Believe it or not, the act of reading involves an eye rhythm. Faster readers have a flowing rhythm while slower readers read choppy and disjointed. Flowing rhythm readers read more efficiently and effectively - and their eyes tire less - when they read either on paper OR on-screen.
You can learn to create this eye rhythm on your own by using a regular tick-tock sound of a clock (old wind-ups are especially useful for this purpose) or by using a metronome. (A metronome is a rhythm-keeping device used by musicians.). Much like the tick of an old grandfather clock, a metronome ticks back and forth rhythmically. The benefit of a metronome is you can set and adjust the speed.
Getting started:
*Select any general reading material with narrow columns such as a newspaper or favorite magazine.
*Set your tick-tock clock near you so you can hear its rhythmic sound. If you are using a metronome, set it to start at a slow pace.
*Start reading at the beginning of the first line on the first tick and reach the end of the line at the tock, then go to the beginning of the next line on the next tick and so on.
*As you become more confident and find you are reading faster than the ticks and tocks, increase the speed of the metronome or try to double what you read between tick-tocks.
Challenge yourself by forcing the speed for a paragraph or two. Your eyes may be able to go faster than you think!
Abby Marks Beale is a speed reading expert and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Speed Reading and 10 Days to Faster Reading. Learn more about her online speed reading course at www.RevItpReading.com.