The Constraints of Reading
I love to read. The only problem I have with reading is how long it takes. Now, I read pretty fast. The average reading speed, according to Forbes, is about 300 Words Per Minute. Last I checked, I was around 450-500 WPM. I intentionally improved my reading speed through learning and practicing various speed reading techniques. And while it truly didn't take very long--in fact this post was originally going to be a little lesson on speed reading--it wasn't as instantaneous as we expect everything to be in this modern age of "GIMME NOW!"
The main constraint in reading is the method we've used to read since we started writing stuff down. Take this paragraph for example, as you read, pay attention to how your eyes move. Unless you've broken reading and found a new method, you're probably reading 1-4 words before moving your eyes, reading 1-4 more and moving your eyes again. These eye movements are called saccades and this saccadic movement is largely what determines our reading speed. Where you may read 2 words per saccade, the speed reader can read 5-6 or more, making each saccade more efficient, decreasing the number of saccades and therefore increasing reading speed. But what if we eliminated saccades all together? That's exactly what the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (or RSVP) method does.
Being Programmed
Rapic Serial Visual Presentation reading presents you with one word at a time. You focus your eyes on that one word, or sometimes a specific letter depending on the software, and the words flash by without you having to move your eyes at all. You'll be amazed at just how much faster you can read without saccadic eye movement. The method looks to me like being brainwashed or "programmed," as in sci-fi movies, where rapid pictures are flashed on a screen and the viewer stares blankly, almost like their brain is subconsciously downloading the information.
RSVP reading is like that, minus the whole sci-fi, brainwash, "You're now our mental slave" thing. The best part about it is that RSVP reading isn't some far off future tech, no, it's something you can start using RIGHT now with various websites, Web browser plugins and apps. I'll cover one option for each platform, but if the ones I give as examples don't work well for you, there are plenty of other apps/plugins that do pretty much the same thing.
Your Inner Voice
Unless I'm crazy (don't answer that!), we all have a little voice in our head that reads the words "aloud" to us. While it may or may not be you actually reading out loud, the voice in your head is, for all intents and purposes, reading to you. Most people either vocalize outright or sub-vocalize, or let their inner voice read to them. This is another constraint to speed reading. Using your inner voice you can really only read as fast as the voice can talk. But this voice, believe it or not, is not crucial to reading or comprehension. While you may find comprehension harder upon first silencing the voice, you'll eventually find your comprehension improving as you read faster and faster without that pesky voice slowing you down. I mention this because this voice's speed and your ability to shut it up will inform how well RSVP reading works for you. You will fall behind if you continue to vocalize or sub-vocalize. This is the only aspect of RSVP reading that requires any practice. As such, try to focus on reading the rest of this article without vocalizing or sub-vocalizing. Focus on understanding the words, phrases and themes without actually having to say them in your head.
Reading Online
Spreeder- Spreeder is a free-to-use website that enables anyone with the ability to copy and paste to speed read using the RSVP method. To quickly test the method out, visit Spreeder and press the "Spreed!" button under the text box to read the example text with the RSVP method. Now whenever you find an article you want to read, or anything else online for that matter, just copy and paste it into Spreeder and have at it.
The little box under Spreeder's text box tells you how many words per minute the website is set to. Using the settings drop-down menu in the same box, you can adjust this to either read faster or slower if you're having trouble keeping up at 300 wpm. If so, no worries, you'll find yourself automatically improving at this skill the more you use it, so soon you'll be able to keep up with 400 wpm, 500, maybe even 1,000.
Sprint Reader for Google Chrome- Sprint Reader is a Google Chrome extension offering the same basic functionality of Spreeder without the need to go to a specific website to use it. To use Sprint Reader, all you do is highlight the text you want to read, right-click and select the Sprint Reader option (or do the same process through keyboard shortcuts). Much like Spreeder, Sprint Reader lets you customize the speed with which words are presented. Sprint Reader also lets you determine how many words appear on screen at once. While 1 is the norm, with practice you'll be able to read as many words at once as you would in a typical saccade while reading normally.
Reasy for Firefox- Reasy is a lot like the other options listed here, but it's a Firefox add-on for those using the appropriate Web browser. Like Sprint Reader, you highlight the text you want to read and it's presented in a new window.
Speed Reader for Android- Another useful RSVP reader, Speed Reader for your Android device or smartphone. This free app is compatible with .txt, .pdf, .epub, .html and .xml formats, among others.
QuickReader Lite for iOS- As per the usual, I had trouble finding a quality free app to RSVP read on iOS. QuickReader Lite is about all I can find. Don't get mad at me, get mad at Apple, app developers, Jesus or whoever else you want to direct your anger at. For iOS users, I suggest trying QuickReader Lite and, if you like RSVP reading, upgrade to the paid-for app or use another, well-reviewed (but also not free) app, Fastr Pro ($3.99).
Go Forth and Read
Now that I've given you the tools to boost, hack or cheat your reading speed (whatever you wanna call it,) go forth and read! I've personally found it easier to read blogs and articles with this method and am anxious to test it out on a book. After you've tried it out, let me know your thoughts on RSVP reading and whether it's something you think you'll use regularly.
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