Plan your route: Focus on efficiency rather than speed.
Introduction
As you are setting off on your journey, you will want to take some time to plan the best way to get to your destination. You may take out a map or an atlas to get the lay of the land. You will have several decisions to make: should you drive, fly, or take a train? Which airport would be best for flying? Which route would be best for driving, and should you take highways or back roads? Are there obstacles to consider, such as road construction, traffic, or long lines at airport security? Where and when can you stop for meals, rest, and gasoline?
During your planning process, you may find that what seems on paper to be the fastest route to your destination may not be the best. Perhaps the "fastest" route is actually very crowded, or closed for repairs, or very expensive. What you will ultimately want to find is the most efficient route to your destination, as opposed to the fastest—that is, the route that will get you to your destination quickly, but also safely, comfortably, and effectively.
Preparing to read is similar to planning out your journey, in that you want to make sure to be as efficient as possible. Once again, keep in mind that you are not necessarily seeking the fastest way to your destination. The efficient reader is not trying to read quickly. The efficient reader is trying to read well.
Your "itinerary": How to read efficiently
You may worry that you don't read fast enough. It's important to keep in mind, however, that your primary goal is to understand the text, and then to achieve whatever purpose you have set for reading the text. This is not a race, and you do not need to hurry.
A better goal than reading speed would be reading efficiency: focus on getting the most out of the time you spend reading, instead of worrying how much time that is. Read with purpose, and develop a reading process that will help you understand what you read.
Above all, be patient with yourself. If you rush or skim your reading in the hopes of completing it more quickly, but then do not retain any of the information you read, then the time you did put in has been lost. Get comfortable with your own reading pace, and budget your time accordingly to make sure that the time you spend reading is an investment that pays off. Also, if you are a slower reader, take heart: the most effective way to become a faster reader is through practice. Be patient and it will happen naturally!
