{"id":5563,"date":"2019-03-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/rapid-reading-tips\/"},"modified":"2024-08-15T16:36:45","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T14:36:45","slug":"rapid-reading-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freelancermap.com\/blog\/rapid-reading-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read Faster – Tips & Tricks for Rapid Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether it is books, online articles, emails, Facebook posts, or even the smallest things like Tweets, most people read a crazy amount of words each day without even thinking about it. Wouldn\u2019t be great to read faster?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Tips<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Everyone, especially freelancers, has a lot to read and go through on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes communicating with clients or reading useful articles (like the one you\u2019re seeing right now).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consuming new information probably takes up a lot of your day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some estimates suggest that in a job environment, a person spends about two hours<\/a> a day reading. That\u2019s a quarter of your standard workday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number one thing any freelancer should strive for is efficiently managing their time<\/a>. What better place to start than the one thing you do each day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So check out these tips on rapid reading<\/strong> (also called speed reading<\/strong>). You will see how speeding up your reading can save you tons of time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tips on how to read faster and better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Have a plan and a goal in mind for long texts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This first tip isn\u2019t about reading a paragraph \u2013 it\u2019s for those times when you need to read multiple pages of text at a time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For such work, planning in advance is the best way to extract the information you want in the least amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When faced with such a task, begin by asking yourself \u201cWhat do I want to get out of this?<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can identify one or two important pieces of information<\/strong> you\u2019re looking to extract from the text, write them down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at the content page of the material you\u2019re about to read and identify the most important sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by reading the introduction and then the conclusion \u2013 this might point you to the right place or let you know that the text isn\u2019t what you\u2019re looking for after all. Then start reading the parts you feel are important \u2013 if you can answer the questions once you’re done, that\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Consciously start skim-reading less important parts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This way of thinking can also be applied to much shorter texts. You are probably aware of which parts are interesting and which aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Say, for example, that you have a client who always takes some time to get to the point and ends up writing annoyingly long emails. Adapt to that style of writing by reading over the introduction more quickly than you would otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skimming is usually enough to see if the information is really important \u2013 and will save you a bunch of time on top. You skip over parts of text anyway. But the real tip here is to consciously start doing it, to be aware of yourself intentionally skimming bits of text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Stop constantly reading \u201caloud\u201d in your head<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you learn to read, you start out by reading the words aloud in your head. In fact, if you stop to think about how you\u2019re reading this text right now, you might realize that you\u2019re still doing the very same thing. Reading out the words out loud is called \u201csubvocalizing<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, subvocalizing is not bad. In fact, if you\u2019re really focusing on a particularly difficult part of a text, it can help you slow down so you really comprehend the meaning<\/strong> that the words are conveying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, subvocalizing slows you down. You probably know this from your everyday experience with reading anyway \u2013 when you\u2019re engulfed in a book that\u2019s really good, the voice in your head is gone. You want to get ahead with text as fast as you can and you stop subvocalizing. You know how to do that. Just try to get into the habit of doing it more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Focus and ignore distraction until you\u2019re finished<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no worse feeling than coming back to read the same sentence for the fourth time because you keep getting distracted. That\u2019s one of the situations where you can really feel how you\u2019re wasting time by being inefficient with reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you combat that? Focus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you know you have to read an article, ignore that buzzing sound from your phone, put on headphones or earplugs if that helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Getting into the mindset for reading will put a stop to those distractions.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

5. Complete speed reading exercises<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with any other muscle, you can also train your eyes<\/strong>. Exercising your eye muscles and making them stronger can also help your speed reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a couple of exercises to train your eyes<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n