Have you ever felt that you were reading too slowly? Is it hard to finish a book because you can't focus? Or maybe you want to get important information out of a book more quickly while speeding up your reading skills. Whatever your goal, if you want to learn how to read a book faster, you must first determine the goal you want to achieve. If you want to finish a book on your own, you have to learn how to focus and stay focused on the material. If you want to get the main ideas and arguments from a book quickly, you have to learn how to combine reading and skimming!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Prepare to Read
Step 1. Consider your surroundings
The reading area should be free from distractions. Turn off the television, music, internet, telephone, anything that has the potential to distract from your reading. You also have to be comfortable, otherwise you'll focus on feeling hungry, too hot, too cold, and everything other than your book.
Don't get too comfortable either. Make sure you can stay awake and pay attention to your reading material. This is especially important if you choose to read in bed before bed
Step 2. Choose a book
The books you choose can vary, from your favorite mystery novels to textbooks. Choose a book that suits your reading target.
For example, if you're having a hard time finishing a book as a personal read, choose a book you'd love to read. Don't read books that you are not interested in. Similarly, if you want to be able to read and dig up information quickly for your schoolwork, choose academic reading
Step 3. Set a reasonable target
This goal can be a big goal with small steps, or a simple list of tasks you want to complete. Whatever your choice, writing down your goals can keep you focused on the results you want to achieve and the process for achieving them.
- Examples of reasonable goals are: finish a book by a certain date, pay attention to the entire chapter and be able to recall information from the chapter, find the main idea, and read the book in less time.
- The target is really set by you. Your goals should encourage you to keep practicing.
Method 2 of 3: Focus on Reading
Step 1. Engage with your reading
If you have trouble sitting still and concentrating on your reading, take notes or write a short outline. Write down any questions you have about the reading content before starting to read.
- Writing something down can help you if you read the same sentence over and over without being able to continue.
- Reading aloud or in a whisper can keep your attention focused on the book.
- You can also trace the writing with your finger so you don't get lost in the book and can be a guide.
Step 2. Take a break
This is your chance to think about something other than your reading. Move around, grab a snack, watch a TV show or anything else that can take your mind off books.
- Set a time limit in advance and limit the number of breaks you take at one time.
- Doing something physical can re-energize you and can make it easier for you to get back to reading.
Step 3. Practice concentrating on your reading
To really concentrate, you have to do it every day. After a few days, you will start to feel an improvement in your reading process.
- Find a time of day that you can read and try to read a little each day. Reading will soon become your habit.
- Don't try to remember every detail as you read (for personal reading or schoolwork). You will feel overwhelmed, and it will be difficult to continue reading.
Method 3 of 3: Improve Reading Speed and Comprehension
Step 1. Focus on reading, but avoid habits that slow down the reading process
Most of the strategies in Method 2 will help you focus while reading faster, but some things can slow down your reading.
Don't read aloud, mark up text, reread material, or try to write down all the details you read. Using your finger as a pointer can indeed help you speed up the reading process because your fingers can guide your eyes while you're reading
Step 2. Read effectively by skimming some passages and paying attention to others
Understand the structure of the book by reading the table of contents. It's true that sometimes skimming can keep you from understanding the whole book, so make sure you read a few sections carefully, and if there's a new term or topic, check back and reread the term for a while.
- Take the time to read the introduction and conclusion carefully as they present the overall theme of the book. Skim through chapters that provide similar pictures, illustrations, or examples.
- Write a summary after you have read it for a while. Be sure to write down all the main ideas or plot developments. This can keep your attention focused while reading.
Step 3. Train yourself to read faster
Set the reading speed based on the information you read. For example, slow down when you come across a new main idea or concept. You can speed up the reading again when you find material that is repeated or familiar.
- Measure your own time. Give yourself time to read a text to the end. When reading time is over, evaluate your reading speed. Keep measuring your reading time on your own and you will see an improvement.
- For example, give yourself an hour to skim a chapter through to the end. At the end of time, determine if you can get to the main points of the chapter and understand the information. Practice setting your reading speed if you can't finish it or have a lot of time left.
Tips
- Choose a book you like. The book you choose must be a book whose storyline you can understand. Read the topic of the book in the description section first.
- Find a quiet place to read. This can help you concentrate on the book and not be distracted by other sounds. Also make sure the place you choose is comfortable, such as a sofa or bed.
- Provide bookmarks. You definitely don't want to lose a page you're reading or not be able to remember where you stopped reading.
- Keep increasing your reading speed. When you realize that you've read so fast that you're having a hard time understanding the content of the story, reduce your reading speed, increase it again, and reduce it again until you find the right tempo.
- Don't focus too much on speed; remember that you must be able to understand the content of the story. When you find a reading tempo that works for you, read a book at that tempo for at least a week. Read for at least 30 minutes every day. Next week, try to increase your reading speed. If you can still concentrate as you speed up, it means you haven't reached your limit. If you can't concentrate anymore, it means you've reached your limit.
- Imagine that you saw the events in the book firsthand. This can make you more interested in reading it.
Warning
- Don't get stuck on one word. You can make a note in your mind to look it up in the dictionary, or stick a sticky note as a bookmark to look it up later.
- Don't skim every page, it won't speed up the reading process, and you won't understand your reading.
