We’ve all been there – hunched over a stack of books or papers trying to meet a deadline for work or school. The first couple of hours went alright, but once the clock struck 1 a.m. . . . your eyes started to cross and things just got ugly. Here are five tips to get you speed reading in no time.
Know What You Want
The first question to ask yourself when speed-reading is “What do I want to know?” Having a firm grip on what you need to take away can save you a lot of time. If you already know what you’re looking for, you can easily “cut out” filler words and get right to the root of the keywords you’re searching for.
Increase Word Block Reading
As children, we are taught to read either word-by-word or letter by letter. So, we often read much slower out of formed habit rather than the speed we are actually capable of. With a little practice, you can increase the number of words you read in a block. Start by reading 3-4 words at a time and then increase to 5-6. A good tip for getting more words in at a time is to hold the text farther away from your eyes.
Avoid Re-reading
Many of us have a natural habit of “re-reading”. If you were already aware of this, you probably noticed your eyes veering back to the left of your screen even after reading the selected words. A good way to break this habit is to use an index card to cover each word as you read it.
Don’t Read Aloud
Reading aloud is a habit that will slow you down. Also, if you’re mouthing the words without saying them aloud – you’re still slowing your reading speed drastically. Avoiding this time waster cuts out the middle man. Your brain is a complex wonder. It can think, read and process much faster than your mouth can.
Pre-Read
If you don’t already know what you want to take away from a chapter, do a quick “pre-read” of it. You’ll quickly notice repeated words. These are keywords and should have great importance. Also, look out for bold print. When you take the time to do this, it will be much easier to effectively speed read. You’re brain will automatically slow down when you reach the keywords and repeated phrases that you skimmed earlier.
Try using these tips today and notice how much more you retain from what you read. You’ll become faster and more efficient in separating the good stuff from all the fluff, and soon you’ll be speed reading like an old pro.
About the author, Erin Matlock
Facebook
Twitter
StumbleUpon
Digg
Email This
4 Comments On This Post
Couldn’t agree more as to establish a target as the 1st thing to do when speed read. nice article. Thanks.
.-= yesh´s last blog ..Five Breakable Speed Reading Myths =-.
Thanks for the learning points in your article – especially to avoid pre-reading! that it a great tip. It was my dream to try to read a page in a few minutes. I was an “average” reader going back 6 months ago. It took me ages to finish a book, I often got bored and distracted and even if I tried to just sit down and dedicate some time to reading something important, I would have to re-read it several times to make sure I understood it. I started studying politics at university and thought that I had better try to speed up my reading.
.-= Dreams´s last blog ..Top Ten Common Dreams =-.
I learned awhile ago that pre-reading is the best thing you can do when you are researching or studying, especially if you know exactly what you are looking for. Usually I am reading a book to learn programming code or other information to work on a project. The less time I can spend reading, the more time I will have on the project. I find what I need and move on. Reading the table of contents or chapter descriptions is a big help.
Great speed reading tips.
I am an avid reader and it seems like there is not enough time in the day to read all the things I want to read. Increasing my reading speed is something that I have always wanted to do.
Can you recommend any good speed reading books?
Thanks Erin.