Think of how much more information you could absorb by increasing your reading speed. You may have heard of speed reading, which is a relative term -the average person reads at about two hundred and fifty words in a minute. There are people who can easily read over one thousand words per minute and some who can read a few thousand words in the same time frame. Speed reading is not some strange talent only a few geniuses have; it's actually based on methods anyone can learn. The tips in this article should prove useful in getting you started on your journey to master the skill of speed reading.
If you stop at each letter or word as you read, this will prevent you from reading very fast. It would obviously be faster to take in more words at once; what's less obvious is that this can also improve your understanding as well. If you take in groups or chunks of words at one glance, you'll find that this is a faster and more efficient way to read. Most people find that this takes time to master, but if you practice you'll soon learn to take in a sentence at a time rather than just a word or letter at a time. You really don't need to spend time on every little word, and when you're able to absorb chunks you'll be reading faster and understanding better as well.
You may not realize it, but the conditions around you when you read can make a real difference. If you read for fun, you probably don't care about your reading speed; on the other hand, if you need to learn something fast, it's a different story. Reading is a lot more productive if your surroundings are appropriate -that's why people are told to keep quiet in libraries, for example. This means reading in a quiet room so you can focus on the material you are reading, having adequate lighting and making sure you are sitting upright in a chair with good back support. If you enjoy reading in bed, save that for your favorite novel; if you want to learn something, you're better off sitting up with your back straight. speed reading is one of those topics that is important to so many people, and the reasons are personal and varied. What we like to do is be as neutral as possible because it is more important for you to consider each part on its own merit. That is really in your best interest only because you know your situation better than anybody else. We tend to believe a firm foundation with a broad base is effective. That is would be the ideal scenario, here, but you will not always have the time to do what is necessary for that to happen. We all have the same amount of time each day, but we think what normally occurs is people learn to focus. When you do locate what is meaningful to you, then obviously you will be compelled to focus on that.
Taking frequent breaks is absolutely necessary if you want to learn to read faster quickly. It might sound counterintuitive but the fact is the brain can only concentrate for limited periods of time and reading for a few hours straight will actually hurt focus and comprehension. Five minute breaks, on the hour, every hour, will help you as you train to read faster. It really does work!
Speed reading can be mastered in no time, as it is a forte, not a talent. Just like other abilities, though, you should be practicing as often as you can. You should benefit a lot by the recommendations provided in this article, as you will increase your reading speed immensely and before you know it you'll be flying through books and then speculating as to why you waited to become a quicker reader.
