Reading faster does not have to involve complex techniques that make your brain hurt! Simple positive changes in your daily life and reading routines can increase your focus and concentration. Improving your ability to focus on what you are reading helps you speed read without foregoing comprehension.
Throughout all the stages of our lives, reading plays an important role. When we are kids, we start with learning the alphabet and story books. Then as students we spend hours reading literature, textbooks and notes. As professionals we review important documents from contracts to reports. Yet, through all these stages we often still have trouble reading quickly and effectively. That is because many of us were not taught the simple easy strategies to process information effectively. Instead we were told to “just focus” and then think that if we can’t “just focus” it is because we aren’t good readers. However, everyone can be a great reader!
Reading is a lot more than just looking at words. Everything from your mindset to your environment impacts your ability to read fast. Anyone can implement these simple strategies to improve their focus and concentration to read faster, improve comprehension and increase retention.
Create the right environment to speed read
The truth is there is no one size fits all learning environment. We all have different environments where our minds thrive and it can even change from day-to-day! I have one friend who prefers to read in a coffee shop and hears the orders being rattled off as white noise. While another friend of mine needs to be in a four-wall locked room with zero distractions.
To figure out what your optimal learning environment is, think about your past learning endeavors and in what environment was your focus and concentration the strongest. If you are a student, think about your past studying experiences and the environment that you enjoyed the most. Do you like to be in an open space library or a secluded room? Do you like some background noise or complete silence? If you are a professional, think about the work environment that you get your best work done in. Do you like to be in a cubicle with minimal distraction or in a meeting room working along-side your team-mates? You can also test out different environments and see how they impact your focus and concentration.
These 6 general rules of thumb to create a physical learning environment that will help you read faster:
1. Choose a location that offers natural sunlight.
Natural light can significantly increase productivity and alertness as it influences the melatonin you produce. Is it any wonder why most office workers seek to obtain a corner window office?
Look for location that is next to large window or outdoors such as a balcony. If natural light is not available to you, look for a location that has shielded full-spectrum fluorescent lights. Uncovered lightbulbs can be too harsh on the eyes and make it easier for you to be distracted.
2. Avoid locations that are smelly.
If you thrive in an environment that involves a little hustle and bustle, it’s best to skip the burger joint and go for a simple coffee shop. Inhaling the delicious (or gross) scents of food can trigger your appetite and be a distraction. Who wants to read a strategic report when there’s a McDouble in front of you? If you prefer to read at home, avoid sitting in or near the kitchen especially when someone is cooking. You might end up test-tasting more than studying for your test.
3. Get the temperature right.
Most studies show that we are most productive in temperatures between 70 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Your ability to focus can decrease as the heat and humidity turns up. Aim for a temperature more on the chilly side and have a sweater at your disposal if you get too cold. Libraries tend to keep their temperature on the cooler side for this reason. If you’re studying from home, you have full control of your thermostat.
4. Don’t get too comfy.
We have all tricked ourselves into thinking that we can focus on reading while in our cozy pajamas tucked in bed. While there are a magical few who are capable of this, most of us will end up asleep or two seasons deep into a Netflix show. Instead, go for the tried and true ergonomic chair and desk combination. Choosing the right chair for your butt is as important as choosing the right undies. It needs to be comfy, but with good structure that keeps your posture strong. If you’re feeling fancy you can also try a stability ball or a stand-up desk.
5. Get organized.
As your mom would say, a messy room equals a messy mind. Simplify your reading area and only keep the items that are essential such as a notepad, pencils and highlighters. Less clutter means less distractions.
6. Silence your phone and close your tabs.
Easily eliminate the distraction of your social notifications by silencing your phone. Every time you stop reading to check a text or respond to an email you will lose time trying to re-focus on your reading. Each time you give into a distraction, it becomes easier to fall for one as you train your brain that it can be distracted. If you are reading on your computer, don’t forget to close the other tabs!
A calm mind plays a major role in how fast you can read
We’ve discussed how to create an environment that minimizes physical distractions. But, another main source of distractions is our own mind. We are often focusing on one task, yet thousands of unrelated thoughts will pass through our mind and divide our attention. You might be reading an article and find your mind drifting to completely irrelevant thoughts. Here’s three strategies to help strengthen your mind’s focus.
1. Create a daily to-do list.
To reduce your mind from getting distracted by your other daily tasks, get into the habit of creating a daily to-do list in the morning or night before. Your to-do list should be reasonable and consider what you are actually capable of getting done within the day. Structure your to-do list in terms of priority. Get the highest priority items out of the way first. This will prevent your mind from harassing you about that report you need to submit in 2 hours while you are reading (because you’ve already sent it!).
2. Practice mindfulness meditation.
Meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress – two of the biggest blockers to focusing on the present moment. To be able to read quickly your mind needs to be in the here and now. Meditation doesn’t need to be long or complex. Start with a 10 to 20 minute daily meditation session. Use Youtube to find a meditation video that you can follow along with or download a meditation app.
3. Move your body.
Physical movement is known for alleviating stressors in the body and aiding in mental cognition. The type of exercise is less important – from cardio, HIIT, booty burn to yoga your options are limitless. Youtube has a variety of free online accessible workouts. Set a workout schedule that works for you and get 30 minutes of movement in a day.
Maintain the concentration needed to read fast by getting adequate sleep
Good sleep habits are your best friend. Getting a solid 7+ hours of sleep a night is necessary to maintain critical thinking abilities, concentration and focus. All of which tie directly to your ability to read faster. Create a sleep schedule where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
Give yourself a break to help your maintain your ability to speed read
The truth is you can only stay focused for so long. Take short periodic breaks when you are reading to give your mind a moment to digest what you have read and rest your eyes. A 5 minute break to every 30 minutes of reading will give you a chance to refocus your eyes and attention. During your break, avoid checking your phone or social notifications. Do a light stretch, take some deep breaths or focus your eyes on a point in the distance.
Read faster with SpeedNotes
SpeedNotes lets you double your reading speed presenting the content to the reader one word at a time. The need for you to move your eyes across the page as you read is removed. Easily paste your content into SpeedNotes and start reading faster! SpeedNotes is free and comes with these key features to improve your reading experience:
- Full control over reading speeds from 100 wpm to 1000 wpm
- Dark Mode to reduce eye strain
- Ability to rewind or forward by sentence
- Sleek and easy to use design
