HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BRAIN TO READ FASTER, REMEMBER MORE!
Have you ever found yourself thinking “how can get through this book quicker and keep the same level of understanding?” Or “I wish I could read through this article 5x quicker”.
These thoughts have definitely crossed my mind before and I’m going to share with you the best ways to take your reading to the next level.
Interesting fact — The average adult reads 300 words per minute. To put this in perspective, the average third grade student reads at an average 150 words per minute, and an average business executive reads around 575 words per minute, according to an article published by Staples.
Now, leaders are readers. Fact.
What do they understand that we don’t when it comes to reading at speed?
Firstly, to understand why all of us want to read quicker, let’s go through the benefits of reading at speed and why anyone would want to do this.
THE VALUABLE BENEFITS OF READING FASTER
Benefit #1: SAVE TIME
This is a pretty obvious benefit, but perhaps one of the most important ones. What people don’t realize is that you are killing two birds with one stone. By reading faster, you not only enable yourself to save time to do other important tasks which means your productivity also increases, you’re also able to take in much more information in the same time it would take a slower reader to go through. It’s a no brainer!
Essentially, learning how to read faster makes us more efficient in the time we can spend on other things.
Benefit #2: IMPROVE FOCUS
One of the reasons some people can read 500 words per minute (wpm) and others 200 wpm is due to the never-ending distractions that are around us in today’s society; The TV, iPhones, iPads, music, Netflix, the list goes on. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to focus on a single task.
By focusing on the words we read, we ensure that our heads don’t get occupied with random thoughts. This helps to train your brain and mind to focus at the task at hand.
Benefit #3: IMPROVE MEMORY
Believe it not, acquiring the skill of speed reading can improve your memory. The purpose of reading quickly isn’t just about getting through the content as fast as you can; retaining that information is also of equal importance.
The brain is like any other muscle in our bodies. It needs to be trained and used to grow and so the more you use your brain, the more it will grow. Reading quicker, forces you to use more brain power and in turn to perform at a higher level including your memory. The part of your brain that we use to read is linked closely with the part we use for memory.
In short, by speed reading, you are forcing your brain absorb more information and as a result, training your memory.
METHODS TO READ FAST AND RETAIN MORE
Now that we’ve covered the benefits, the next question that naturally arises is “How can I start to read faster?”
Simple. Magic. We wish it were this easy, but as with learning any new skill, it takes practice and time.
Luckily we’ve covered everything you need to know, below.
Method #1: STOP SUBVOCALIZING
Subvocalizing is when you read the text word for word in your head. This is natural for most of us to do and it’s something that we do subconsciously. It’s sometimes unnatural for us as human beings to do stop doing something that comes naturally to us, but to start reading faster, subvocalization is a habit we’re going to have to break.
One simple step is to quickly use your hand and glide across the words quickly as you read. You’ll find yourself sometimes ahead of your own hand speed and reading through the sentences much quicker.
Another way is to simply start reading at a faster pace than you normally would. By doing this you naturally start to minimize the amount of words you repeat in your head. Once this becomes a habit, you’re reading speed will greatly improve.
Method #2: READ PHRASES NOT WORDS
The aim of this is to try to get used to looking at a phrase a whole. Did you know? Our eye span is actually 1.5 inches long on average. This means that we can take in up to 8 or 9 words at a time! By doing this instead of focusing on a word at a time, try focusing on every fifth word which will allow you to absorb the content at an increased rate.
By doing this you are also widening the span of your eye span and can help in indirect ways such as allow you to take in more of what you see in general; this is known as perceptual expansion.
Method #3: SKIMMING AND SCANNING
Skimming and scanning an article can benefit if you don’t have much time, but want to understand the general gist of the content. It’s great for quickly understanding the main points and key takeaways.
Start by reading the first sentence of each paragraph, otherwise known as topic sentences. This will usually give you a good idea of the upcoming discussion points. If the idea is not clear in the first sentence continue reading until you find a piece of information that is clear. You are looking for general statements or ideas that will set the tone for that specific section.
Once you have identified this, drop your eyes down to the rest of the paragraph and keep an eye out for keywords, dates, names, events.
By skimming you are giving yourself a big picture understand of the article or book. You will inevitably have less comprehension than if you read more slowly, but the idea of skimming and scanning is to grasp the key points being made.
Method #4: KEEP READING
The more you practice, the better and quicker you become. Reading is no exception. Reading faster is a skill that many people desire. However, they don’t make the effort or try to change their bad habits in an active way.
Ultimately, being able to read at a faster pace will enable you to become more productive and efficient and your brain will thank you for it!
On the other hand, many people read because they enjoy it. And the best way to enjoy a book is to read at your own pace. As much as I would love to be able to brag that I can read 2000 words a minute, it wouldn’t be much use if I didn’t understand what I was reading or enjoy it.
Method #5: BLINKIST (bonus)
There is no doubt that technology is taking over the world. Some people may ask what if I don’t even like reading? This is a strange question to be asking on a “How to read faster” blog, but luckily for you, we have a solution.
Blinkist is a relatively new application you can download through the App store on your iPhone or Google Play Store on your Android phone.
This app gives you the option to either read whole summaries of books broken down chapter by chapter or even listen to them like an audiobook on-the-go. This is the best 15–20 minute alternative to reading books. I’ve personally used it myself and found that most if not all of the key points in the book are covered.
What’s great about Blinkist also is that they are growing very quickly adding 20–50 new titles every month. They currently have 3000+ titles over an array of genres from self-improvement to, career and success, productivity etc.
SUMMARY
Books, articles, poetry, whatever it is you are interested in reading is meant to be enjoyable in some way or other; whether that’s enjoyable in the sense that you are gaining more knowledge or you enjoy vividly imagining a world full of dragons (any Game of Thrones fans?).
Reading faster helps us to become more productive and efficient with our time. It also gives us various valuable benefits that strengthen our minds, which is why I believe that learning to read faster is an important skill.
If you find that you benefit from soaking up content through audio as opposed to reading, I highly recommend giving Blinkist a shot as this is something I listen to when I have 10 minutes on the train or on the go, where I’m prevented from bringing a physical book or kindle.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to drop a comment in the box below and check back as we’re always providing content that will help you live your best life!
Liked this article? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
For more articles like this checkout our website at The Top Essentials
