How to Speed Read

Here is how I speed read. While many speed readers can go through 1000-2000 words a minute, I clock in around 650 words per minute at my top speed. But still – the average reader gets through 200-300 words a minute.

There are many techniques that you can use to read faster. What I will share with you are my own techniques, easy to do, that anyone can use. If I’m reading for pleasure, I don’t speed read, but if I have a lot of material that I need to get through, using these techniques can be a lifesaver.

First, you need some supplies: the book you are reading, a pencil, a 3×5 note card, and your smartphone.

When I speed read, I always find a clean, flat surface like a desk or table. It is never as effective to speed read while sitting in a comfortable chair, at least if I’m not at a desk. Speed reading is work, not always the most enjoyable, and it requires effort.

Open the book, and set the note card so that it covers the text on the page you are reading, except for the top line. The idea is to move the note card down, uncovering a line of text at a time. Do this at a speed that works for you, but a little faster than you are comfortable with. Glance your eye across each line as you move the note card down. We often read by pronouncing each word in the mind, but this doesn’t work for speed reading. Look at the word, but try not to pronounce it in your mind.

The note card is a simple trick, but it can speed your reading dramatically. Depending on what type of material it is, you can move that notecard at different speeds. Dense material will require a slower speed, light material can be quicker. Just remember to move the notecard a little faster than is comfortable.

Question: Is this skimming? Answer: No! I’m not skimming when I use this technique. I am going through all the text, even every word of text.

I find it invaluable to have a pencil nearby. If there is a quote that I want to remember, I star the margin. If there is a section that I want to remember, I mark that in the margin also. If I am writing a book review, or want to remember thoughts that come to mind, or want to remember a specific page number, I often write that on the notecard. This allows me to continue to move through the text quickly, while also making sufficient notes that I could write a book review or summary afterward.

There is one other technique that I use – my smartphone stopwatch. I happen to have an iPhone, which makes this very easy. Just select ‘clock,’ then ‘stopwatch.’ I press the green ‘start’ button when I begin speed reading, and hit the ‘lap’ button each time I finish a page. This restarts the timer while keeping track of how long I have been speed reading total. Each lap signifies a page, so I get real-time updates on how fast I am going through each page. This acts as a mental reminder to keep moving through the text. It also allows me to have a goal for how long I want to spend on each page, and I can easily see how many pages I’ve gone through.

For example, on a book of average density, I often set a goal of 45 seconds per page (if you are new to speed reading, set a higher time – maybe 60 or 75 seconds). By using the smartphone stopwatch, I can see how well I am accomplishing that goal.

Because this technique takes a high level of focus and concentration, I rarely speed read for more than 30 minutes without a break (that’s about 45 pages of text).

So, give it a try. It will take some practice, but you can certainly improve your reading speed with the notecard/stopwatch approach. And if you could increase your speed to 650 words per minute, you would have read this whole post in just about one minute!