Cover image by Jordan Murray
Written by Jordan Murray
Whether you like to read in your free time or you just want to get through course readings quicker, there are ways to improve your efficiency without sacrificing your comprehension.
Always have a book with you:
This one seems silly, but you never know when you might have time to read. Even if it’s just a few pages, those pages make a difference. Waiting in the doctor’s office or riding public transit provide opportunities to get a bit of reading done. Instead of scrolling on your Instagram feed or staring out the window, read instead. It’s as simple as taking a book with you when you go out.
Read with your finger:
As kids, a lot of us were taught not to read with our fingers following the words, but it actually helps people read better, and maybe, faster. When we read, our eyes jump across the page to go from word-to-word. During that process, we can get distracted and our eyes can find their way to the line above or below the sentence we’re reading. Have you ever accidentally read the same sentence twice? More likely than not, that’s the reason why.
If you read while brushing your finger across the page, your eyes have more guidance to go where they need to go, helping you to read more effectively without losing any understanding of what you’re reading. A bookmark or the end of a pen/pencil work, too.
Use peripheral vision:
Contrasting the previous tip is this one: don’t read with your eyes going over every word. Instead, train yourself to use peripheral vision. Imaginatively break the page up into large chunks, and focus your attention to the centre of each one. Instead of reading every word, focus on just the centre of those word-chunks, reading the words around it with your peripheral vision. It’s a lot easier to do than to explain, so try it out!
These tips won’t make you the world’s speed-reading champion, but hopefully they’ll help you to get through books a bit more efficiently.
THE STUDENT LIFE BLOG 
Leave a comment