Reading Articles from the Bottom Up
While reading blogs and technical articles – I noticed a pattern that had developed over time. I start at the bottom of the articles and read up to the top . After skimming the document, I read back down again and read the parts I care most about more thoroughly.
Why do I start at the bottom?
I get to see the final product, first! Rather than wasting time on something I don’t care about, I read the final product (conclusion) which determines how important the article is to me. Then, I read up and scan all the keywords, headings and interesting content. When I read back down again I know what I’m looking for and skip through the parts I don’t care about.
I am convinced this reading pattern allows me to read and skim through more articles in a shorter time period while soaking up the things I really care about.
I’ve been asked how I read so much and I think I finally figured out part of the reason why. Have you ever caught yourself reading from bottom to top?
3 comments
I read from bottom to top all the time, but it gets on my nerves occasionally. I won’t even notice until I am at the top.
I read this article from the bottom to the top…
I was Googling about it and found this blog post. As a web developer, I’ve read your posts from time-to-time, so I find it interesting that you are doing this, too, and in the same profession. One example of where I do this is Engadget.com.