Have you ever wondered how much time you spend reading every day? From a newspaper in the morning to emails, proposals, and reports at the office, you probably have to take in a lot of information in a day. Although this may not be a problem for a person who can read fast, for slow readers this is certainly a big problem. If you can’t read fast, you can spend the whole day reading the information that is presented to you. To improve your efficiency, you must acquire the ability to speed read using techniques.
This will help you read and understand a lot of information in a short amount of time, which will eventually help you manage your time well.
speed reading techniques
* Read in a Quiet Environment: Avoid distractions, such as TV and music, while reading. Although many people can easily read even when the TV is on and the kids are playing, you can probably read faster if you read in a quiet environment. When there are no distractions, you can focus better, which helps you read and comprehend easily and quickly.
* Scan The Content: It is not essential to read each and every one of the words. Before you start reading a book or article, you should quickly scan it, for example, you should check its heading and bullet points. This will help you identify whether the material is worth reading. If yes, what are the important points that you should review carefully? This technique can save a lot of time.
* Not rereading: Many people are in the habit of rereading words and sentences to make sure they get the real meaning. It is better to avoid this. Not only do you end up wasting time rereading, but the flow is also interrupted, slowing down your reading speed. If you find it difficult to break this habit, you should cover the lines you’ve read with a piece of paper or card to ensure you don’t read them again.
* Read one block of words at a time: Slow readers have a habit of concentrating on only one word at a time. Instead of looking at a single word, you should look at a block of three or four words at a time. This technique can help you read faster by up to 50 percent.
* Avoid subvocalizing: Subvocalizing means pronouncing the words after you have read them. Some people move their lips while others speak the words in their minds. Saying every word you read slows you down. One of the best ways to overcome this habit is to read a group of words at a time instead of reading the content word for word.
Although the techniques provided can drastically improve your reading efficiency, you should not expect to see results overnight. It is an art that requires some time to master.
Practice and patience are the keywords that will help you succeed.
