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Whether you want to study more efficiently and have more time left over to enjoy yourself, or you simply want to be able to read more books, you'll find that the technique of speed reading is quite indispensable. While many people worry that the ability to read faster is beyond them, the reality is that almost anyone can learn to speed read and moreover, they can improve their speed in a matter of days, if not less. Take a look at a few tips for learning how to speed read below.

Speed reading requires thinking a little differently about the act of reading. While there are some (your English teachers/professors, for instance) who would have a quarrel with this, roughly half of what appears on the printed page are irrelevant to grasping the meaning of the text. Training your mind and your eyes to search for the most important words, you'll find yourself scanning through pages faster in a matter of days.

One way to train yourself is to obscure the text above the line you are trying to read. Your eyes will try to keep ahead of the blocked text (a notecard works well for this). Try making a game of it and increasing the pace of the card. Your eyes will move faster and faster to keep up, this is one of the better techniques to train yourself in speed reading.

Another exercise to try is to move a finger over the page in a zig-zag pattern, following your finger with your eyes. As you do this, look out for the words that seem to be most important. This is a good exercise for having a quick look at a page as preparation for speed reading, it will also get you in the habit of watching out for the most relevant points within a text.

Remember that like any other skill, speed reading takes time to work on and improve. Take your time and start with texts that are a little easier than what you are used to. This is a good way to build up both confidence and speed, so take as long as you like, but remember to push yourself. You'll find that with speed reading, you will be able to pick up the basics very quickly, but that you will continue to improve as you work.