4 Brilliant Tips to Speed Read Faster than Ever

Many people, particularly students, would love to be
able to absorb information faster. But before retaining
information, they have to go through the first stage of
learning, which is reading.

For many individuals who are pressed for time, speed
reading has become a necessity.  However, it's not just
the reading part that is important.  Equally essential
is for the reader to fully understand the words coming
out from the book or paper.

Here are some great tips to read and comprehend faster.

1) Relax.

If you're in the stressed mode, it would be much more
difficult to concentrate; hence, it would just be a lot
harder for the information to sink in.

2) Know what you want.

Focus on the areas that you really need to learn.  Some
people read all parts of a book, when all they need to
know is a specific chapter.

Know your priority.  If you need to find out about a
certain subject, go to the Table of Contents and search
for the heading that best suits your need.  If you need
to learn more, then adjust accordingly.  The important
thing is to weed out the stuffs that you don't
currently need.

3) Get rid of the structure words.

Did you know that around 60% of the words we read are
structure words?  Examples are the words "the, or, and."
They are essential in the structure of the sentences;
but when you ignore them, they basically mean the same
thing. They only serve to beautify, yet you can
understand what you are reading even without them. Try
not to focus too much attention on structure words.

4) Practice, practice, practice.

When I started exercising with weights, I can only lift
the lighter ones.  As the time goes by, I slowly add more
and more weights as my body tends to adjust and become
more comfortable carrying heavier ones.

The same concept goes for speed reading. Set a goal.
Figure out how fast you can read, then create a plan to
increase your ability.

If you can read 200 words per minute, set a goal to
read 250 words a minute. After accomplishing this feat,
set a goal to read 300 words per minute.

This takes time and practice, but the effort is all
worth it.  If this is your first time to set such a
goal, read first those materials you are familiar with.

Carry on with more difficult ones as you progress. This
way, you're not overwhelming yourself with understanding
different new words and at the same time developing your
speed reading skills.