By Mathabatha Julius Mojapelo
“You read slow, you decide slow. You decide slow, you lead slow.”
In today’s high-stakes, data-drenched finance world, your ability to read and process vast amounts of information quickly isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s a game-changer.
Whether you’re navigating a 100-page report, digesting IFRS updates, or reviewing a client’s annual financial statements, the faster you can read with understanding, the better you perform.
Research shows that with the right approach, speed reading can significantly boost comprehension, retention, and productivity especially for professionals buried under technical texts and tight deadlines.
Why Speed-Reading Matters in Finance
Time is Money – Literally
Finance professionals are under constant pressure to deliver insights faster. A report by Harvard Business Review (Rayner, 2021) found that knowledge workers spend up to 25–30% of their time reading. That’s nearly 2 hours a day.
If you could read just twice as fast without losing comprehension, you could save 5–7 hours per week which is time you could spend on analysis, strategy, or even rest.
Sharper Comprehension for Complex Texts
Speed reading doesn’t mean skimming. Effective techniques like meta-guiding and peripheral vision training help readers absorb key ideas faster and deeper.
For finance professionals, this means spotting inconsistencies in a financial statement or interpreting regulation updates with greater clarity.
Boosted Confidence in High-Stakes Moments
Speed reading allows you to extract insights rapidly and confidently, a crucial advantage in boardrooms and budget meetings.
Keeps You Ahead in a Dynamic Industry
With the constant evolution of standards, being a fast and effective reader helps you stay relevant.
It fuels continuous learning without the usual burnout.
How to Start Speed Reading
Test Your Current Speed
Use a tool like ReadingSoft.com to measure your words per minute (wpm).
Train with Tools
Use apps like Spreeder or Acceleread to practise daily. They offer guided exercises to help you eliminate poor reading habits.
Read with Purpose
Don’t try to speed-read everything. Use it for material you need to understand quickly, not deeply analyse.
Prioritise breadth over depth when reading broadly, and depth over speed when reading strategically.
In Conclusion
Speed reading is a strategic advantage that can elevate your performance, sharpen your insights, and buy back time in a profession where every second counts.
As finance professionals, we pride ourselves on agility, analysis, and adaptability. Speed reading is the hidden skill that ties them all together.
Sources:
Rayner, K. (2021). Why People Read Slowly: The Cognitive Science Behind Reading Speed. Harvard Business Review.
Buzan, T. (2006). The Speed Reading Book. BBC Active.
Lewis, D. (2010). Improving Reading Speed and Comprehension. Mind Lab International.
