According to research conducted at the Pew Research Center, an average American who reads often will hardly get through 12 books in one year. This ability, however, will depend on several factors, including the volume of pages of books and your reading speed.
While the fastest readers may complete a 100-200 book in two days, it may take an average of 3 months for slow readers to finish a book of 100-300 pages. With no distractions, the speed of reading books will surely increase.
So, How Many Books Should You Read in a Year?
It will help if you read an average of 12 to 15 books in a year.
If you are a fast reader, that is you can complete a minimum of 50 words a minute, you should complete an average of 2 books in a month, which is 24 books a year, and that is if you have very few distractions and your work and family schedules are not much.
Read Books If You Want To Be Successful
If you are a slow reader who can read less than 25 words in a minute, perhaps you should aim at between 10-15 books a year, depending on the book’s volume and complexity.
If you read 20 books or more in a year, you are reading more than the average American; setting a goal of 52 books in one year will be a life-changing experience because you will have enough time to complete a book in one week.
According to Michael Simmons, “No matter how busy, successful people are, they always spend at least an hour a day or 5 hours a week reading new books. This is a five-hour rule introduced by Michael Simmons as part of his recipe for success.
Science-Backed Benefits Of Reading Books
You may want to consider the health benefits of reading books if you truly want to reap the benefits. The smell of an old hardcover book itself should motivate you to discover new information that can benefit you.
One of the most prominent benefits of reading books is that it increases intelligence. There is scientific backing to the notion that the more you read, the more you know, and that will increase your wealth of knowledge.
Kids who develop strong attention to reading books at a tender age often have a thirst for knowledge, and they are always curious about learning new things. Children are exposed to vocabulary through reading, which often leads to a higher score in intelligence tests plus more vital reading skills.
Reading boosts brainpower. Just like cardiovascular improves your skeletal system, reading is a form of exercise that enhances memory and other brain components. As we age, our memory and cognitive functions begin to decline, and reading books may tremendously slow the aging of the brain. According to research published in neurology, frequent brain exercise can lower cognitive decline by 32%.
It is believed that reading books can make you more empathetic. Reading literary fiction for insane can help you understand the emotions of other people. Reading literary fiction will make you more compassionate than reading non-fiction books.
People who read more or do more brain-enhancing tasks like play games of chess, often, are 2.5 times less likely to develop certain brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. The published journal contained the outcome of this scientific research in a journal of Brain studies.
Reading can help you relax. A study at the University of Sussex in the UK indicates ha regular reading can reduce stress by as much as 68%. When you are engrossed in a delightful book, for instance, you will forget about your challenges in a moment. Many people do read themselves to sleep because of the relaxing effects of such activity.
Tips And Ideas On Improving Your Reading Speed
Improving your speed and comprehension can help you cover as many books as you can. It is one thing to read fast, and it is another thing to follow through and comprehend what you are reading.
According to experts, the first step you should take is to stop your inner monologue, also known as sub-vocalization. Sub-vocalization is quite a common trait characterized by speaking the words you read in your head. Sub-vocalization will reduce your reading speed.
Don’t fret if you hear voices in your head while you read; you have just become used to a learning technique when such voices play in your head as you read.
Since the average reading speed is almost the same as the average speaking speed, the average adult may complete practically 300 words in a minute. This does not mean that your reading speed will increase if you keep your inner monologue, it will definitely slow you down.
You don’t have to say every word in your head as you read, and try to understand what you are reading. Simply look at the word and process it automatically. If you can’t keep the monologue away, try read a book with music playing underground. A distraction like music will keep the brainless focused on inner monologue.
Another strategy ha has been found to increase reading speed is “word chunking”. Word chunking is closely related to eliminating your internal monologue. Word chunking is simply an act of reading multiple words at once. Word chunking is probably the most useful strategy to increase your reading speed.
An individual through the help of the brain can read multiple words at a time without missing the interpretation or comprehension of the sentence. You should start this strategy by focusing on reading two to three words at a time. Continue reading the group of words until the end of a page and take note of how fast you were able to control the page.
Once you master the act of reading three words at a time, you should try and take a step further by drawing two vertical lines down your page with a pencil. With thethe two vertical drawn lines, you will be able to separate the entire page into three sections. Start your reading at the top left of the page as you normally do, then cover everything below the first line with your hand or a piece of paper.
The secret to reading faster with this strategy is to focus on reading all text in each section as one thing. This means you must chunk all the words in a line together and read them at once, the same way you glance at a road sign. Keep doing this on each page as you move, the paper gradually down and you will notice a tremendous increase in your speed.
Another way to boost your book-reading speed is to avoid re-reading words and sentences on each page. Re-reading words in a book is a bad habit you should do away with because going back and forth on the same lines will reduce your speed drastically.
Most readers re-read words without even knowing it, it is better to use your finger or a bookmark to guide you as you read along without going back to read the same words over and over again. You can keep rack of the words much easily as your finger moves down a page.
Another strategy you can use to increase your speed is to learn to use your peripheral vision. This should probably be a strategy you use in combination with other steps mentioned above.
In this case, you look at the center of the line and then use your peripheral vision, which is the angle of your eye to read the rest of the line. It means you read both left and right parts of your sentences in a record time. It helps you understand what you read in a record faster time.
You may also want to start using a timer once you have mastered all the strategies highlighted above. You may want o set a timer for 1 minute, 30 minutes, or an hour and see how many pages you can complete within a record time and still comprehend what you read.
You can repeat the timer strategy as many times as you want until you hit the target. You don have o force yourself to over-read beyond your normal speed, just try to identify your average speed and maintain it.
Conclusion
Setting a goal is very important when it comes to reading books. When you set a goal, you will be able to hold yourself accountable as you stick to your reading speed. You should set a daily, weekly, and monthly goal, and you will be able to see how much you have accomplished in a year. The adage that says “Practice make perfect” is true because the more you read, the faster you become and the more books you will complete within a time frame. You don’t have to practice the reading improvement strategies only with the books you enjoy reading, you should also practice them with boring books too.
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