How this Simple Method can Majorly Boost Your Reading Speed.
In this post, we take a look at the P3R reading method, an improved version of the P2R reading method, and explain why it's so effective.
Have you ever had a pile of 'read later' books or articles and wished there was a way you can just breeze through them? Well, there is! Introducing, the P3R reading method. This reading method is an improved version of the P2R reading method and fixes one of its major flaws. So, without further ado, let's get into it.
The method:
P - Preview: Skim through the whole material while keeping an eye out for keywords and subheadings.
1 R - Read: Begin reading the material as fast as it permits
2 R - Review: Briefly look back at whatever you read to see if you missed anything
3 R - Recite: Either write down or explain the material to yourself in your own words
Now let me explain each um, letter, I guess, starting from the first one, preview. Previewing gives you a sense of the material's outline or structure and what to look out for when reading. It also allows you to decide how to approach the material and whether to read it at all in the first place. Remember, skimming doesn't mean reading. Skimming is way faster than that. A good skimming technique is to read the first sentence of every paragraph since that is where all the main info is.
The second is, of course, reading. Since you already previewed the material in the previous step, you can read faster than you usually do (check this post on speed reading techniques). Also, never ever regress. Regress or regression is the act of reading a sentence or paragraph again. Regression is a terrible habit because it ruins your rhythm and majorly slows down your reading. So, try to avoid it at all costs.
The third step is reviewing. This is a fairly easy and brief step. You just look back at the material to see if you missed anything or didn't understand something. If there are, then read that part again. Reviewing is normally faster than the first step, previewing.
Finally, the addition here is the third R, recite, which was the one thing that I felt was missing from the original P2R reading method. Reciting makes sure you remember whatever you read in the long run. For this reason, reciting by writing digitally (using an app like Notes) or on paper is better for memory but explaining it in your head (which is what I do) is perfectly fine. However, make sure you use your own words, you'll understand it better that way. Also, you don't have to recite everything if you don't want to, but make sure to recite at least one point that you'd like to remember or you find interesting.
And that's it. As you can see, this reading method is fairly simple compared to other ones like SQ3R or PQ4R. Although, despite its simplicity, it is also effective. Even though it might seem like it will make your reading slower, this is actually not the case. Just give it a try and you'll realize that not only can you read faster, but you can remember and understand better too.
Thanks for reading!
This has been Arjun, a writer from the blog Not Too Young. If you liked this post, please consider checking out our other posts. Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe too, it would mean a lot! See you around next time!