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Ask HN: How can I read faster?
31–40 of 59 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#32Make sure the text is well typeset (most importantly, short lines).
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#33Talk with the doctor about depression. Genuinely out of all methods I tried for faster reading it turned out antidepressants helped multiple times more than any technique. I know it sounds bizarre but if you're struggling with reading and it feels like every books drags through weeks then it's your best shot.
This is irresponsible advice. OP made absolutely no mention of depression and you're suggesting medication that can have serious downsides on the offchance that they can read more?
I'm suggesting talking with the doctor about it to check if it might be the case. Why do you treat OP like they're incapable of self-responsibility so that I must protect them?
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#34A method is to train yourself to another mode of reading which is much more visual: - Do not recite the read text using your inner monologue: process it purely visually - Start two or three words after the beginning of your sentence so it’s still on your visual field but not at the center - In the same manner you should be able to finish reading a sentence before your eyes gaze on the last word Your reading speed in…
Out of curiosity, does anyone else find this really tiring? I can only do it for a bit before my eyes feel tired. Maybe it's all the moving?
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#35There is a lot of advice in reddit at r/speedreading/ (some of it very good advice, some of it terrible).
Personally, I considerably increased my reading speed after using a speed reading application in my phone. I used the app only to read novels, but my reading speed with real non-fiction books greatly benefited too.
As many people have pointed out, reading faster does not always mean learning faster. However, reading is a skill that can be trained and, for most of us, there is quite some room for improvement. You can probably read faster than you do without any drawback.
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#36A method is to train yourself to another mode of reading which is much more visual: - Do not recite the read text using your inner monologue: process it purely visually - Start two or three words after the beginning of your sentence so it’s still on your visual field but not at the center - In the same manner you should be able to finish reading a sentence before your eyes gaze on the last word Your reading speed in…
Out of curiosity, does anyone else find this really tiring? I can only do it for a bit before my eyes feel tired. Maybe it's all the moving?
If you are not used to it and you try to read really fast it will of course be demanding to your eyes muscles, like any exercise.
I find it good actually because it’s a good signal to drop a book if I was able to exhaust my eyes on it like this.
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
An ssri? How long did it take to notice an improvement? Did the improvement wear off after taking it for a long time?
They started to work after 3 weeks. I'm still taking them but overall, even if I'm after the first enthusiastic wave of energy, my capacity for reading is much higher than before. For context I started reading one book at the beginning of the year and I couldn't finish it before I started my therapy and after it (I started this March) I finished 3 books in 2 weeks. Currently I'm capable of reading around 4 books a mo…
not got anything against SSRIs or self-medication but given their low success rate & the withdrawal symptoms they can create, this isn't necessarily something I'd recommend
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#38There is a lot of advice in reddit at r/speedreading/ (some of it very good advice, some of it terrible). Personally, I considerably increased my reading speed after using a speed reading application in my phone. I used the app only to read novels, but my reading speed with real non-fiction books greatly benefited too. As many people have pointed out, reading faster does not always mean learning faster. However, read…
What app did you use? What was good and bad about it?
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#39This was promising but they sort of stop innovating
https://spritz.com/
Re: Ask HN: How can I read faster?
#40Talk with the doctor about depression. Genuinely out of all methods I tried for faster reading it turned out antidepressants helped multiple times more than any technique. I know it sounds bizarre but if you're struggling with reading and it feels like every books drags through weeks then it's your best shot.
This might say more about how having an anxiety-free mind allows for better and more consistent focus, than it does about specific medicine having a direct effect on reading speed.