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Jun 12, 202012 min read

Reading faster and better

Updated: Nov 12, 2022

Reading faster and better

Read often, widely, and challenging material. To read faster and better, you’ll need to increase your speed, remember what you read, and create habits. 


First off, I want to note that you should do what you enjoy - if you enjoy reading slow do that, but when you need to read fast you'll know these techniques. How you read also depends on what you're reading and what you want to get out of reading. Determining your goal helps you figure out your comprehension with speed balance (how much you need to comprehend). 

How you read the book is just as important as starting to read a book. Make sure the book you're picking is the right book. When picking a book, think about: What problem you're facing, Who else has solved this problem, Have they written a book about it or recommended a book (chances are, if it worked for them, it will work for you). Bill Gates suggests not to start what you can’t finish. If you have a broad framework then you have a place to put everything - Incremental knowledge is so much easier to maintain.


The average person read not even 1 book per year, but the average top CEO reads over 50 books a year to maintain a competitive edge and find new ideas to improve both their lifestyle and their companies. Knowledge is not only power but profit - Most CEOs read 4-5 books a month. Divide of those who know and don't know - Learning most of this knowledge is still done through reading - Reading is like downloading information into your software brain. Leaders are readers (warren buffet, bill gates, etc.). A good way to give yourself direction on what to read, is to keep an active book list of things you’re excited to read. 


Reading helps to learn new things, new vocabulary (Wider range to speak), gives you time to understand (mental picture), gives you new ideas (grab ideas from different books makes you more creative), and can even help teach you how to better speak the language you're reading.


This article will go over the following points for reading faster and better: 

Increasing speed

  • Group words / peripheral reading

  • Use a pacer

  • Reduce subvocalization

  • Test speed 

Remembering what you read 

  • Take away distractions

  • Use multiple senses while reading 

  • Pre-read & skim

  • Take notes

  • Summarize 

  • Take action 

  • Keep it interesting 

Creating habits

  • Prioritize / schedule

  • Practice

Increasing speed 

Are you overloaded with too much to read but too little time? Self help books become shelf help - how much time do you take processing info? Think about base rate - read book for a minute & estimate number of words per line. Time & your brain are the 2 most important things to your success . Reading speed & comprehension for effective reading.


What is the reason you want to read faster? There are 2 different approaches to the 2 different reason types One doesn't need to read the same way for every reading goal. Reading for pleasure - slow down to enjoy nuance, speedup to get main point and gist of story, no right or wrong way - it's up to you


Group words / Peripheral reading 

Learn to see group of words (e.g., statue of liberty) and read them together. To practice, put fingers between two words to look at both at the same time. This expands your ability to see. Do this for a few days or even a few weeks for 10 minutes every day to see progress in speed. 


For speed reading, a tip I found was to not read each individual word, which would be peripheral reading. This increases your peripheral vision. To practice this, draw 2 vertical lines near the end of the page (1-2 words in) and then bounce your eyes between the two lines on the page. Limit yourself to that specific range. Looking at less portion of the page will eliminate the amount of time you spend on each page. 


Use a pacer 

Use a pacer when you’re reading since our eyes unintentionally wander naturally. This could be using your finger or a pen/pencil to go through each line steadily to help keep your eyes on track and focused on what you’re reading. It's how your nervous system is set up - when you're using vision and touch at the same time, it enhances the experience - similar to seeing something and tasting it.


Once you’re comfortable with grouping, use a pacer to go forward steadily. Use a pacer between the two fixation points made for peripheral reading. Though you’re have slight comprehension lost, you'll adapt to the faster speed the more you do it.


Using a pacer also helps with not backtracking to eliminate going back when you’re reading, which wastes time. Visual regression could happen unknowingly, so using a pointer helps you force your eyes to follow. To read faster, trace your pacer across the lines faster than what you think is possible. Push yourself and practice forcing your eyes to follow your finger. This increases speed with minimal comprehension lost. 


Grouping, peripheral reading, and using a pacer should double or triple your reading speed. It’s all about the mechanics of the eyes. 


Reduce subvocalization

Sub-vocalization is when you read and pronounce each word in your head. You don't have to pronounce a word in order to understand it though. Subvocalization slows down reading though, so you want to decrease it as much as possible. You could try chewing gum to help you reduce subvocalizing. 


Test speed 

Know how fast you're currently reading to measure if there is a progress. The average reading speed is about 200 words per minute. 


To test your reading speed, grab a typical reading book and read it for 1 minute then count the number of lines you read. Calculate the average number of words per line then multiply by the number of lines. Most books are 10 words per line. A possible website to test reading speed is spreeder.com. 


Another helpful step is to find out how fast you need to be reading to finish a book. For example, the median number of words per book on amazon is 64,000 words. So if you're reading 200 words per minute, it'll take about 320 minutes to finish one of those books cover to cover which means it'll take only about 45 minutes of reading per day to finish the book in a week. 


Remembering what you read 

Take away distractions 

Eliminate all distractions while you’re reading by putting distractions away and out of sight. Especially your phone. Turn off notifications on your phone. Don’t scroll on social media. Lock apps for a period of time. If you lack focus, there will also be a decrease in comprehension. Reading faster can make you focus better. 


After a reading session, take some time to NOT intake any new information - take a walk, go to the gym, do anything that doesn't require intaking new info. Information needs time to marinate, to integrate itself in your brain. Your brain is not built to keep taking in more information nonstop. 


Use multiple senses while reading 

Using multiple senses while you’re reading increases your ability to focus and lessens distractions. This could be listening and reading, or visualizing and reading. 


Listening to an audio book and reading the words would involve both visual and auditory senses to help increase comprehension. You could also listen to it on 1.5-2x speed to improve reading speed. There are many audio book apps - some I’ve used in the past are Audible, Apple Books, and Scribd. You could also listen to music as you read which could improve reading speed (typically classical music). 


You could also use visualization. Visualize by playing the words in your mind like as if you’re watching a movie to help you remember what you're reading. Information combined with emotion sticks in your memory. If you don't give your brain the stimulus it needs, it'll seek entertainment elsewhere in the form of distraction - that's why your mind wanders often and you lose your focus because you could be reading too slow.


Switching locations could also help remember what you read. Switch it up by standing up, sitting down, go to different places. There's a memory of holding the book and where you are. This will help you remember what you read


Pre-read & skim

Go through table of contents, skim chapters (headings, bold items, etc.), chapter summaries, reviews. This preps and primes the brain before reading the text to find the most important things before reading. These are most often the main things the author wants you to get from their text. Your brain will be aware for looking for these as you read. 


Skimming is still an essential skill even though comprehension does go down. Text in the book is way more than what can be put in your brain. Psuedo skimming is when you look through paragraphs to find most important ones and then slow down to read for comprehension. 


Read the first and the last sentence of the paragraph, and just take a quick look at the middle. The first sentence tells you what it's about, and the last sentence sums it up. This is also called flexible reading speed and supposedly optimizes speed to comprehension balance. Especially for textbooks, don't be afraid to skip paragraphs/sections that aren't important, and instead focus on bolded words, pre-read section headings, bold terms, vocab, and then summarize section or page in your own words to increase retention. 


Take notes

Take notes in the margin. When you're reading you have to be careful that you really are concentrating, especially if it's nonfiction. Take the new knowledge and attach it to the knowledge you already have. Absorb the information in the book and have the information become your identity. Store "aha" moments in a journal. Stimulate new ideas to memorize what you're reading. 


Another method is to make an index in the front of the book. Note pages of things that you found interesting so you can make quick references later on. For example, use "ph" for noting phrases that you found nice and note the page it was on.


Highlight items in the book that you find important. Remember to read the text before you highlight to prevent from highlighting too much. In Kindle eBooks, you can highlight parts of the book which goes into your eJournal that can be reviewed later on in your highlights.


Summarize what you read 

Once you finish a reading session, write down a summary, a synopsis to recap what you read, tell someone about it--this will solidify what you remember about what you read.


Note important items (i.e., Key terms, main points, examples that highlight those points). Write a distilled version of what you read that only states the main purpose of it. Try to create a spider diagram or a summary sheet of the whole book or per chapter from memory. 


Some things to ask yourself periodically while you’re reading: 

  • What did I just read?

  • How does this relate to anything that I previously knew? 

  • What are the key ideas?

  • Can I explain this to someone else? 

To keep information in your head, you need to break the forgetting curve. To do this, try and go over what you learned once a week, once a month, every 3 months etc.


Take action

Maintenance rehearsal is the idea that repeating something will help you memorize it. The problem with this is that the info is stored in a bit of the brain but doesn’t get used and is then forgotten. Elaborate rehearsal is when you make connections to your life from what you read. Asking yourself “How can I apply this information to my life”. This integrates the information into your brain to effortlessly memorize it and also raises your interest in the subject too. 


Right after you’re done with a reading session, take action. This could be by doing what you read if it’s a how-to book, or taking notes/writing a summary about what you read. Using the information right away can increase your learning speed of what you read.  Use a systematic approach that works for your research/reading needs. For example, for research articles, you may read the abstract slowly and carefully, and approach each section with a goal


This goes along with the Just-in-time methodology. Absorb information you’re going to use now, and not just things that you might need for the future. Learn about the problems that you’re having in the moment. Don't waste time on things you might use in the future (Just in case methodology). An exception to this are reading about the things that you don’t know that you don’t know. (Some things you know that you know, somethings that you know that you don't know, and some things you don't know that you know, and some things that you don't know that you don't know) 


Keep it interesting 

You need to have intent and have to want to read it. Find your reason to build into the intent. Connect what you’re reading with something you have interest in (aka an interest link) to reduce your boredom. Do your best to avoid slumps, and just love what you're reading. 


Seek out additional sources (e.g., documentary) that complement what you're reading. This keeps your interest high in something that you might not be interested in. Interest is the most important aspect of recalling and remembering things in the long run. Also remember that it’s alright to quit a book. Don't force yourself to read a casual book if you're not enjoying it.


Getting reading buddies could also help increase your interest in/passion about the book. Making it a group activity makes it more engaging and may also help with retaining information. 

Creating habits 

Prioritize/Schedule

Make a habit of reading. This might depend on your priorities. It’s good to schedule your reading though. Think of it as mental exercise to build your mental muscles. If you don't schedule it it's not real and may not happen. Treat it as time that is yours like time for your work. Schedule it during your peak times when you're awake and aware to get the most out of what you're reading. 


Just do it. Don't look at your phone, pick out hours of the day, and dedicate that time to reading. It’s recommended to read for longer sessions. Block out an hour at a time. Reading isn’t something that should be done in time slots of 5-10 minutes at a time. But also remember the importance of taking breaks. Your mind and eyes will get tired while reading.


Bill Gates still prefers paper books over ebooks, but eBooks can be more convenient for reading. Personally, I’ve found that it helps me to better fit reading into my schedule. There are also audiobooks to listen to to get more information in a set amount of time or for multi-tasking (listening while you’re driving, etc.). The Libby app is an example of an eBook library rental platform. 


Practice

Reading is a skill, and like all skills it can be improved with training.


Exercises for peripheral reading:

  1. Grab a book and read & use your finger, relax your body, breathe in and out to prepare your mental state. Then read left to right one line at a time. 

  2. Once you have the first exhen try to read 2 lines at a time. Don't focus on comprehensiveness, this is just a drill for reading faster. Don't focus on every word, just focus on getting a picture. Then after, try the infinity drill, moving finger in infiinty to read 3-5 lines. Do this every day for 10 minutes. "

After practicing the drills, you'll see improvement overtime in reading faster. 


All of the information outlined in this article can be put into practice, and overtime of practicing there should be improvement just like with any other skill. 

Recommended books from the videos I watched: 

*The bolded titles are ones that I may want to read in the future

  • Nelson Dellis

    • The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood

  • 15 Books Bill Gates Thinks Everyone Should Read

    • The innovators: How a group of hackers, geniueses and geeks created the digital revolution by walter isaacson

    • Life is what you make it by Peter Buffett - How to define your own path(advice from warren buffett, written by his son)

    • Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

    • Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer - Book is funny - memorize someone's name when meeting them.

    • “Tap Dancing to Work” by Carol Loomis - get a glimpse of how to position yourself

    • “Making the Modern World” by Vaclav Smil - book about how our civilization is shifting

    • The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert - Humans will wipe out the world, makes it easy to understand our impact on the world

    • The Man Who Fed the World” by Leon Hesser - covers story of how he helped feed a lot of people (won noble pease prize)

    • The Rosie Project: A Novel’ by Graeme Simsion - Light romance novel (Nerdy person falling in love)

    • The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald - Love story

    • Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street,” John Brooks - His favorite business books - key principles

    • How to Lie With Statistics” by Darrell Huff - Manipulate data to shift it in their favor - possibly funny

    • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” Yuval Noah Harari - enjoyable and you feel smarter - Should be mandatory to read - well-written

    • Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell - Author's work is timeless

    • The Box’ by Marc Levinson -

    • How Not to Be Wrong" by Jordan Ellenberg - explores hidden structures

  • Tim Ferriss

    • Writing down the bones by Natalie Goldberg - recommended by a lot of writers - Freedom means knowing who you are, what you're doing on this earth, and simply doing it - it's not just doing whatever you want.

    • Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck - hilarious, beautifully written

    • I heard God laughing by Daniel Ladinsky - Book of poems

    • Already Free by Bruce Tift In pursuit of the common good by Paul newman and ..Quiet by Susan Cain - ultimate introvert book

    • Stoner by John Williams - Feeling of wishing you could do more

    • Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse - Half wolf and half woman - thoughts written were articulated well.

    • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Doing things out of your comfort zone (children's book)

    • Steal like an artist by Austin Kleon - Inspiring for creatives

    • Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - leaves you feeling hopeful & grateful & makes you question life

    • Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - Roman emperor who thought they were just journaling but is still relevant to today's time.Lana Blakely

Video references:

Information in this text came from watching the following videos:

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