Note: This article is by Darius Foroux, who tells us about his experience in finding methods for speed reading.
Multitasking Harms Our Productivity
We have so much to read in a short time, isn't that right? Well, this is not necessarily true. Speed reading has received a lot of attention in recent years, as people always look for ways to get things done more efficiently.
By learning speed reading, you can process more information and complete tasks more quickly. However, you are required to modify your natural reading style in most speed reading techniques.
Search results for “speed reading” in Google show multiple methods, most of which focus on eye coordination, reading between the lines, skipping words, or visualizing while reading. In the past few years, I have tried different techniques and found them helpful and productive at first. However, I would go back to my old patterns after a day or two. For example, moving my eyes too fast didn't feel natural.
The visualization technique requires visualizing every word you read. While I don't question the effectiveness of these (proven) techniques, I think they are not for everyone. The problem is that because we picked up our reading habits in childhood, it can be very challenging to change them.
I've found 5 tips that you can apply without changing the way you read. These tips don't focus on your actual reading style, but instead on strategies that will shorten the time you can finish a book or document. It's not necessarily about how many words you read per minute, but about finishing something in less time than before while being able to understand all the information.
5 Tips for Speed Reading
The biggest challenge we face is our misconceptions about reading. It doesn't matter how quickly you read; we simply don't have the time to read everything in a book, article, or document, even though we believe doing so will help us understand it better.
The pressure placed on us during our time in school has also led us to believe that we must remember everything. For the exams, we were expected to recall everything.
Trying to remember everything you read is a waste of time, as we forget the information our brain stores in short-term memory after a couple of days. Therefore, it's time to get rid of some misconceptions and come up with your own reading methods.
Here are 5 tips for speed reading:
1. Learn the Art of Skipping
Our brain can perceive concepts without having to read an entire book or article by knowing what to skip. Therefore, you can read a book faster and get the essential information from it.
After reading a few non-fiction books, you will be familiar with their format. By comprehending the outline, you can cut out unnecessary details. Start by previewing the entire book in advance (you can also do this in reports, blogs, articles, etc.).
Read the first few introductory paragraphs to understand the book’s message. After that, read the main headings and subheadings, then read the first and last sentences of each paragraph. This method will help you understand the text faster, and it will provide you with 40% of the basic information.
2. Direct Your Thoughts
Daydreaming is a bad habit. We think of the strangest things when we read, and our minds get distracted from the main topic. Daydreaming is something everyone does, and there is no point to try stopping it. So instead, turn it into something that helps you understand better. The next time your mind gets distracted, try directing your thoughts to the topic you're reading about.
Try to connect the words you read with real-life experiences. For example, when you read about ways to deal with stress, think of a time when you experienced a lot of stress. This way you allow your brain to make connections that make it easier to remember.
3. Stop Silent Reading
When we read, we move our lips without making a sound. At this rate, you read 150 words per minute, which is the same speed as your loud speech, but research shows that your brain can process up to 400 words per minute. Stopping this habit will enable you to increase the number of words you process by 200%.
One easy trick to stop silent reading is to focus on the main words and skip the rest. So try to practice this method and pay attention to yourself when you pronounce the words you read.
4. Set a Goal
Set a goal for the kind of information you want to get rid of after reading something, and ask yourself: Why am I reading this? Why do I need this information? How can I benefit from it? If you are a college student and have an exam in a particular subject, concentrate on the material you learned in the lectures.
If you want to learn more about different fitness routines while reading a book about exercise, read the sections that discuss them. You don't have to ignore the rest of the information, but at least you can prioritize what you read. Furthermore, if you don't know exactly why you're reading something, don't read it.
5. Collect the Most Important Information
Indeed, we cannot remember everything, but at the same time, we want to remember the important points. That is why we need a retrieval system that helps us retrieve information when we need it.
So, consider it as a backup for the information in your mind. Creating a retrieval system is very personal, as some people like to write down information in their notebooks, while others like to take pictures. So do what feels right for you.
For example, I prefer to use the notes app Evernote because it works similarly to our brains. Therefore, when I read a book or article, I try to highlight the most important things in it. When I finish reading the book, I go back to the highlights and take pictures of them using Evernote.
So, when I need to retrieve information, I use the search feature in the app, which also recognizes text from images. A retrieval system can take the stress out of saving information.
In Conclusion
Most people don't think reading is fun. However, acquiring knowledge is essential to your growth and development. You can indeed learn in different ways, and you should focus on "how" you learn best (whether via video, audio, or text.) However, we cannot avoid reading. So make it easy for yourself to learn things faster.
Take a break every 30 minutes. Research shows that the human brain can only focus on one task for a short time. Therefore, give yourself a break from reading, and try to read every day. If you stick to it, you will be vastly smarter than ever.
Add comment