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Blog Entry: #115

How To Read Better And Faster -
3 Bad Reading Habits Corrected!
by Joe DePalma

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Think of reading as if it were a muscle in your body.
Exercise it, and it will become stronger and faster.
Neglect it, and it will simply deteriorate.
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The average person reads about 300-400 words a minute with little or no reading training at all. Now consider how much faster you would be able to read and how much higher your level of comprehension would be if you began implementing a few simple awareness techniques along with some power reading tips? The truth is you can easily be on your way to reading and comprehending between 30 to 50 percent faster and more effectively with some simple, focused practice. That is why I have put together the following checklist to help you correct the three most common bad reading habits.

Recognizing some of your bad reading habits and catching yourself doing them will help you to correct them and allow you to read faster and more effectively right now.

* Bad Reading Habit # 1 : Regressions

Regressions are incredibly time consuming and pose a serious roadblock to your hopes of reading more effectively. Regressions are when you keep going back over words that you have already read. Initially, readers regress because they want to clarify the meaning of what they just read. In our early school years, we were taught to “read slowly and carefully,” which sounds like a good idea, but intentionally reading slowly makes it way too easy to continually go back over what we just read. More often than not, re-reading sentence after sentence only aids in making the entire section seem more confusing.

* Correcting Bad Reading Habit # 1 : Re-Read the Section,
Not the Sentence

You will find that re-reading sentence after sentence doesn't allow your eyes and brain to fall into a reading flow. Rather than consistently re-reading sporadic sentences, try to continue reading until the section is completed. Then, re-read the entire section again from the beginning. Considering you are not reading the material sentence by sentence, this will cut down on your reading time. You will find that even through you are re-reading some material that you understood the first time through, it will all come together and become clearer as you let your eyes flow over the entire section instead of just digging up the confusing words or phrases sentence by sentence.

In addition to re-reading the entire section, try running your finger across the words as you read them to help you stay on track. When you have your finger guiding you across the page, it makes it harder to continually regress over the material you have just read.

* Bad Reading Habit #2 : Revving Your Reading Motor

Revving your reading motor is when you feel the compulsion to move in some way when you read . Examples: tapping a pencil, shaking your foot, moving the book, flicking your hair, etc. Doing these seemingly innocent actions actually affects your reading rhythm more than you think, causing you to read more slowly and stop more frequently.

* Correcting Bad Reading Habit #2 : Turn Off the Reading Engine

Turning off your reading engine allows you to find a better reading flow without having to do something else while you read. Here are some tips to turn off your reading engine or at least quiet your reading engine until you are fully aware of how much you feel the need to move while you read. Then, you will be better able to catch yourself during your movements and stop them cold.

•  Sit-up and read with your legs crossed under you as you lean against a wall or a bed while holding the book with two hands.

•  Lie on your stomach and read with both hands on the book while sticking your feet under a pillow.

•  Read with another person nearby who is recording every little move, bounce, and tap you make. After an hour, ask to see the list of your movements. Seeing a list of just how much you move may shock you into being extremely aware of your reading motor and inspire you to quiet your engine the next time you read.

* Bad Reading Habit #3: Stop Being a Reading Ventriloquist

A reading ventriloquist is someone who moves their lips or actually mumbles the words as they read. This habit is very hard to break because reading ventriloquists are accustomed to reading and hearing the words in their minds.

* Correcting Bad Reading Habit #3 : Push Yourself to Read Faster
Than You Speak

To counteract the need to form sounds from every word you read, try reading faster than you can speak. You will notice that your brain already knows and has heard the vast majority of the words you are reading many times before. You do not need to keep teaching yourself these words. Try and place a finger across your mouth and push yourself through the words without moving your lips. Keep going until yourreading pace and fastest speaking pace are the same. Then, begin to exceed that pace for short intervals. If you catch yourself moving your lips, stop reading and take a breath. Then continue at a slower pace, and work your way back up to a steady, faster rate.

* ACTION STEP *

Of the three Bad Reading Habits listed above, which one do you find yourself doing the most? Take the Bad Habit from above that you find yourself doing most often and practice the correction three times. You must take notes on why the Bad Habit is slowing you down and how the correction is making you a better reader. This way you will make yourself more aware of how you are reading, which will allow you to clear up the bad reading habit and replace it with a good one as quickly as possible.

Notes # 1

Bad Habit Notes____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

New Reading Route Notes: ___________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Notes # 2

Bad Habit Notes____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

New Reading Route Notes: ___________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Notes # 3

Bad Habit Notes____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

New Reading Route Notes: ___________________________________

_________________________________________________________

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