Memo to Students #1: Speed Reading

HOW TO READ A BOOK QUICKLY.

See the tips from http://tinyurl.com/suntim

With 3 simple techniques I’m going to share with you and a little bit of practice, I absolutely believe that you can double your reading speed within 1-2 weeks, triple it within a few months, and acquire this Superpower that even Warren Buffet wishes he had.

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Technique #1: Use a Pointer

When we were first taught to read, our teacher showed us to use our finger to direct our eyes along each line. By using a pointer (our index finger or a pen), we greatly improve our ability to focus on the words and reduce these micro-movements.

It also allows us to “set the pace”: by moving the pointer faster, we force our eyes to move faster as well and our reading speed increases.

Technique #2: Start & Stop Reading 3 Words from the Margin

By default, we always start reading the first word on the left of the page and go all the way to the last word on the right. But here’s the trick: you can start on the 3rd word from the left, and stop 3 words from the end, and your peripheral vision will pick up the first 2 and last 2 words automatically.

In a line of 10 words, this allows you to “read” only 6 words and save 40% of the effort & time.

Technique #3: Stop Vocalizing

The first 2 techniques will help you reach great speed with ease, but eventually you will be capped off by the little voice in your head. If you vocalize (i.e., say in your head) each word you read, you can only go as fast as the speed you say it in your head (which I found to be ~500 words/minute for me).

To reach truly blazing-speed, you need to turn off that little voice, and simply scan the words with your eyes without vocalizing them. This may seem odd at first, but as you get better you’ll notice you can process the information just as well.

An Important Distinction

Recognize when you’re reading something important and slow down at appropriate times.

For instance, on one page, there might be 300 words that are moderately important, and 50 that are critical. Read the 300 words at blazing-speed and slow down to “normal” speed for the 50 to make sure you fully grasp the concepts.

The Magic Ingredient: Practice

Just like any skill, the more you practice, the better you’ll get at it. That’s why I highly encourage you to start using the 3 techniques every time you read and make a habit of it.

For more see TINYURL.com/suntim  

One of the key principles is that you are part of a newspaper office.  Together with others you produce a NEWSPAPER or a NEWS BROADCAST (TV or Radio station).  Each day you are working to produce an article or a news item.   Once a week you can broadcast that item on your blog.  The item might be an essay or a BOOK REVIEW or a review of an EXCERPT from a book.