7 Easy Ways to Increase Reading Speed

According to About.com, there are 7 ways to help you speed up your reading.

Most authors start with an important statement or key information that can summarize the main idea of the entire paragraph, article, or research. So, by just reading the first sentences in the paragraph, you can quickly grasp the main idea and determine if the document contains the information you are interested in or looking for.

This reading method can also be applied to literary works, but in cases where you don’t want to miss any details, rich vocabulary, you can choose to read word by word.

Just like the first sentence, the last sentence of a paragraph usually contains “clues” about the importance of the issue being mentioned. The last sentence often serves two functions, expressing an opinion to conclude the issue, or providing a connecting information to lead to the next paragraph.

After reading the first sentence, the last sentence, and determining that this is the information you need to read, your task now is to quickly move your eyes over each line in search of phrases and keywords. Don’t try to read every single word, because individual words only contain meaningful information when combined into a word or phrase.

Key points in the paragraph are small arguments to strengthen the main argument. So, just look for key points, skip sentences that contain irrelevant information, and you will have a clearer perspective and viewpoint for the overall picture.

Many people have a habit of preserving books by not marking or writing anything on them. But to speed up reading and save time when you need to search, review the issue later, it is necessary to mark, take notes outside the margin.

Reading with the appropriate posture helps the brain concentrate, be alert, the body comfortable and extends the reading time. Sitting improperly or lying down while reading inadvertently puts pressure on the body, causing drowsiness, making it impossible to concentrate on reading and reducing reading speed.

Just like learning music or learning a new language, to increase reading speed, you need to practice. Practice all methods whenever you have the opportunity, for example, when reading newspapers, books, or when you don’t have to read under the pressure of a “deadline”. Regular practice will soon make a difference in how you read, save time, increase knowledge that sometimes you yourself don’t even realize.