ALRIGHT!

I am pumped to write this right now because this whole speed reading thing has been amazing. We learn so much faster than we give ourselves credit for.

Recently I posted about the speed reading tips that have worked best for me (check it out in the Self Development category).

With these limited tips I’ve gotten pretty comfortable reading about 900 word per minute, from my not-so-long-ago 250 word per minute.

Granted, I’m not at 100% comprehension (there is a lot of material that you should never even try at 900 word per minute because it would be impossible to process). However, through a combination of skills I’d say that my comprehension is about 25-30% most of the time, enough to get a firm grasp of the “skeleton” of the writing. 

Its surprising to me that once you get used to it, you can skip words or lines here and there and your brain still takes in the content you never even looked at – or at least it fills in the blanks with context.

Though I’ve already laid out an extended list of tips on my previous post on speed reading, I’m getting an even clearer picture of exactly what’s getting results. For me, the most important aspects of developing speed and comprehension have been these:

-Expand your peripheral vision (be able to look directly at one word, but take in the ones to the left, the right, and even the words above and below it)

-Trust your brain (understand that your brain will be able to get the big picture and even the important details even if you don’t look directly at every single word)

-Find a rhythm (become smooth with “ticking” your eyes from spot to spot across the lines, swiftly moving to the next line. On a line with 11 words, one or two direct “ticks” – or “eye stops” – should suffice)

In combination with the reading exercises I’ve been doing, I think anyone can more than double their reading speed in a month. However, I’d certainly recommend that you also get information from a lot of sources and see what sticks with you.

My goal by the end of May is to be reading at 1000 words per minute! By the end of June, I aim to crank up my comprehension and reach my goal for this life experiment (about 50% comprehension at 1000 WPM).