Doubling Your Reading Speed

I'm glad you're reading this; it should prove very valuable to you. Once you've learned all of this and began applying it, share with more people!

First, let me say that in one week of applying these concepts and practicing the exercises, I personally literally doubled my average reading speed-and I wasn't a horribly slow reader, but an average one. Most people find that they go from reading the average 150-250 wpm to 300-400 wpm after only a short time (a few days, but maybe a week or two-depends on the person) of practicing the exercises.

Okay, I'll start by explaining some concepts, and then give you some exercises. This section is a bit long, but will help you understand the reasons that some of the exercises work.

Here we go.

One of the biggest reasons a lot of people read much slower than their potential is the existence of some habits formed because of the way we are taught to read. (Which, by the way, we're not really taught how to read beyond the 2nd grade or so--and that's unfortunate).

One of these speed-killing habits is called subvocalization. This refers to the tendency of readers to "hear" or "audiate" in their head each individual word they read. Many people even speak the words silently with their mouths as they are reading. Some studies show that almost everyone has some kind of muscle movement related to subvocalization habits while reading. If you want to read faster, you have to gain control over this habit so that you can turn it off and on as you wish. I say that (rather than total elimination) because you may not always want to read quickly; some texts, e.g. poetry, Scripture, musical lyrics, are not meant to be "sped-read," and one can often benefit from occasional subvocalizing. Awareness of it is the first key, really.

The second habit is very closely related to subvocalization...this is very likely the cause of the development of subvocalization. From an early age, kids are taught to read each word of a sentence, (aloud for absolute beginners), and to think carefully through what each word means as they read through a passage. This is probably a necessary starting point for beginning readers, but many people never graduate from this approach to reading. If you want to read faster, you have to train your eyes to see larger portions of text at a time, and you have to learn to go directly from seeing a word or group of words to thinking of the concepts described by the text and how they relate to each other, rather than first seeing a word, then going through the mediator of the linguistic analysis in your brain and in the habit subvocalization, and only THEN moving to forming concepts in your mind from the text.

A third habit developed by the average reader is that of regression--frequently having to go backward in a text to re-read something that has not been comprehended (likely because of over-focusing on each word and how it sounds rather than the concepts portrayed in the words). This contributes to decreased comprehension and retention, and ultimately great frustration while trying to study under the pressures of limited time and high expectations of material apprehension from a textbook. A key tool used while practicing reading exercises, and eventually when actually studying, is a pointer. There is actually some controversy over the usefulness of a pointer when one gets into higher levels of speed-reading practice, but I am convinced that it is a necessary tool for the average reader who is seeking to improve their reading speed. A pointer keeps your eyes from jumping around all over the text, which inevitably leads to regression and lots of re-reading. A point can be made by trying the following: imagine a circle about twice the size of your head floating out in the air in front of you. Try to trace that circle just with your eyes, as smoothly as possible. The results will speak for themselves. Now, try it again, using your finger to guide your eyes around the outline of the invisible circle. Point taken?

One more consideration before I share some exercises with you: many people, myself included, often find that their minds tend to wander while they are attempting to study and learn from a text--especially if the subject is not of their highest interest. One thing that contributes to this lack of focus is something that shocks a lot of people when they first hear it--they're reading too slowly. Because of the other habits mentioned above, people read more slowly than they potentially could--that is, they read much more slowly than they can THINK with their minds. Hence, the brain gets bored with the task at hand and begins to wander off. As you begin developing your reading speed with the following exercises, and are able to slowly apply the techniques to your actual studying time, you may well find that by reading just ever so slightly more quickly than you can comprehend each tiny detail, that you will be automatically more focused on the reading, because your brain is being challenged as your eyes are moving more quickly down the page than usual.

Onward.

Exercise #1 I guess one may call it "Lining"

I believe Evelyn Wood, a "speed-reading" teacher/pioneer, first introduced this exercise or some variation of it. This is a very basic exercise designed to get your eyes and brain used to higher speeds right away. The concept is one that I use as a musician when I am trying to build speed in my clarinet playing. The idea is that if 50mph feels fast in a 35mph zone, then there's one great way to make it feel slow: first try going 75mph in the 35mph zone, then go 100mph, then go 200 mph, etc. After you've gone ridiculous speeds in this 35mph zone, then when you slow back down to 50mph, it feels much more comfortable, even though it's faster than the 35mph speeds you were used to beforehand. Make sense?

Okay, so here's what you do:

Get a book or sheet of paper with line after line after line of text on it. The most boring, picture-less textbook you can find will work great. If you can manage it, I find that it is also helpful if the columns of text are about half the width of an entire 8.5x11 piece of paper; perhaps you can find a piece of paper with tons of text on it, and just cut it in half. The content is of no consequence, as you will not be reading it. You will not be reading it. That's not the point. You can even turn the text upside down as you do this. Once you're ready with your "lining" material, you'll need one more thing: a pointer. You can use a pencil or pen, but I find myself content with either my pointer finger, or, alternatively, your first three fingers pressed together (Boy Scout style). What you're going to do is start at the first line (or last, if you've flipped your paper upside-down), and begin using your pointer to guide your eyes across the text, at a speed which is slightly faster than your average-high speed of reading with good comprehension; in other words, look across the lines of text a little faster than you usually do when you're reading. Do this rhythmically, keeping your eyes going across each successive line in the same exact amount of time as the one before it. It helps to have a metronome or someone else clapping rhythmically for you. If you need to, you can think to yourself, "Line, line, line, line, line" to stay in rhythm and prevent subvocalization if you find yourself slowing down to read any of the words. Once you've gone a while at this speed, you're going to "up-the-ante" and increase speed significantly. Try looking across each line of text in 2 seconds. Then try 1 second. Then try 2 lines per second. Etc. The more ridiculous you get with this exercise (as long as your eye movement is following your pointer smoothly), the better. If you begin to get used to ridiculous speeds, then speeds that are only "fast" will begin to feel "normal." Hopefully you will also notice your eyes beginning to focus on just the middle of the lines of text rather than moving across the entirety of each line. That's actually good. Do this exercise a bunch, like 15 minutes twice a day if you can.

Exercise #2 How about we call it "Expansion"

This is not extremely "by the book," but based on concepts and similar exercises I've heard described.

Stage One: Pick up a book that you know has several paragraphs per page on it. Without using a pointer, look at each paragraph (as a whole, not line-by-line) for a short amount of time, e.g. 2 to 4 seconds depending on the size of it. Try and take in key words that you see, and get used to the feeling of looking at larger bodies of text at once rather than small phrases or even individual words.

Stage Two: Do the same thing with entire pages of text. Start a little slower, but get to where you are turning a page every 3 to 5 seconds.

5 minutes a day is all I feel is warranted for an exercise on which I cannot pretend to be an expert.

Exercise #3 Hmm..."Corners?"

Take a small piece of paper, or note card, and write the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 in their corresponding corners of the paper. Use your pointer to guide your eyes fairly quickly to each, in order, rhythmically. Then try different patterns--reverse, all out of order, whatever. The point is to get your eyes better hooked up with your pointer, and to get them used to moving swiftly across a page. Or something. I don't know. Just do it; it really does help regardless of why or exactly how it works. 30 seconds whenever you think about pulling the paper out of your pocket throughout the day.

Exercise #4 "Number Search"

Take a similar small piece of paper, as in exercise #3, and write on it, in random positions all over the place, numbers 1 through 50. Forget where you wrote each number, I guess just by not looking at it for a while. Then come back to it and begin searching for each number, in order. Use a pointer if you wish; I personally do because it keeps my eye movements smooth and not jerky. The idea is that you're searching for relevant information in this small amount of space, without looking through lines of text in sequence. You're also getting used to looking at larger areas of information at once, as in exercise #2. I guess that's the point...shoot, I didn't make this stuff up, haha; I just know it works. Also takes 30 seconds, whenever you think to pull your paper out. You may have to make a new one after a while, because you'll begin to remember where each number has been written on the page.

Exercise #5 "Practice Reading"

This is different than reading or studying. It is "practice reading." Find some material to read that is ideally of some, but not intense, interest to you. You are going to apply all of your new concepts and techniques, and practice reading more quickly. Use your pointer and read more quickly than you normally do, but only so fast as to give your brain a good challenge in keeping the comprehension up with the reading. Try your best not to go back over lines you've already read. Maybe try Wikipedia or some online articles (some people find internet "speed-reading" more difficult than hard-copy reading--why not go ahead and practice it, too?). Or some old textbook that doesn't excite you but won't bore you to death. Just start applying your new skills. 20 or 30 minutes a day would be great if you have that time to spend.

There are the exercises I know of so far. Be creative and invent your own if you want, using the concepts you know about now.

Three other things considering reading and studying:

1) Only rarely highlight or underline. What is that but planned procrastination? All you're doing is saying, "I'll read that now, but actually learn it later." Instead, determine to comprehend the text right away...visually and conceptually, not audially, linguistically, or via subvocalization. Only highlight or underline if you know you'll need to come back to a place for reference or further study.

2) Do take notes as you read. But don't write outlines for notes. Outlines are boring and you will forget them. Period. Make them visually interesting. Draw concept maps or other visually stimulating retention diagrams. Use shapes and even colors to divide up your notes.

3) Read actively. Be aware of chances to skip over "fluff" and to slow down for "meat." Go into a chapter already knowing it's basic breakdown via section headings, etc. Have questions formulated in your mind that you anticipate being answered by the text you read.

I hope that all made some kind of sense, and I know that if it did, and if you work hard and practice, you will definitely improve! Good luck!