Read Faster: 10 Ways to Speed Up Your Reading
Do you have a mountain of paperwork to complete with a deadline coming up every corner? Do you have a lot of reading ahead of you? Do you simply want to read faster, whether for personal or professional reasons?
So, how can you read faster? Here are 10 attempted methods for increasing your reading speed.
Stop Your Inner Voice
The inner voice, also known as subvocalization, is a common characteristic among readers. It is the process of speaking the words in your head as you read, and it is the most significant impediment to increasing your reading speed.
Don’t be concerned if you hear voices in your head while reading. You’re fine as long as it’s your own voice reading along with you. In fact, this is how teachers teach children to read: say the words silently in their heads as they read.
Do you recall hearing the instruction, “Read in your head as I read the passage aloud,” fairly frequently in classrooms? That is one of the ways your inner monologue became ingrained in you as a young reader.
You were taught to sound out everything and read aloud when you first learned to read. When you were good enough, your teacher had you start saying the words in your head. This is how the habit began, and most people continue to read in this manner. It has no negative impact on them until they want to read faster. If you want to improve your reading speed, this is the first hurdle you must overcome.
Why is this bothering you? The average reading speed is roughly equal to the average talking speed. The average adult reading speed, according to Forbes, is 300 words per minute.
The average speaking rate is the same.
Because most people read by saying the words aloud in their heads, they tend to read at the same rate as they talk. If you keep up your inner monologue, your reading speed will only increase so far. If you want to keep improving your reading speed, you must get rid of it.
To do so, you must first recognize that it is unnecessary. You don’t have to say every word in your head to comprehend what you’re reading. It was when you were younger, but now you can guess the meaning just by looking at the words. Your brain is still processing the data.
For example, do you stop to say “YIELD” in your head when you see a “YIELD” sign? Obviously not. You simply look at it, and it processes itself. You should do this when reading print material, such as books or paperwork.
Try reading while listening to instrumental music through headphones or chewing on some gum if you have trouble doing this. A distraction will keep your brainless focused on subvocalization, even if you still look at and process the words.
Word–Chunking
Word-chunking is similar to the concept of eliminating the inner voice. This is the act of reading multiple words simultaneously, and it is essential for reading faster. Although these reading tips are related, word-chunking is probably the most active tool to use when working to improve your reading speed.
Even though we are trained — as mentioned with the inner monologue — to read each word and not miss a single article, a person can take in several words at a time. Using your peripheral vision is one way to simplify this step, but we’ll get to that in the next section.
For the time being, concentrate on reading three words in one glance. Continue down the page in this manner, noting how much faster you finish the entire page of text. You can still process and comprehend what you read, but it will take less time.
Now, take that idea a step further. Draw two vertical, parallel lines down your page with a pencil to divide the text into three sections. Begin from the top of a page and hide other things from above.
Concentrate on reading the text in each section as a separate entity. Combine the words and read them at a glance, as you would a road sign. Continue doing this down the page, moving the paper as needed. You will notice that your speed has increased.
Do Not Reread the Words on the Page
Before we get to the part about peripheral vision — the real kicker — you’ll want to break the habit of rereading the words on the page.
If you observe the average person’s eyes while reading, you will notice that they jump and flit around. They do not flow back and forth evenly as they should. This is because the average person — and you, too — tends to reread words they have already read. This is one factor preventing you from increasing your reading speed.
You most likely do this without even realizing it, making it a difficult habit to break. Even if it feels childish, the simplest way is to use your finger or bookmark to guide you.
Continue to move your finger across the page without stopping or going back. As you move your finger down the text, keep track of the words. Consider what you read when you get to the end. You didn’t go back over a single word (I hope! ), but you remember what you read.
Use Peripheral Vision
Congratulations! You’ve arrived at the crucial point where everything comes together. While this is not the final step, it is unquestionably essential.
Use the techniques described above to view and comprehend multiple words at once. Instead of chunking words into smaller groups, try reading one line at a time. This entails looking at the center of the line and reading the rest of it with your peripheral vision. Scanning the page in this manner will reveal that you not only understood what you read, but you did it in record time.
Use a Timer
Speaking of record time,’ now is your chance to put yourself to the test and work on improving your reading speed each time you read. Set a timer for one minute and read as the timer counts down. When the timer goes off, keep track of how many pages you’ve read.
WordstoPages.com will assist you in determining how many words you have read. Now, put everything you’ve learned together and retake the test. Make a note of that number as well.
Continue doing this, beating your previous count each time. Set a daily or weekly goal for yourself and reward yourself when you achieve it. Continue playing this game, and you’ll be able to improve your reading speed!
Set a Goal
Making yourself accountable will help you stick to your reading and timer tests. Set a goal for yourself to read a certain number of pages per day/week/etc., and stick to it. When you get there, reward yourself. Incentives are always beneficial!
Read MORE
The old adage, “Practice makes perfect,” is very accurate. Any professional, such as an artist or musician, practices their craft regularly.
Readers should do the same thing. The more you read, the better you will become. The more proficient you are at reading, the faster you will read.
Before breakfast, Theodore Roosevelt read one book, followed by three or four more in the evening. He also read newspapers and pamphlet-style reading material. I’m not sure how long these books were, but I guess they were around the average length. Use his obsession to fuel your own ambition.
Use a Marker
As you read, do you notice your vision slipping and sliding across the page? It’s not a problem. Place an index card beneath each line and slide it down as you read. This will keep you reading one line at a time rather than flitting your eyes around and absorbing nothing.
Work on Improving Your Vocabulary
Consider this: You’re reading along when you encounter a word you don’t recognize. Do you avoid it? Do you try to deduce it from the context? Do you take the time to look it up? Whichever path you take, you are significantly slowing, if not completely eliminating, your time to go look up the retarding word.
You will know more words if you work on improving your vocabulary. The more comments you have in your arsenal, the faster you read. The more you read, the quicker you read. It may seem obvious, but it is critical.
Skim the Main Points FIRST
Finally, if you’re in a time crunch and need to read something by yesterday, take a deep breath and relax. Open the book and spend some time going over the main points. Check out the table of contents. Check out the subtitles. Read the captions that appear beneath the diagrams. Get a general sense of the chapter/section/etc.
Read the first paragraph of each main section after that. Read the final paragraph. Read on to the middle. Consider this and piece it together in your mind.
Then, using the techniques we just discussed, begin reading everything else. You’ll retain more information and finish your reading faster.
So the next time you need to scan something, tell yourself, “Shut up and look at the page!”
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