Discover the magic power of your mind by following the Finger Technique to read faster and improve your reading speed. Our mind has much more capabilities than we consider. By improving your reading speed, you can study more effectively than 99% of the students and will be at a great advantage. Reading habit has immense benefits and a key to achieve success.
Mantra to Excel
Each one of us wants to excel in life. If we are average, we want to be above average and if we are good, we want to excel. Everyone wants to improve. One mantra in life works best if you want to excel – always compare your performance with yourself. As you performed last time, try to improve your own graph. Say, you got the highest marks in class and you are happy, it is good but do not stop there as you are the topper. Try to maintain the flow and perform better next time and score a percentage higher.
Time Management
Time management is self-management which is a great and also a difficult skill to learn. But those who have learned and followed this skill have always been on top. It is the skill where you learn to plan, delegate, organize, direct and control. Time is uncontrollable that cannot be managed but we can always manage ourselves by utilizing the time wisely. We can learn more in less time by following few effective tips such as Pomodoro Technique and Finger Technique.
Follow these techniques with discipline and see the startling results which will improve your efficiency and overall life. Students often complain that they don’t have much time to study the tremendous syllabus. But once, they will learn the Finger Technique and improve their reading speed they will definitely cover a large portion of the syllabus in a lesser time.
Pareto’s Principle
According to the Pareto’s Principle, 80% results flow from 20% activities. First plan 20% activities that will give you 80% results. Become not only a hard worker but a smart worker. By devoting your time to read faster and more, you will get a detailed understanding of the concept and you can score better.
Finger Technique
- Get a watch or a stopwatch that can measure time in seconds.
- Take a book and let’s measure your current reading speed.
- Let’s take a paragraph and start reading at your normal speed or you can read this article from beginning to the above paragraph (350 words). Do not hurry.
- Find out how much time you took to read and note down the seconds.
If your time in seconds is | Your speed in words per minute is |
10 | 1368 |
20 | 684 |
30 | 456 |
40 | 342 |
50 | 274 |
60 | 228 |
70 | 195 |
80 | 171 |
90 | 152 |
100 | 137 |
110 | 124 |
120 | 114 |
130 | 105 |
140 | 97 |
150 | 91 |
160 | 86 |
170 | 76 |
180 | 74 |
190 | 72 |
200 | 68 |
210 | 65 |
Follow these Steps to Improve your Reading Speed
- Turn the book upside down and start reading. Now train your eyes to read faster by moving your finger under the lines you are reading. As the finger moves, try to look at the words just above your finger. It is not necessary to understand even a single word. Do not move or move your lips while reading. Move your finger end-to-end without crossing the line as it will slow you down. Practice for 5 minutes this upside-down reading.
- Repeat the above exercise by keeping the book upside-down again for 5 minutes. But this time move your eyes with your finger while reading. You need not understand a single word as the book is upside-down. After practicing for 5 minutes, go to the next step.
- Repeat the step 2 again by keeping the book in the same position, upside-down. The only difference would be – move your finger even faster yet smoothly. Do not move your finger from one end to another end of the line fully. Practice for 5 minutes.
- Repeat the step 3 now by keeping the book normal in an upright position. Start reading so that you can understand. Do not speak or move your lips. As your finger moves with your eyes, see the words. It is okay not to understand everything. If you understand even 70% to 80%, it is fine. Focus on reading faster, see the words as your finger moves under the line. Practice for 5 minutes.
- Close your eyes for 2 minutes, breathe deeply and you are ready to read faster. Read again as in Step 4 and calculate your reading speed now.
Practice makes a man perfect!
Now, you will see the improvement in your reading speed and do not worry about understanding each word perfectly. Keep practicing for a few days and your understanding will also improve in the next few days. This technique will save your precious time and will help to cover more syllabus in a lesser time. Tried and Tested!
I hope this finger technique would encourage reading and improve reading speed of your child. Have any new tips that worked for you and your child? Please share them with us in the comments section below.
Wish you a very Happy and Effective Parenting!