5 Easy Tips that Will Help You to Actually Read Faster

Here is a list of 5 tips to help you actually read faster.

Reading is like a bike ride: sometimes you just want to enjoy the ride and slow down but sometimes you just need to get from point A to point B as fast as you can.

This mainly applies to non-fiction book, when you just need to get straight to the point of the book. And let's be honest, most of the non-fiction books could be a lot shorter: the principle of the book can be condensed in ten or twenty pages but, usually the book is full of examples and fluff.

Tip #1 - Subvocalization may be not so useful

Sometimes when we read, we're used to hear our voice in our head. This actually slows you down.

Try reading without the need to hear your voice in your head by listening to some music, chewing a gum or by following tip #3.

Tip #2 - Read in The Middle

When you're reading focus your attention in the middle of the page.

Usually, our focus is on the left side of the page but, this slows you down because your eyes need to move not only up and down between each line but also from left to right.

By focusing in the middle you will use your peripheral vision to read the start and the end of the line which, at the end, will make you faster.

Tip #3 - Use a Pointer

This could be a pen, your finger or anything that will force your eyes to move smoothly hence, read without subvocalization hence, read faster.

This works best with real books of course but it's useful with e-book readers too.

Tip #4 - Make it a Game

It will happen, you'll eventually get bored reading. So, what are you going to do? You'll make it a game: try to beat your fastest record, see how fast you can read without sacrificing comprehension.

Tip #5 - Make a Summary

This might require a blog post as its own but, trust me, it's essential.

By writing a short summary of the book after you've finish reading it you'll make sure to fully comprehend the topic or point of the book. And in case something is not clear, you can always go back to the book.

I suggest you to keep these summaries where they're easy to reach beacuse you never know when you might need them. (Use a cloud service or something like Notion)

BONUS TIP - Tip #6 - Bigger is Better

This is useful if you're reading on an e-book reader or on a computer screen.

Try to increase you font size to something like 14pt (10 and above on a Kindle reader). You'll read faster because your eyes will not need to move a lot to read each line.