Productivity Tips: 5 Tips for Reading More Efficiently

With access to a virtually infinite amount of reading material online, in addition to the paper-based reading most of us still have to dig through, we spend more and more time reading. You can easily feel overwhelmed by keeping up with your professional reading, plus staying informed about news and current events.

Here are 5 tips for maximizing the efficiency of your reading time.

Cut Back

You can't read everything. If you have a backlog, evaluate how useful the material is likely to be. Be ok with choosing not to read everything that crosses your desk or email inbox.

Limit your reading to only the most important material and delete the rest. Unsubscribe from newsletters, magazines, and RSS feeds that aren't benefiting you.

Scan and Skim

Scan headings and captions to determine whether you are likely to benefit from reading an article or post in depth. Read the introduction and conclusion first to decide whether to read more. Skim for the main points. For books, scan the table of contents. Read carefully only the sections that you really need to.

Learn Speed-Reading

Consider learning speed-reading techniques. There are many books and websites available with a quick search if you're interested in exploring this option.

Avoid Subvocalizing

Be aware of subvocalizing, that is, hearing the words in your head as you read. For those of us who learned to read this way, it's a hard habit to break. But if you're fully subvocalizing, then you can't read to yourself any faster than you can read aloud. Try to limit this habit so that you can push yourself to read faster.

Be Willing to Let Go

Many of us feel that if we start reading something, we need to finish it. Learn to let go. If you start reading something and you figure out that it has no value or new information for you, stop reading it.

This works for fiction too — if you're not enjoying a novel, switch to something else.