Speed Reading Techniques: 3 Effective Ways To Accelerate Your Reading Speed And Save Time
By Michael Lee

Speed reading techniques are very useful especially when you have a deadline looming ahead, or if you still have stacks of papers waiting to be read. After all, you can't always ask a friend or a secretary to help you read through everything. There are some things you just have to do yourself.

Below are some speed reading techniques to help you out:

Speed Reading Technique # 1: Focus On The Beginning and the End.

Some people like to read the beginning paragraphs first before diving right into the last few paragraphs. This technique allows you to find out how things began and how things ended.

The assumption is that you no longer need to read about the whole journey to understand what the text is all about. It's not something you can use everyday (especially when the job calls for detailed reporting) but it is useful when you just need to know the end result ASAP.

Speed Reading Technique # 2: Skim the Text First.

Skimming involves taking a quick head to toe look at the text first to give you an idea of what it's all about. That way, when you actually get down to reading it, you'll already have a good idea of how it's going to go.

Your mind is now conditioned to understand what you're reading. In a way, skimming the text puts you in the right mindset. You now have a direction to go to instead of just aimlessly reading word after word with no end in sight.

Speed Reading Technique # 3: Avoid Distractions.

If you want to accelerate your reading speed, you're going to have to get the distractions out of the way. Is the television still on? Turn it off or at least retreat to a room without a lot of noise.

Having too many distractions take more minutes out of your time than you realize. Of course, you won't exactly be able to monitor time wasted from glancing up and down your text; but if you compute all those minutes together, you'll realize how much you lose because of distractions.

Other possible distractions include a rumbling stomach, a parched throat, a mobile phone or even your overall environment. Find a place where you feel comfortable.

Knowing these speed reading techniques is very important. It helps you get to the bottom of things without wasting time. These days, productivity is essential so you can't afford to be inefficient.