What have you done to improve your reading?

[toasterwater]

I want to improve my reading. My comprehension is fine, but I read very, VERY slowly... I often get caught in the *read one paragraph over and over again* loop, and I think my reading speed may have something to do with my lack of focus (more time in between words for my mind to wander).

I already read a lot, so the "read more" advice isn't necessary. Anything else will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

(please include details from your experience supporting the advice )

[joyfulgrowth]

Given that you mention focus, have you ever looked into speed reading? Unlike photo reading where you de-focus, in speed reading you train to focus more.

Another thing that might help is really connecting with your intention before you start reading (learning, relaxation, fun...), and maybe letting go of a possible fear to miss something if you read too fast.

You could also read aloud for a while and test if your mind still wanders then.

Or take a look into mindfulness exercises to support your general focus on doing one thing at a time and being fully present with it.

And in case there were any other things that might temporarily influence your reading speed (eyesight, tiredness, depression, distracting thoughts, just to name a few), deal with them separately [your post doesn't sound like that, though].

[Tanja]

If it is only about the speed, I remember an article about a similar issue. If my memory serves me right it said that you should try reading without repeating/saying the words in your 'head''. So, you might look into that.

[Scipio]

I recently read some interesting articles on reading and retention. An SRS is an important part of retaining what you think is most valuable. Here are the articles:

All Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency. » Why The Way We Read Sucks, And How To Fix It: Part 1

All Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency. » Why The Way We Read Sucks and How to Fix It: Part 2

[johnpaul]

You have no problem disappearing into a great book or scanning dozens of text messages or e-mails. But whenever you have to get through an enormous textbook, your eyes glaze over, and you have a hard time remembering what you just read. Worse, you’re dying to put your head down and take a little nap.

Here are some tips to make reading a little easier.

1. Before you can begin to improve your reading speed, you’ve got to know how fast you read now. The first step is to test your reading speed. Select a passage of text, start your timer and read the text normally, so you can comprehend everything it says. When you get to the end of the passage, stop your timer.

2. To learn to speed read, you must learn to scan groups of words. “Chunking” several words into one “thought” while ignoring unnecessary words such as “the”, “a”, “to”, “of”, etc. will improve your reading speed.

3. Vocalizing or sub-vocalizing means to read the words aloud, or to move your lips while reading. You cannot speak as fast as you can read or think. Avoid vocalizing or reading aloud, no matter how faint. It will cause you to read as fast as you can talk, which is much slower than your reading rate can be.

4. Adjust your reading style to the material you are reading. If you are scouring web pages, your concentration needs to be much less than if you are reading a technical manual. Adjust your concentration and reading techniques to what you are reading.

Thanks.

[Kindred]

Just keep your eyes moving forward and never look back. If you skip a line, don't worry about it. The author will reiterate if it was important. Going back and rereading cuts my reading speed in half and has no significant benefit to my comprehension.

Keep the chatter inside your head to minimum. I read at 400 wpm when I sound out all the words I read in my head, but I read at 1200 wpm when I shut that internal chatterbox off. Comprehension stays more of less the same for me depending on the material.

Not all the information is important, so just let it go. I skim read most of what I read which puts me around 5000 wpm if you count the words I skip. Taking a small hit in comprehension (about 20% more or less) isn't a big deal if you're absorbing in 4 times more information.

[toasterwater]

Originally Posted by Kindred

Just keep your eyes moving forward and never look back. If you skip a line, don't worry about it. The author will reiterate if it was important. Going back and rereading cuts my reading speed in half and has no significant benefit to my comprehension.

That is gonna be a tough habit to break. A lot of the reading I do is for school, so there tend to be very specific details from the reading that are quite important. Of course... If I read the material 5-10 times faster (it's been a few years since I timed it, but I don't even think my avg reading time is 100wpm) I will have plenty of time to review and properly study.

Keep the chatter inside your head to minimum. I read at 400 wpm when I sound out all the words I read in my head, but I read at 1200 wpm when I shut that internal chatterbox off. Comprehension stays more of less the same for me depending on the material.

Does this just come with practice, or have you done specific exercises that help put that guy on mute?

Not all the information is important, so just let it go. I skim read most of what I read which puts me around 5000 wpm if you count the words I skip. Taking a small hit in comprehension (about 20% more or less) isn't a big deal if you're absorbing in 4 times more information.

That sounds like a very practical concept.

Thanks for the feedback!

[toasterwater]

Ok... I just timed myself. I read a page of my chemistry book (very well written and easy to comprehend) and it felt like about average for a focused state of reading. If I'm having trouble focusing, it will be much worse, and I only read a little faster than that if I'm very focused.

163 WPM.

[NuclearGorilla]

Originally Posted by toasterwater

Does this just come with practice, or have you done specific exercises that help put that guy on mute?

I've seen it recommended to try a steady count (1, 2, 3, 4, 1, etc.) while you're reading to accomplish that. At first you may just want to be moving your eyes over the words while counting and eventually working into reading at the same time.

Lately I've been looking into speed reading practices and intend to try to improve my skimming ability (or rather, to skim as a part of reading), but I haven't worked on that enough yet to have anything to share.