Stronger, faster, better

> Tips to increase your reading speed

Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor

nyone that has been taken a class

with me or has been friends with me long enough will be able to tell you that I read very quickly. Generally, on average, I can read 75 to 100 pages an hour depending on the complexity of the language. This has been hugely advantageous for my education as an English major. While most students were struggling to catch up on all the readings come final essay time,

I was sitting pretty, reviewing my notes and saved quotations, trying to figure out what my thesis would be.

I never took a class or did any sort of group activity that magically made me quicker at reading. For me, it was simply a matter of practice—but there are a couple tips I have that will increase your reading speed slightly. Maybe even enough so you can get to bed on time for that 8 a.m. class.

You don’t need to read, to read

Your brain is hardwired to re-organized things in a way that logically makes sense based on context. That’s why many speed readers train themselves

to only look at the first and last letter in a word, and not actually read the entire word. Your brain will fillin the blank space based off the size and the subject matter of what youre reading. You can basically do the same thing

for sentences and even paragraphs,

it just takes practice and precursory knowledge of what the subject matter is.

I don’t recommend doing this for every paragraph in a book, or every article you come across in your studies—save it for the ones that you find a little boring.

The interest-to-speed correlation

If you find something you're reading interesting, you'll read faster. Whether it’s because you are less aware of the time passing, or because reading becomes less of a chore when you like the subject matter, interest equates speed. For this reason, be aware of where your interests lie, and plan your readings accordingly. If youre in the process of reading a book and you don't find a particular character or scene that compelling, use the first tip

A man named Jam

> Noticing the overlooked people around you

Morgan Hannah Contributor

he first time I saw him, it was a

bright and sunny New Westminster day. He was wearing a blue Canucks ballcap, had holes in his jeans, and there was a plastic Tupperware container

beside him on the sidewalk, where he sat.

“Mornin’,” he said with a simple smile of his own. Caught off-guard, I politely nodded back at him and continued on my way, avoiding eye contact and the dreaded moment when I would inevitably be asked for spare change. The second time I saw him, it was a drizzly, grey morning. There he was, sitting on the sidewalk, accompanied by another man, this one with a beard and dishevelled hair. When the two of them began to talk, it was as if they were good friends sitting at a cafe, rather than sitting on the street in the rain. The third time I saw him, I was at the recycling depot, my bottles and cans carefully washed. He had been watching me from behind a blue barrel filled with assorted glass bottles. I looked behind him for an empty barrel and was startled when he produced one for me. “Here, you don’t want to get

your hands all dirty.” he said, “T can help you with that.”

At first, I wanted to tell him that I was fine and could do it myself, but curiosity got the better of me as I caught myself thinking perhaps there was more to this man than meets the eye. In all the times that I’ve encountered him, he’s never asked me for anything, and in fact has offered to help me with something instead. So, I accepted his help and soon found myself talking to the man, trying to figure out who he was.

“Name’s Jim. Buddies call me Jam.” He expertly navigated his way around the depot, despite clearly not being an employee, so I found the courage to ask him about this.

It turns out that he previously worked for Seaspan for 35 years.

“One day, I hurt my foot pretty bad, went on comp for about a year, and eventually ended up losing my job,” Jim said. He told me about how he was a widower who wasn’t smart with his money and didn’t have any savings or retirement funds, nor had he any family to help him out when finding work became hard.

As we finished sorting my empties and waiting for the clerk to tally them all up, Jim shared with me how he found himself alone and nearly out of

to scan through it until you've returned toa part you like. This same tip can be used for academic readings. Separate your readings by what initially interests you and be aware that you'll probably get through those parts faster, while the less interesting stuff might be more of a slog. In tackling the interesting parts first, you might also be able to find an angle through which you can increase your interest in the rest—thus making it easier for you to finish quickly.

Comprehension

Speed reading is all well and good, but it means very little if you don’t comprehend any of what you just read.

Photo by Analyn Cuarto

Comprehension is what allows us to retain information—so above all else, my biggest tip to becoming a faster reader is to make sure you comprehend what youre reading. This will save you from having to read the same line over and over again. Even I am still guilty of sometimes scan-reading too much. I will then hit a part that catches me off-guard, and I'll have to go back in the book to try and figure out what that part is referring to. Limiting your use of the first tip to

a few sentences at a time can actually prevent this. Scanning paragraphs

are fine, entire pages not so much.

In all the times that I've encountered him, he's never asked me for anything, and in fact has offered to help me with something instead.”

money at age 64, something that a lot of people fear. He was ina tight spot, so he ended up having to move into a crummy, small apartment with a guy he met named Kyle. Kyle was out of work too. “We collected our CPPs, but they barely covered the rent, so we'd usually find ourselves on the street, hoping to get lucky, or doing what we can when we can.” He gestured to the barrels of empties surrounding us. “You get used to it after a while. No point being miserable over it, when it’s easier on the soul to make the best of where I’m at.” Jim smiled. I was stunned. This neglected elderly man was more at peace with where his life was at than most people ever are. I wanted to reach out and help this man, who had been so generous and open with me, who hadn't asked for anything but connection, acknowledgement, and conversation. “You know what, Jim? I have about a dozen errands to get to today, so I better get going, but it'd really help me out if you could turn in my bottles for me...” Jim looked at me witha

confused expression. I knew what I was offering was small, but it was a start.

“But, how will you get your change?” He asked. I told him that I didn’t really need it and that he’d be doing me a favour, as all I wanted to do was get rid of the bottles. “Okay, but I owe you one!” He had said, smiling.

I shook my head and began to walk out the door, stopping to assure him, “No, we're even!”

As I left the depot I couldn't help but think about how many people out there are as overlooked as Jim is. Does anyone ever really take the time to stop and say hello? Maybe ask how someone’s day has been?

It’s possible that Jim only earned a couple of dollars from the bottles, but it was an opportunity to do some good for someone who definitely deserved it. It was an opportunity to ensure that Jim Michell, a hard-working man, was no longer overlooked. At the very least, he could count on me to wish him a good day every time I saw him.