Have Fun When You Practice Speed Reading

Speed reading is a methodology that aims to increase the speed of both reading and comprehending written materials. It was Mrs. Evelyn Wood who came up with the idea of speed reading back in 1959. She had noted the amazing reading speed of one of her professors and set out to develop techniques that would help the average person read more quickly.

In today’s modern society, where there is a huge amount of information to be read, both printed and electronic materials, it's essential that you learn to increase your reading speed. When you learn to speed read it will help you finish your work more quickly and leave you more time for relaxation. Or if reading is your relaxation, you can get more of it done in the same amount of time and broaden your mind further.

Start by choosing a small book, around 300 pages. It should be on an interesting topic. This will help you to achieve better results. Keep in mind that you shouldn't practice speed reading if you're not focused on the task. Don’t force yourself to do it or it won't be useful. The most effective time to practice your speed reading is when you are in a relaxed, pleasant mood, when there are not pressing concerns you need to deal with.

Find a quiet, comfortable area of your home. Pick up the book, open it, and start to read. You want to focus on reading down the lines of each page, not side to side as you have learned to do in the past. Read blocks of words or take in a single phrase. Don't pick out each word individually. And resist the temptation to go back to re-read anything. This is particularly difficult when you start out, but you will get better at it.

You don’t have to spend a lot of time in order to practice your speed reading. Fifteen or twenty minutes each day is sufficient. When you practice regularly, you will discover that your rate of reading has doubled or even tripled.

Consider making your speed reading practice a family event. Get your kids and spouse involved. Make it into a contest. Set a timer, and each of you read a section of a book. The goal is to read as many words or pages as you can within the time limit. Award a prize to whoever reads the most words or pages. Obviously you will want to adjust the rate of words or pages for younger children.

Keep in mind that improving your reading skills and learning to speed read can be done at any age. Get the grandparents involved as well. Enjoy a family gathering and while honing your skills. But you can't force anyone to learn sped reading. It's a matter of individual desire. But the more willing you are, the more quickly you will achieve your objectives.