Read at the speed of light
7 speed-reading secrets for those who want to read more, read faster and process the masses of textual content more efficiently in our fast-paced digital age.
Speed reading is an extremely useful skill that will come in handy if you work with large amounts of textual information, study, are interested in literature, or want to cope more effectively with the gigantic amount of content available these days.
We've put together 7 simple best practices that you can use to quickly pump up your reading speed.
1. Concentrate on reading
External stimuli interfere with the perception of the information, we get distracted and have to return to the same place again and again to catch the essence of what was written. Therefore, while reading we should put away the phone, turn off the music or Youtube show in the background and focus all our attention on the book, but a certain beat which creates copyright free music from the genre ambient on BMP equal 100, can create the right tempo for perception reading.
2. Read in good light
Too dim or too bright light will not allow you to read quickly, because your eyes will be very tired. Natural light from a window is ideal, but soft diffused light from artificial sources is also suitable.
3. Don't spell out what you read
As you read, listen to yourself: do you hear your inner voice voicing everything you write? If so, it means that you are slowing down your reading. Try to block out the talking, then the process will go faster. And don't freak out if it doesn't work right away: it's not easy to silence your inner voice, but you'll get there in time if you don't give up control.
4. Capture more than one word
When reading, try to understand not individual words, but whole word combinations. It will be difficult at first, but you can learn quickly by doing one simple exercise. Read a passage of text the way you are used to. Then read it again, trying to look at two words at once. Then read it a third time and you will notice that you can gaze at three or four words. By doing this exercise regularly, you will learn to do this not only on texts that you have already read but also on those that you see for the first time.
5. Reflect on what you read
After reading a part of a text, like a chapter, pause and briefly repeat what you have just read. This will train your brain not only to receive information quickly but also to process it quickly.
6. Note the time
Keep track of how long it takes you to read a passage, and then try to read the same amount of text faster. This "race with yourself" is also a very effective tool for motivation: you will immediately see that you are capable of more.
7. Read regularly
It is impossible to master speed reading if you pick up a book once a week. Only frequent and regular practice will lead to good results. Take at least 20 minutes a day, and you'll make progress in no time.