How to Make Yourself Great Readers

Ways to Increase Your Reading Speed and Retention

Learn how to read faster and retain more information

Have you ever found yourself pulling your hair out when one of your favorite authors, such as J.K Rowling or George R.R. Martin, releases the next book in the series, but you have to wait another year or so before you can read it?

You are not alone. Many avid readers struggle to balance their anticipation with the patience that is necessary while waiting for a new release to come out.

A common strategy employed by many avid readers is reading more to increase your comprehension and retention level of the text. I used to use this strategy myself. However, I have found another method that has provided me with the best results.

Throughout this article, I will be telling you how you can increase your reading speed and retention faster.

What Is This Method? It’s Called Active Reading.

Active reading is the process of reading a book in a manner that helps you to retain more information from the text.

If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book. — J.K. Rowling

The key component of active reading is annotating your book. Annotating your text will allow you to improve your comprehension and retention.

Almost every popular author suggests that readers use sticky notes, highlight their texts, or mark up their books. However, it seems that few people actually take these suggestions seriously.

Though this might be true, I have also noticed that many people have a hard time coming up with ideas on how to effectively annotate their text.

When it comes to active reading, there are a few key strategies that you can use. However, the key point is to become an active reader instead of a passive reader. Active reading will help you to read faster and retain more information from your texts.

Here Are Two Examples Of How You Can Use Active Reading

1. Read your book in one sitting

This tip is pretty simple. When you read a text in small increments, it will be easier for you to start forgetting important information. It will also be harder for you to put pieces of the puzzle together in your mind. When you read a book, try reading it in one or two sessions.

2. Break down the sections that are useful to you

Most novels have an introduction, a synopsis, and a conclusion. Chances are that you might not remember all of them. However, you should not be too lazy to go through all paragraphs that are relevant to your reading. Instead of memorizing the entire text on how the story goes, take notes on the parts that you find helpful for your studies.

I have always thought about the amount of articles one reads on Medium.com. At the moment, a good Medium article might only be read by a handful of people. However, I still want to share my advice with you.

Sleep is good, he said, and books are better. — George R. R. Martin

When You Don’t Have Time To Read The Whole Article

You can still use the “Dive In” Technique to read a bit of the article. I think you should take some time to read a paragraph or two from the article before you go back to it. If there is a specific piece of information that you really want to know, then you can quickly read it without reading the whole article first. If you can’t finish the article, then you can try to get back to it later.

When You Have A Lot Of Time To Read The Whole Article

I think that you might take some time to read the whole article before you dive in. You should take time to read the whole article, but when you do go back and study your own sentences or paragraphs, you will have a higher retention rate than what you would have had just by reading them once.

This Is The Time To Use The “Retention Reading” Technique

When you start reading a passage, do you read the whole passage? I hope not. Instead, try to “dive in.” When you first start to read the passage, take time to go back and reread it later. After reading through a certain section, see if you can reread it again later.

There are many reasons why you should use the “retention reading” technique. One reason is that this “dive in” technique is a great way of learning how to study effectively. It will help you to take notes clearly, as well as remember what you read later on.

There Is A Difference Between Active Reading and Retention Reading

In active reading, the main goal is to read the book and learn from it. In retention reading, the main goal is to reread the passage later. The main purpose of active reading is to make you smarter. The main purpose of retention reading is to learn from the text.

Therefore, if you spend too much time on active reading, then your retention rate will be lower. If you spend too much time on retention reading, then your active reading speed will be lower. Both methods are helpful in becoming a more educated reader. You should not find yourself spending too much time on either of these because they can become counterproductive.

Your Plans For Today!

Do you want to read faster and retain more information from your favorite books? I know that reading is just one part of the equation. However, if you think that reading is the most important factor in improving yourself as an individual, then it is probably worth your time to maximize its benefits. If you want to become a better reader, you should try to incorporate the “Active Reading” and the “Retention Reading” techniques in your future book reading plans.

How do you learn? What are your activities? How do you read? I’d love to know how you learn! Let me know by commenting below.

Summarize

Reading faster and retaining more information is always a good thing. However, most of us do not use these techniques effectively. Try to be the change you want to see in the world by using the “Active Reading” and the “Retention Reading” strategies in your readings. Try to read more, and think of what you have read afterward. You will benefit.

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J.D Rehbein-Wrightstein founder of The Savytech articles is a writer who loves to help people discover their hidden potential as well as their true purpose in life. He inspires and educates people on living an awesome life with inspiring articles. Connect with him on Twitter for more!