Tips on Increasing Your Reading Rate

Environment Be sure you are seated in a comfortable chair at a table or desk. Find a place where there is little or no background noise. Don’t multitask while reading: no Internet IM’s, text messaging, phone calls, TV, or fast-paced music. The room should be well-lighted, but there should be no glare on the pages you are reading. Hold the book upright and at a right angle.

Eye Movement Read in phrases, instead of word-by-word. For example: Sit in a well-lighted/room with little/or no noise/to minimize distractions. As you read each line of text, keep your eyes focused on the top, rather than the bottom of the words. This will greatly increase your reading speed.

Focus Finally, consciously focus on the task at hand. If distracting thoughts enter your mind from time to time, stop and refocus. Whether you are reading a novel or a textbook, find something enjoyable about what you are reading. This will make the reading process faster, easier, and much more beneficial.

Source Lee, Linda A. “Reading Efficiently.” Empowered College Reading: Motivation Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008. 87-132.