It is obvious that as “students of life”, we have been reading on several occasions. In fact, we read for a living.
While some people read to study for exams, some read to gather information and others read for leisure. Whatever it is you are reading for, it is important that you are aware of and practice the tips listed below in order to improve your reading skills – speed, comprehension and retention. For you to be Financially Intelligent, you have to be ready to read far and wide.
- Avoid extremes of emotions – joy, anger, sorrow or anxiety – when reading.
- To enable you to read fast, you need some degree of determination – the push factor, in order to move. Don’t be too relaxed or sluggish when you want to read.
- Develop and have interest in the subject matter you are reading about, and try to be broad-minded.
- For maximum understanding, read when you are not tired or when the day is not too hot or too cold.
- Comment silently as you read and anticipate what is going to happen next in the plot. Pretend as if you are interacting directly with the author.
- Count the number of pages you read in an hour. Aim at more than 30 pages per hour for a normal sized book like “Thing Fall Apart”. But, the ultimate should be more than 80 pages an hour. Imagine the amount of information you would be able to learn if you can improve your reading speed.
- An average student is expected to read up to somewhere between 700 and 1000 words per minute. Make that your goal.
- It has been observed that when students improve their speed, they also improve their comprehension of the material.
- Read with the sole aim of finding answers to problems you have not yet mastered.
- The more you read and know, the more confident you will be and the less anxious you will become over those areas.
- Your reading speed can only be improved through practice and timed reading. Read often and time yourself.
- Avoid poor reading habits like a plaque. They include:
- Poor, irregular or irrhythmic eye movement.
- Excessive regression – going back to read the line you have already read.
- Pointing at words which makes the reader read individual words instead of phrases and sentences.
- Poor reading posture. Reading on the bed.
- Vocalisation and sub-vocalisation
- Head movement from left to right instead of eye movement
- Do not fix your eyes too long on any word, no matter how strange it looks to you
- Don’t be tempted to look up every word in the dictionary. Learn to decipher the meanings of words from the context of the sentence.
- Learn to read actively by throwing yourself totally into the reading task.
- Read often and from a variety of subjects in order to create interest in reading and develop your skills to a very mature stage.
Finally, you should know that factors that enhance efficient reading include: good health, general physical comfort, conducive surroundings, emotional tranquillity, good reading habits, familiarity with the texts and good lighting.
Be careful to ensure these conditions are available when you want to read. It is usually said that “Leaders are Readers”. Pick up a book and read today. You will never remain the same. Reading is the surest path to Financial Freedom.
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