Poor reading habits can lead to a lack of interest or comprehension skills and ultimately to discouragement in reading related to studying or just for pleasure. These tendencies can develop in children in the classroom at a young age. School practices such as reading aloud, making elaborate outlines, and testing can interfere with the learning process. While it takes work to rectify ingrained habits, it is possible to re-teach yourself how to read well. There are three main types of bad reading habits: skip back, overworking, and vocalization. Identify the type of condition you have, and take the necessary steps to break the habit.

Step 1 Look forward when you read. Are your eyes are "skipping back" while you read, resulting in confusion or losing your place in the text? Nine out of ten times, the average person looks forward while reading. This means that 10 percent of reading is spent ineffectively looking backwards. To rectify this, cover up what you have read with a sheet of paper. This will train your eyes to look forward, and eventually you won't need the guide to focus your vision.

Step 2 Notice if your eyes are undergoing excessive stress and movement while reading. If so, you are probably suffering from "overworking." Reading does not occur when the eyes are in motion; rather, it occurs when they are in "fixation" (while pausing over the material). Rapid movement is unnecessary and will lead to vision stress and a lack of comprehension. To stop "overworking," take a section of a page and chunk words together in parentheses. Practice seeing more than one word at a time, and increase the amount of words in parentheses each time you practice. With time, you may be able to read an entire line of text in one fixation.

Step 3 Stop reading aloud. Elementary school teaching trains students to read aloud, which can lead to "vocalization" in adulthood. Saying words under your breath or pronouncing words in your voice box silently will lessen your reading rate. The average reader reads at around 230 words per minute, and a more proficient reader operates at about 500 words per minute, but the average speed of speaking is approximately 180 words per minute. Shake the habit by resting your fingers on your vocal cords while you read. If you feel them moving, it will bring the "vocalization" to your consciousness and make it easier to stop.

Step 4 Read every day. Practice makes perfect. The best way to improve your reading habits is to read consistently. Make your practice fun by choosing a piece of literature that you enjoy. Instill the positive habits you have learned in yourself and others. Children are highly influenced by pattern and lead by example; if you have a child, take the time to read to or with her on a daily basis. You can practice by reading easier or shorter pieces of text such as magazine articles or short stories and then working towards more involved or longer stories and books.