We think faster than we read

Usually we think faster than we read. What happens then? We do not use the full capacity of our brain. Like the employee who has free time, the brain takes up side activities.

We start thinking about various things: what I am going to do tonight, what to wear, is there anything tasty in the fridge, maybe I should make myself a cup of tea, I might check my e-mail and so on. People who can read as fast as they think, have the maximum efficiency and much better understanding.
There are two ways to prevent side thoughts, which not only slow down the reading process, but also minimize its effectiveness. Firstly, we should learn to read in such a speed, that the brain has  no time to rest. The more intensively it works, the better the concentration  and the understanding is. Like when you drive a car: the faster you go, the more attentive you are. At first it is scary to go fast, but eventually we get used to it. Secondly, we might learn to control thoughts consciously. We will discuss these two ways more extensively when we talk about the “green dot” exercise.
In short, spare some time to test the difference between the pace you think and the pace you read. Reading two to three times faster, I believe, you would keep the normal level of understanding.

Exercise: try to keep the tempo of reading so as not to leave a moment for additional thoughts. Try to maintain the tempo as long as possible. If you feel that it is getting increasingly complicated to concentrate, make a short break. After the break, continue with faster speed than usual.

Exercise: try to count the amount of additional thoughts you have in 15 minutes of reading. This is not for proving the correctness of before mentioned ideas, but for training your introspection and concentration.