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Have you ever wished you could finish a book quickly and start another one? Would you like to read more but are you frustrated with how long it takes you to get through one? You'll find that this sort of complaint is common, but very few people do anything about it. This is unfortunate, because these wishes are easily granted once you are start speed reading. Speed reading is a series of techniques that allow you read faster will still keeping your level of comprehension high. You'll find that simply by keeping a few things in mind, you'll soon be easily zipping through pages.

Avoid distractions while practicing your speed reading. Without music playing, or the television on, you'll have a much easier time comprehending what you read and find yourself reading faster. Once you've gotten the basics under your belt you'll have a much easier time tuning out these sorts of distractions.

When you get ready to speed read a text, think about what the text itself is. Is it an instructional manual of some sort, or is it a play or a work of speculative fiction? What is it trying to convey to you? How necessary is it that you read every word? Some texts, like technical manuals, simply need to be read more slowly so you can be sure that everything sinks in, but when it comes to works of fiction, understand that there will be slow points and filler. Essentially, there will be parts that you can skim with a great deal of ease without losing the context of the work.

Another important tip - don't move your lips when you read. Your speed is held to your rate of speech if you do this. Your eyes can move much faster than your lips, so don't limit yourself. You may have learned to read this way, but there's no need for it any more. This simple step can lead to a dramatic increase in your speed.

Finally, remember to break it up. The human brain works best when it has short bursts of activity followed by a brief period of rest in order to recharge. How many times have you forced yourself to keep reading, and found yourself reading the same page over and over again. In the long run, reading straight through a book will take more time than breaking the book into forty-five minute chunks and taking a five minute break in between.

Speed reading is an incredibly useful thing, and well worth learning. The time you take to practice will be returned to you many times over, so be sure to stick with it, your speed will continue to improve.