--- title: Speed Reading: How to Read Faster description: You can teach yourself to read faster and more efficiently, without missing any of the important details. Here are 3 tips to get started. canonical: https://time.com/4484634/speed-reading-tips/ author: Jonathan Levi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-14T11:00:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:53.973Z og:title: 3 Steps to Becoming a Faster Reader og:description: Without missing any of the details og:url: https://time.com/4484634/speed-reading-tips/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf061d8c2ab4b4c4f/6988a5e9cf40a8d2dfc44cdc/speed-reading-how-to-read-faster.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Glasses on a stack of books og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 3 Steps to Becoming a Faster Reader twitter:description: Without missing any of the details twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf061d8c2ab4b4c4f/6988a5e9cf40a8d2dfc44cdc/speed-reading-how-to-read-faster.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 3 Steps to Becoming a Faster Reader > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=bed821fd-dfa2-4ab3-97e8-b6d194017a4c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit? [Watch (HLS stream): Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/t67dFcgw.m3u8) (2:03)  _Published 2015-05-15. Do Brain Exercises Really Keep You Mentally Fit?_ by [Jonathan Levi](https://time.com/author/jonathan-levi/) ## Jonathan Levi Sep 14, 2016 11:00 AM UTC  Getty Images by [Jonathan Levi](https://time.com/author/jonathan-levi/) ## Jonathan Levi Sep 14, 2016 11:00 AM UTC These days, we’re inundated with more information than ever before. Blog posts, news articles and a never-ending stream of [books](http://motto.time.com/4289057/how-to-read-more-books-tony-haile/) “you just have to read!” In fact, it has been estimated that there is [more information in just one day’s worth of the ](https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=tb0zAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA166&lpg=PA166&dq=new+york+times+more+information+than+17th+century+englishman&source=bl&ots=Kk83MmThNP&sig=bu0sT32MEnRE4fXD7lZzfg3vCtk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjbjsn5-oPPAhXLtBoKHRuBDbQQ6AEINjAH#v=onepage&q=new%20york%20times%20more%20information%20than%2017th%20century%20englishman&f=false)New York _Times_ than people 100 years ago encountered during _their entire lives_. For this reason, being able to sift through, read and retain huge amounts of information has become a modern-day superpower, allowing you to leap tall mountains of books in a single bound. Enter speed reading. No, I’m not talking about the gimmicky, snake-oil oozing “read a page in a second” speed reading of the 70s or the one-day “triple your reading speed today” seminars you may have seen in college. Unfortunately, most of that stuff is baloney. There are, however, a few simple, proven steps you can take to dramatically [increase your reading speed](http://motto.time.com/4263413/success-habit-to-steal/) without sacrificing comprehension and retention. **1\. Reduce unnecessary eye movement**Your eyes make erratic, jumpy movements known as “saccades,” and while they do that, the optic nerve is essentially turned off by a process known as “saccadic masking” or “saccadic blindness.” What this suggests for people interested in improving reading speed is simple: spend less time moving your eyes. Instead of making the typical eight to 10 movements per line — one for every word — try to move your eyes only one or two times per line. This means you’ll take in _groups_ of words and spend less time in “saccadic blindness” than the average reader. **2\. Expand your focal range** **and use it more effectively**In order to really take advantage of the first tip, you may find you need to train your eyes to recognize wider groups of words. The best way to do this is with a tool called a [Schultz table](http://www.fasterreader.eu/pages/en/schultz-boards-generator-to-clicks-en.html). Stare into the middle of the table, then try to decipher the numbers to the left and right of where you’re focusing. With time, you’ll be able to read with more of your focal span. But hang on a second, because if you’re not careful, this new focal eye span won’t be used to its full potential. Many readers waste time by reading margins. The fastest readers, however, understand their focal width and adjust accordingly, indenting the points where they focus at the beginning and end of each line. **3\. Break “the sound barrier”**When you read, you probably hear the words in your head, right? Most people do, but it limits your reading speed to about 400 words per minute. Your brain, however, can make sense of visual symbols much faster than that, recognizing pictures in as few as 13 milliseconds. To become a truly effective speed reader, you’ll need to learn to suppress this inner voice (known as “subvocalization”) for the majority of words you read. Though it’s impossible to completely eliminate subvocalization, reducing it by even as much as 50% will dramatically improve your reading speed. By gradually incorporating the above two steps into your training, you’ll be able to help drown out that voice and focus more on the words on the page. Of course, this stuff takes practice to ensure long-term retention of your new knowledge. Still, there’s no reason you can’t easily double your reading speed from the average of 250 words per minute, which will save you hours in the day and countless headaches at school and work. Now… get out there and never stop learning! _Jonathan Levi is an experienced entrepreneur, angel investor and lifehacker in Silicon Valley. He teaches the online Udemy course “_[_Become a SuperLearner 2: Learn Speed Reading & Boost Memory_](https://www.udemy.com/become-a-superlearner-2-speed-reading-memory-accelerated-learning/)_.”_ ## Transcript You're watching everwell. Know more. Live better. [ MUSIC ] I enjoy playing Scrabble from time to time. It keeps me thinking about words and it's fun. I do the Sunday crossword puzzle every week, to keep my mind active. It is an idea that's really caught on, that exercising your brain regularly, with puzzles for example, can keep your mind sharp, and ward off dementia and Alzheimer's disease. And it's become big business. Today you can find video games, DVDs and special software that promise to keep you mentally fit. There are also subscription websites which charge about $ 100 a year for an array of brain boosting games. In a way it makes sense. Just as physical activity can keep your body strong, mental exercise can keep your brain in shape. But is it really true? Studies show that brain training can help improve your memory. But that's different from warding off dementia. And people who do stimulating activities like reading, learning a new language, or playing a musical instrument have lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer's but this doesn't necessarily prove cause and effect. [ MUSIC ] So the bottom line, the jury is still out. Still it's a good idea to keep your mind active, but you don't need to spend a lot on special products. Anything from crossword puzzles to challenging board games can do the trick. Perhaps the best thing for your brain is regular physical activity. Research shows it can help improve older people's ability to remember and process information more quickly. [ NOISE ] So next time you forget where you parked your car, don't sweat it. Just use it as an opportunity to go for a walk. Your brain will thank you. 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