How to learn to read faster? 5 basic techniques

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Speed reading is a skill that is surprisingly easy to pump. You can improve your speed by using special software or by attending speed reading courses. In this article, we share 5 basic speed reading techniques that you can master yourself!

So, here they are:

Stop speaking the words in your head

By the way, many have an even more terrible habit: to speak the text out loud while reading. This slows down the reading process more than speaking thoughts in your head. Subvocalization is a habit common to most people. When reading, we seem to "hear" all the words with the brain. Try to get rid of this habit and your reading speed will increase dramatically! All you need to do is turn off the mechanism for spoken text in your head. Try chewing gum while reading, humming under your breath (checked it on yourself, it helps!) Or even eat.

Avoid "comebacks"

When we read, we tend to look back and stop at the word we just read. This slows us down a lot. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of this habit is to admit that you are doing it and document it when you do it.

Follow the text

One of the most amazing speed reading techniques is "meta guiding". Remember how in school, reading the text, you moved your finger / pencil over it or followed it with the movement of your head? So, this story is about that. It turns out that this method significantly speeds up the reading process. Remember to concentrate on each word if you want to remember the information that comes in.

Speed reading, in fact, is not shown to everyone. Most people are capable of processing huge amounts of information read at high speed, but there are those who cannot. If you're interested, give the speed reading a try, but don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out. There are other options as well:

Skip sections (or even chapters) that you don't need

Another trick to increase your reading speed is to skip unnecessary information. As former British Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour once said: "A person knows only half the art of reading, if he has not added to it the ability to skip unnecessary text."

Skipping unnecessary text is one of the methods of speed reading, and although this is not the best way for schoolchildren and students, for example, for scientists interested only in certain areas of a particular book, the method saves time. Professor David Davis shared his strategy for effective skimming:

1. Start with an introduction or a preface. Read them carefully to understand what the main feature of the book is and where the information you need is located.

2. Read the last chapter or conclusion.

3. Go through all the chapters and read the first and last paragraphs.

Obviously, you won't do this with every book. We do not recommend it. Skimming is best applied to books that you are not particularly interested in reading, or for a cursory glance at the book and identifying areas that interest you the most for later familiarization with them.

Listen to audiobooks when you can't read

When you are driving somewhere, cooking or doing sports and other times when you cannot read, listen to audiobooks. This is a great way to use your time efficiently.

Read several books at the same time

Last year, Jeff Ryan set the bar for himself with 366 books to read in a year. Such a goal seems incredible until you find out how Ryan achieved it:

The idea of reading one book a day from cover to cover quickly fell through. Jeff also had days that he was busy with work and raising children, and he did not have a minute of free time to read. As a result, he used the parallel reading method and eventually managed to complete his difficult challenge.

Of course, Jeff combined this tactic with the others we've shown here. The technique of reading several books at the same time implies that you can distinguish the material being read and it does not merge into a complete mess in your head. If there are signs of this behavior, adapt the method for yourself: read books of different genres and formats at the same time (example: comic, novel and audiobook).

Discard books that don't work for you

The advice seems obvious, but we will dwell on this point in more detail. So, if you have already read several chapters, and you do not feel pleasure or benefit from reading, then just stop reading it. Consider why you don't enjoy reading. Is it just the wrong book at the wrong time? If so, then just postpone it until better times. Did someone recommend a book to you, but you don't like it? Return it to the seller, transfer it or give it to the library. Don't waste your precious time on books you don't like.

Summary

Take a look at the books you want to read. With the methods described above, you will master them in less time. Set yourself a reading schedule and go!