Speed Reading: Collection of Articles to Help You Read Faster
I read a lot of books, so I am constantly trying new techniques to read faster, while remembering more of what I read. In the days of information overload, where the average employee has to spend about four hours each day just to keep on top of work related reading, where will he or she find time to read books to get ahead? This reality makes a skill such as speed reading and digesting more of what you read a must.
I did a blog series on note-taking, and an important aspect is deciding what and what isn’t important information, and that is the case while reading. The 80/20 Rule says that you can get 80 percent of the book by reading only 20 percent, but which 20 percent to read is the question.
Effective speed reading isn’t about reading a book as fast as possible, but instead about employing a few strategies such as having a purpose for reading the book; skimming and scanning to get a sense of what the book is about; stopping the process of sub-vocalizing, which is saying the words while reading; reading chunks of words at a time; and stop rereading paragraphs you have already read.
How to Triple Your Reading Speed in Just 15 Minutes: “When you read the brain wants to vocalize these words and results in limiting your reading speed to your “talking” speed. When you no longer say the words in your head as you read you'll notice a significant increase in your reading speed because your mind is now no longer tied to the slower speed of your speech.” This practice of saying the words as you read is called sub-vocalization. Other tips in the article include reading chunks of words at a time, trusting yourself and not rereading passages (regression), as well as expanding your peripheral vision so you can see more. The article includes exercises to help you practice.
How I Learned to Read 300 Percent Faster in 20 Minutes: In this post, bestselling author, Tim Ferriss shares some speed reading tips that are similar to the article above, but it is more detailed. It is also based on the PX Project, which was conducted at Princeton University. You will learn how to create a baseline so you can measure how much the speed at which you read increases after following the instructions in the article.
These 6 Strategies Will Help You Read Faster and Retain More Information: This article teaches you how to quickly decide what’s important and what’s not. The writer, Mark Manson, teaches you techniques to remember more of what you read and how to get the most from the books you read. A big thing is having a purpose for reading a book, which is something I feel strongly about.
8 Tricks to Help You Read Faster: In this Lifehack article, Linda Paull, presents some of the information mentioned in the articles above, as well as available software to help you read faster. One of the things to help you read faster is to skim and scan the book before you read, as well as think about what you already know about the topic, asking yourself questions. Doing this, transforms you into an active reader.
The Secrets To Reading Faster And Absorbing Information Better: This Lifehack article by Nicholas Garcia recommends that you read the conclusion of the book first, highlight the author’s summary pages, skim and scan by reading the Table of Contents and sub-headings, find ways to engage with the content, summarize what you read and teach it to others.
Iris Speed Reading Course
If you cannot view the video, watch it here!
Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five of the speed reading video!
Related Posts
Speed Reading Tip: Read a Chunk of Words at a Time
BrainRead – Effective Speed Reading – Reading like the Swedish by Göran Askeljung
Rapid Reading and Retention Workshop
How to Read Faster While Reading Well
To Remember More of What You Read, Take Notes by Hand
Taking Better Notes – Learning to Abbreviate Words
How to Improve Learning
Take Notes by Hand for Better Long-Term Comprehension
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