- Never read without a pen. By moving the tip of a pen beneath a line, your eyes will instinctively follow, speeding you up. On a computer, run the onscreen cursor under the text.
- Pick up the book. Reading at a 45-degree angle is easier on the eyes than off a flat surface.
- Relax your eyes. Focus on full lines, not specific words, using peripheral vision. Move your head, and pay attention to the upper half of letters.
- Kill that voice in your head. Silently repeating words slows you down. To break the habit, try quietly humming.
- Keep on truckin'. Resist the urge to "regress" and reread.
The gospel of speed reading
Slow readers not only waste time but their comprehension suffers, says H. Bernard Wechsler of the Speed Learning Institute of America. Here are his five tips for burning up the pages.
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