Reading is an essential skill that is vital for personal growth and development. It can improve your knowledge and comprehension of the world around you as well as your communication and thinking skills.
However, reading can also be time-consuming, especially if you have a lot of material to cover or want to become an avid reader. So here are some tips to help you know how to be a fast reader without sacrificing comprehension.
Identify your reading speed
First and foremost, before you can learn how to be a fast reader, it’s good to know how fast you’re currently reading. To identify your reading speed, perform a simple reading speed test. Here are the steps:
- Choose a piece of text that you haven’t read before, such as a news article or a book chapter.
- Set a timer for one minute.
- Begin reading the text at a comfortable pace.
- When the timer goes off, stop reading and note which sentence or word you were on.
- Count the number of words you read during that minute.
- Multiply the number of words you read by the total number of minutes you want to measure your reading speed for. For example, if you read 250 words in one minute, your reading speed is 250 words per minute (wpm).
It’s important to note that reading speed can vary based on factors such as reading comprehension, the complexity of the text, and distractions. Additionally, different reading materials may have different reading speeds, so it’s helpful to test your reading speed with types of texts you want to train to read faster.
Set a reading goal
Setting a reading goal can be an effective way to improve your speed and learn how to be a fast reader because it gives you a clear target to work towards. You can use a website like Goodreads to help you set your goals and to follow your progression. A reading goal also can provide you motivation, increases focus and provides a challenge that can push to read more and faster by creating a sense of accomplish and urgency.
Eliminate distractions
To learn how to be a fast reader, eliminating distractions is essential because it allows you to focus on the text and retain more information in a shorter amount of time. Distractions make it more difficult for you to focus on the words on the page, which might slow down your reading and make it harder for you to understand what you’re reading.
When you’re trying to read, it’s important to eliminate distractions by finding a quiet and comfortable space to read and turn off your phone or notifications, and closing your browser windows. This will help you focus on the text and read faster because you won’t be constantly interrupted or distracted.
Skim through the material
An effective way to learn how to be a fast reader is skimming through the material because it allows you to quickly identify the main points and ideas without getting bogged down in the details. Skimming involves quickly scanning the text and looking for important keywords, phrases, and headings that indicate the main ideas and arguments.
Skimming is particularly useful when you need to read a large volume of material in a short amount of time or when you’re trying to get an overview of a text before diving into a more detailed reading. By skimming through the material, you can identify the key points and ideas, which can help you decide whether the text is relevant to your needs or interests.
However skimming can also be used while reading fiction books. When reading a fiction or even nonfiction book you don’t need to read every word. Instead, focus on key passages that advance the plot or reveal important information about the characters. You can quickly scan the text to find these passages and then read then choose to read those more carefully.
Use a guide or pointer
Using a guide or pointer can help you to keep your eyes focused on the material and prevent your eyes from wandering or skipping over words or lines ultimately helping you to become a faster reader. You can use your finger, a pen or pencil, a ruler, the bookmark, or anything you have on hand to guide your eyes across the page faster and in a organized manner.
Practice reading in chunks
Reading in chunks involves grouping words together to read them as a single unit. This can help you to read faster and more efficiently. Try reading phrases or entire sentences at once instead of focusing on individual words.
In conclusion, reading faster is an important skill that can help us save time and improve our productivity. However, if you’re reading for pleasure don’t fill the pressure to read faster, just find a speed that makes you comfortable and that helps you enjoying the time you spend reading.
