Speed Reading Through Kaizen

I've wanted to learn speed reading in the past, but never took the time because it seemed time consuming. I recently picked up a book on speed reading and figure I give it another try. This time, I picked up Speed Reading For Dummies and I will use the Kaizen methods and learn it one step at a time.

The 4-Hour Workweek mentions how speed reading can improve your productivity and thus all facets of your life. Many other success and productivity books mention this as well.

So what are some basics to speed reading?

• Speed reading is silent reading. Vocalizing slows things down.
• Speed reading is reading more than one word at a time, often 5 to 10 words at a time.
• I'm still reading at a third grade reading speed according to this book.
• Read at the speed you think, not speed you talk.
• Training yourself to not vocalize when reading is one of the most important speed reading skills you can acquire.
• The larger your vocaculary, the faster you can read. Perhaps listening to our English teachers may have sped this process up.
• Speed reading = comprehending.
• Speed reading can increase reading comprehension, not decrease it, since you are taking words in its full context.
• Speed reading = concentrating. Stop multitasking.
• Aside from concentrating, you don't need much to learn to speed read.

Test yourself in 4 steps:

1. Read an article, this blog post or a newspaper/magazine article will do fine.
2. Time yourself from beginning to end.
3. The first time, read all the words out loud.
4. Then the second time around, read groups of words as fast as you would without sounding any of the words out.
5. Compare the time you read the article the first time to the second time.  My speed was about double.

If you are like me, you tend to sound out some of the words in your head. At times I can "skim" and skip less relevant words. This is all part of learning to speed read. I'll write more about speed reading in an upcoming post.

Have you learned to speed read? What tips do you have for me and others who want to learn to speed read?

Related Books:



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