality, I'll realize I've read a whole story and remembered none of it.

My favorite of these techniques is reading out loud. This is something that I already do and it helps me tremendously. If I read out loud, my mind is less likely to wander and I'm also hearing the words, seeing the words, AND speaking the words. Those three things combined really help me to remember and focus on what I'm reading. As I read through the stories provided, I read it slower than I normally would and I found that even more helpful. My favorite story was Why Dog and Cat are Enemies, I thought it was very cute and I love dogs and cats so that was added enjoyment.

Dog and Cat

My second favorite technique is to use a timer. I am a very fast reader, so I do tend to go through a story too quickly and that probably means I don't retain all of it. While timing myself, I found that if I use 10 minutes to read, I can read slower and focus more; or I can go back and read again. This is very helpful for focusing.

My third favorite was the copy-and-paste technique. This was helpful, but I also felt like it took up extra time that wasn't really necessary. I probably won't use this in the future unless I really want to understand something that I may be having trouble with. It's nice that I was able to make notes while going along though, and that was the biggest plus for me.