Deena Waisberg's article Get more done: 101 performance boosters, in the May 2006 issue of PROFIT Magazine, has created quite the time-saving list. She interviewed me and the article excerpt is below.
Read with speed: Making short work of long reports
Who wouldn't like to accelerate their reading without missing meaning or sacrificing recall? You can do it, says Lucy MacDonald, a Montreal-based speaker and the author of Learn to Manage Your Time, by knowing what information you want from a document before you read it. If you only need an outline, for example, skim documents for essential facts. A detailed analysis requires you to slow down enough to absorb more information. Here are MacDonald's other top speed-reading tips:
5. Read the introduction and conclusion first
They will tell you whether the rest of the information is worth exploring.6. Skim less important words
Look for key words and phrases that contain main ideas and skim over less important words. You'll immediately get the essence of documents.7. Trace the Lines
Train your eyes to read quickly by using your finger or a ruler to guide you through lines of text.8. Avoid repetition
"Keep reading even if you don't understand something right away," MacDonald advises. Core ideas are often explained more than once or elaborated on later in the document.
Other sections include: how to minimize office interruptions, the rules for delegating,where to outsource ordinary tasks, and how to spend time on what counts.
Comments