That means every 10 minutes, you will read 100 more words than you normally would. Just think about the amount of time that will save you in the long run… No matter how small, every little improvement makes a big difference!

This is a very straight-forward technique, so you’ll have no problem implementing it. Here we go!

Try highlighting parts of the text as you read. This will improve your comprehension Don’t highlight everything; just the most important stuff. You’ll usually find one important thing per paragraph. That’s what you should highlight.

The best way to think about it is that you should highlight the most important 10% of the material. You’ll usually find that the cold hard facts account for about 10% of the material. Ninety percent of the material is devoted to explaining the facts in extra detail, and showing how it is all relevant to the material as a whole. You obviously still need to read and understand 100% of the text, but the simple act of highlighting that special 10% will give you a huge improvement to your understanding overall.

The higher your comprehension, the higher your reading speed will reach. The more comfortable you are with the text, the faster you’ll be able to read it. It’s that simple.

If you follow this simple trick – highlight the important parts of the text while reading – your rate will jump by approximately 10 WPM right away. Guaranteed.

Keep a dictionary close by, so you can look up a word that you have difficulty understanding while reading. Write the new words down with their definitions next to them. Note any synonyms that come to mind, and read the paragraph again making sure you understand it completely.

If you’re reading a textbook with lots of unfamiliar vocabulary, you might want to try skimming through the whole thing before actually reading, and underlining all of the words you don’t know. If you look up these words in the dictionary before you read, you’ll be able to save a lot of time while reading. Presuming you understand the words well, you’ll be able to read through the whole thing without stopping your flow.

Learn a word or two each day. Write them down and put them up where you can see them. Try constructing good sentences using the words. Use them in daily conversations or essays and assignments. This will help you familiarize with the words, so that the next time you come across them in an article, you won’t have to run for a dictionary.

Familiarize yourself with words used frequently in a particular type of writing. Non-fiction books often include many technical terms. If you read a lot of textbooks, it might help to make several lists of keywords, based on topics. Then, before you go into reading a new chapter on microeconomics, you can check the appropriate keyword-sheet and be reminded of all of the difficult words you may encounter. This will dramatically improve your comprehension, and it will also save time, since you won’t have to re-read things as often.

Read a lot! Read both fiction and non-fiction, and several subjects within each.
Don’t stick to one particular genre – you should constantly be in the middle of a wide variety of books.

With time you will see a great improvement in your ability to comprehend what you read. You will also be saving time in the long run by not having to stop as frequently to make sure you understand what the words mean. Make it a habit to follow these tips – you’ll thank yourself later!