Writing and reading
📕 How to Read a Book a Day
Fast reading techniques for writers.
As a part-time writer I don’t have a lot of time to read next to my day job. But reading is an essential skill to broaden my horizons as a writer.
That’s why I learned the art of speed reading.
Speed reading is a technique that can help you read up to ten times faster than you normally would.
This means that you could read a book in a day or even less than a day!
I learned that it’s not a talent but a skill that anyone can learn with practice.
Overcoming the Bad Habits That Hold You Back
There are three main habits that hold most people back from reading faster.
Subvocalization: This is the habit of hearing the words in your head as you read. This can slow you down considerably.
Regression: This is the habit of going back to re-read something you’ve already read. This can break your concentration and make it difficult to keep up with the material.
Fixations: These are the points on the page where your eyes stop and focus. The more fixations you make, the slower you will read.
Techniques to Improve Your Reading Speed
There are a number of techniques you can use to overcome these habits and improve your reading speed.
Use a pacer: A pacer is a tool that helps you maintain a steady reading speed. You can use your finger, a pen, or a ruler as a pacer.
Practice gliding: Gliding is a technique where you use your finger to cover up the line you’ve just read. This forces you to read the next line without going back.
Expand your visual span: Your visual span is the number of words you can see in a single fixation. You can expand your visual span by practicing reading with your eyes moving from left to right without stopping.
Pre-Reading Strategies
Before you start reading a book, take some time to do some pre-reading. This will help you get a better understanding of the material and make it easier to read faster. Here are a few pre-reading strategies you can use.
Read the front and back cover: This will give you a good overview of what the book is about and the author’s credentials.
Read the table of contents: The table of contents is a list of all the chapters in the book. It can help you identify the most important chapters and skip over the ones that are not relevant to you.
Skim the material: Skimming is a technique where you quickly read through the material to get the gist of it. You can skim through the material by reading the first and last sentences of each paragraph.
Speed Reading Techniques
Once you have completed the pre-reading steps, you are ready to start speed reading. Use one of the techniques you have learned, such as bouncing, gliding, or using a pacer.
Comprehension
It is important to make sure that you are comprehending the material as you read. If you are not understanding what you are reading, slow down and re-read the material.
The Benefits of Speed Reading
Speed reading is a valuable skill that can help you save time and improve your comprehension. With practice, you can learn to read faster and more effectively. Here are some of the benefits of speed reading.
Read more books: Speed reading can help you read more books in less time. This can be helpful for students, professionals, and anyone who wants to read more for pleasure.
Improve comprehension: Speed reading can help you improve your comprehension of the material you read. This is because you are able to process information more quickly.
Reduce eye strain: Speed reading can help reduce eye strain by reducing the number of fixations you make.
Save time: Speed reading can help you save time by allowing you to read through material more quickly.
Final thoughts
Speed reading is a valuable skill that can benefit anyone. With practice, you can learn to read faster and more effectively. If you are interested in learning more about speed reading, there are many resources available online and in libraries.
