How long did you take to read the last book you took in your hand? Weeks, months or years? Considering that Italy is not exactly a country of readers (60% of the population has not read even a book during the last year), it is not surprising that a dozen books a year are enough to be considered strong readers.
And yet you can do much better, you can even get to read one book a day. It's simple mathematics: the average adult is able to read about 200/400 words per minute; while the typical novel is between 60 thousand and 100 thousand words long. If your reading speed is around 300-wpm and the book you are reading is 80 thousand words, it means that you can finish reading it within five hours.
Read at any time
Even if you read only half an hour before going to sleep, you could read a book every ten days and transform yourself effortlessly into a book devourer. The goal, however, is to read one book a day; and who can find five hours to devote to reading in the midst of all the commitments that cost the days?
The point is precisely this: among the commitments of the day there are a lot of downtime; that we spend on the smartphone, zapping on television or in other ways decidedly unproductive (that I know, eating nails). How much time have you spent on your smartphone in the last 24 hours? According to a recent study by the University of Lancaster (published in Plos One), on average, do we go by phone in hand - guess? five hours a day. At a glance, reading a book doesn't seem impossible anymore; but there are some suggestions to follow.
FIND 3-5 HOURS TO DEVOTE EVERY DAY TO READING IS NOT SO DIFFICULT
The first trick recommended by all - and there are so many - those who deal with power reading is simple: take advantage of every moment at your disposal to read: on the tram, in a row at the post office, while you go up the coffee, before you sleep, before your head arrives in the office, in the car while you wait for your girlfriend/boyfriend to prepare for lunch. If your book always accompanies you (even easier if you occasionally devote yourself to audio books), you will find that finding 3-5 hours to devote every day to reading is not so difficult.
There is no need to follow fast reading courses (which make it harder to retain absorbed information) to drastically increase the number of words read per second; what can be very useful is to take some measures to facilitate concentration.
Delete distractions
First of all, distractions are your worst enemy. But if you have to read in any situation, you'll always have to deal with noises, pictures, voices and more. This is why it is essential to completely isolate yourself, removing the ring tone (and vibration) of your smartphone and wearing earphones. If the music distracts you, you can try it with white noise: the sound of the hairdryer, the sound of the waves, the breeze of the wind; all sounds that cancel out those coming from the surrounding environment and help you isolate yourself. According to Emerson Spartz (founder of Spartz Media), white noise increases the reading speed from 30 to 200%.
If you are reading at home, you must also undergo a little torture: in addition to taking refuge in the quieter corner of your home, you must resist the temptation of a bed or sofa. As you know, reading lying down or in a too comfortable position leads to only one result: sleep. Rather, place yourself at the table or on a chair. In order to remain active, you can always keep a pencil with which to underline the most important steps: it will help you to store information, to stay focused, to keep your mind active.
GET USED INSTEAD TO READING AT ANY TIME AND INSULATE YOURSELF FROM EVERYTHING.
Ultimately, forget the classic method of reading, which provides to read for hours and hours in a row in the few times you have time; and get used instead to reading at any time available, isolating yourself from everything, finding the right posture and highlighting or taking notes. Not forgetting the role of audiobooks, which can help you to "read" even while walking on the road or driving your car.
Having said that, one thing remains to be understood: reading so much is important, but it is also important to enjoy what you are reading. What experts suggest, in fact, is to proceed with a daily reading that is as forced as it is broken up; is it really a good way to appreciate a book? On the other hand, nobody would recommend you ever to see one film a few minutes at a time. Despite this big limit, one thing is certain: if it takes just five hours to finish a book, reading one a month is really too little. And to increase