Speed Reading

Here’s an interesting article in speeding reading. I came across this while browsing through digg.com. The writer starts off with some common mythgs abour reading. One thing that surprized me was that reading was’nt a  linear process but a lateral process much like thinking. According to the author,

“few writers start at the beginning — indeed, they usually “write the first part last”

He goes on to say that most of the words in the written word are pretty much fillers, and can be safely ignored once you get the context. That’s not surprizing because if you look at note-taking, you never really focus on getting complete sentences. Just phrases or snippets. Just enough to convey context and meaning. Other cllaims that he makes that all parts of a book are not of value, and can be safely ignored.

Here are the suggestions the author makes,

1. ELIMINATE ALL DISTRACTIONS
2. DETERMINE THE PURPOSE FOR READING
3. TAKE ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND SKIM THROUGH THE ENTIRE BOOK, AND FIND THE KEY CHAPTER
4. READ THE KEY CHAPTER
5. SLOWLY RAISE YOUR SPEED READING COMFORT CLASS
6. THINK OF BOOKS AS MINES OF ORE, FROM WHICH VALUABLE MINERALS HAVE TO BE EXTRACTED. STOP WASTING YOUR TIME WITH STUFF THAT MAY BE USELESS.
7. DON’T TRY TO ARTICULATE EVERY WORD.
8. USE A POINTER, OR A FINGER WHILE READING, ( What are we 4 year old beginning readers?)
9. AVOID THE URGE TO BACK READ, (If you think you missed a word, dont go back to it. Instead move forward and only come back if you realize you can’t make any sense at all).
   
10. USE YOUR PRIPHERAL VISION AND TRY TO GO DOWN A PAGE WHILE READING. (Avoid the urge to read down left to right).
    
11. FOCUS ON THE KEY WORDS, (Avoid the minor words that only contribute to completeness of  sentence).
12. TRY TO READ CONTINUOUSLY,(Don’t stop to give your eyes a rest. I guess if you use  your peripheral vision your eyes wil get less tired, reducing the need for rest stops)
13. BUT DON’T DO STEP 12 FOR TOO LONG. (If you reach your goal in about 30 to 60 minutes, take a break, and reward your self).
14. SET UP A TIME GOAL, AND STOP AFTER THAT.