5 Bad Habits that will kill your Reading Speed

5 Bad Habits That Will Kill Your Reading Speed

by Adetunji Paul Wealth

Don’t do this!
These bad habits can hinder you from becoming an avid reader. These styles of reading won’t help you, rather will only deter you from reading.

Are you wondering why you’ve been so slow at reading?
You might be doing one of these habits.

Identify the one you are currently doing and stop it.

Are you curious about these habits, read on to find out.

1. Reading word by word

This is a bad reading style where you read a book one word at a time, rather than reading in context and phrases. This reduces your reading speed because your eyes focus and ruminate on one word at a time.

Reading word by word causes a lack of comprehension and a lack of comprehension causes slow reading. When you read this way, you might not read more than 30 – 80 pages per minute (we did a personal exercise with 3 different individuals), whereas you should read between 250 – 300 pages per minute or even faster.

This habit is prohibited for you as a reader because it will practically kill your reading speed and you won’t enjoy reading.

2. Reading again and again

Do you know that out of every 60 minutes, you spend 20 minutes re-reading what you’ve read before?

Before you get the wrong idea, it doesn’t mean reading a book again after the first read, it simply means going back and forth when reading all for the sake of comprehension. But you are wrong.

This bad habit has a negative impact on your reading speed. Now, I know you might be asking: What about academic reading?

This is quite exclusive for academic reading (not totally) because you might be asked to memorize a sentence word for word; which will warrant you to read it repeatedly.

To avoid this, make sure you focus on what you are reading. You should read continuously if you want to increase your reading speed, and become an avid reader.

3. Bad sitting posture

When you sit badly it will decrease your concentration level, thereby reducing your reading speed. An example of sitting badly is when you bend your back while sitting.

Bad sitting posture can cause unexpected pains that will affect your reading speed. The right way to sit is by resting your back on a chair or sitting upright.

4. Reading in a dark environment

You should avoid this habit as much as possible. It affects your reading speed and at the same time damages your eyes.

When you read in a dark environment, it reduces your reading speed and affects your comprehension. Don’t read without light. You should always read in a lighted room or have a flashlight/lamp to read your books

5. Reading when tired

I know the day can be so hectic for you, and you just want to read before you go to bed, which has some advantages…

But reading in a fatigued state will negatively affect your reading speed and your comprehension. You can go to sleep or do other activities that will reduce fatigue before reading.

If you read when you are tired, there is a high chance you will forget some content and main points. So, you shouldn’t read when you are tired.

CONCLUSION

Do you want to increase your reading speed? Then, avoid all the 5 bad habits outlined and explained above.

Download e-books for free in our library to start reading faster.

In the next article, we will look at fast reading techniques (how to read faster than you can ever imagine)

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