I can read blazingly fast. I used to read sometimes two books in a day, and I destroyed the fiction section in the library of every school I went to.
But now I mostly read non-fiction, and in light of the fact that I remember maybe 8% in detail of the thousands of books I've read, I like to take things very slowly. I'll read a paragraph, stop, think about what I just read, and sometimes read it again just to help things stick.
I break up long articles into multiple sessions, and after each session I try to recall in detail what I just read, and try to form insights and draw connections which help to cement the data into my brain.
If I'm skimming for information, sure, I'll just churn over the text as fast as possible-- But these days I'm reading for knowledge's sake and not escapism. And even when I read fiction, I like to exercise my visual memory and try to imagine every last detail while I read at a leisurely pace.
I see nothing wrong with this approach and thusly I think WPM outside of a desk job is meaningless and not some number corresponding to intelligence that we should be trying to maximize.
>And even when I read fiction, I like to exercise my visual memory and try to imagine every last detail while I read at a leisurely pace.
You just made me realize that people can and do read fiction without visualizing the majority of things that happen in a story. That suddenly explains so much as to how some people read fiction so quickly.
I used to visualize basic whisps of the scenes, what each character looked and sounded like, I guess I've always liked to visualize while reading... in fact I can still very lucidly recall tons of visualizations from more than a decade and a half ago as if they were scenes in a movie, a real testament to the storytelling ability of those authors.
But now I try to spend more time than before. I try to really soak in every paragraph. Whereas in school I took pride in being the most prolific reader around, there isn't much room in my adult life for such competitive, external motivations. Now the stimulation I receive from art and literature stems from my appreciation of the artist's prowess.
But now I mostly read non-fiction, and in light of the fact that I remember maybe 8% in detail of the thousands of books I've read, I like to take things very slowly. I'll read a paragraph, stop, think about what I just read, and sometimes read it again just to help things stick.
I break up long articles into multiple sessions, and after each session I try to recall in detail what I just read, and try to form insights and draw connections which help to cement the data into my brain.
If I'm skimming for information, sure, I'll just churn over the text as fast as possible-- But these days I'm reading for knowledge's sake and not escapism. And even when I read fiction, I like to exercise my visual memory and try to imagine every last detail while I read at a leisurely pace.
I see nothing wrong with this approach and thusly I think WPM outside of a desk job is meaningless and not some number corresponding to intelligence that we should be trying to maximize.