How to Speed Read

I was reading through articles on the Art of Manliness site the other day when I came across one that particularly talked about Theodore Roosevelt and how he used to read dozens of books by speed reading. It immediately clicked in my head my summer goal has been to read a book a week. I figured not only would I be able to increase the number of books I read, but I also would be able to pick up a useful skill that will help me down the road. Another goal was added to my summer list. After a few online speed reading tests I concluded I read about 250 words per minute (wpm), average reader. By the end of the summer I would like to be reading at least 400 wpm with 80% comprehension. I feel like this is a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) goal that I could certainly achieve. WISH ME LUCK! Below I will attempt to explain my course of action and provide regular updates on my progress.
Note: My entire speed reading challenge will be accomplished through books and the internet. NO COURSE involved. I chose this method to not only save money by taking advantage of available resources (internet, library, etc.) but also have the flexibility to practice when my schedule permits.

There are four main areas you need to focus on separately in order to drastically improve: SUBVOCALIZATION, REGRESSION, FIXATIONS, and COMPREHENSION. Similar to if you were training for a sport such as basketball, you wouldn’t weight train at the same time you were working on perfecting your shot. Each area should be trained separately and brought together as one regiment. A summary of my research via web, books, and people’s advice follows:
1. Get your EYES checked. If you need glasses, get them.
2. Find your current reading speed. There are various online FREE tests you could take or simply count the number of words in a particular article and time yourself. The average person reads at a rate of 150 to 250 wpm I encourage you to take at least two different online exams to come up with average speed.
3. Try these simple tips that will immediately increase your speed.
a. Stop SUBVOCALIZING (pronouncing words aloud, mumbling, or saying words silently in your head). This immediately slows you down because you’re only reading as fast as you talk. Your eyes can read at a much faster pace than your lips can talk. To eliminate this habit be conscious of it and stop and/or try counting 1,2,3,4… repeated or a,e,i,o,u… while reading the material.
b. Stop REGRESSION (going back and rereading words). This not only slows you down but interferes with comprehension. To avoid regression you can use an index card to cover material you already read or use your finger as a guide and look at only what is in front of it.
c. Stop reading WORD for WORD (read in CHUNKS). Multiple FIXATIONS (number of stops per line) should be avoided and will decrease with practice. Instead of reading one word at a time, try reading two to four words each time. It may help to distance the page until your eyes are used to picking up more than one word. To start, try focusing on the third or fourth word from the left and right and picking up the others on the end using your PERIPHERAL vision. As it becomes easier work toward fixing your eyes on the middle part of the sentence and picking up each side with your PERIPHERAL vision. A good tool for practice would be going down the middle of a newspaper column reading in chunks (the narrow width helps with minimizing fixation). You also could draw lines parallel down your reading approximately 3 inches apart off center (forming three fixations) and focus on picking up the words in each column.

4. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE… the speed will come followed by the comprehension.
5. Follow up tips that are helpful:
a. Read early in the day if possible
b. Prioritize your daily reading (Most important to least important. Start with important material first and keep in mind the speed you read at depends on your objective with the material)
c. Skim and Preview material before reading to get main ideas
d. Form questions and attempt to answer while reading
e. Avoid highlighting
f. Maintain flexible speed (newspapers may be read fast opposed to legal work or math material that may need slower time for understanding)
g. Eliminate distractions (noise, television, bed, etc.) Ideally read at 45 degree angle.
h. Read in 30 min to 1 hr spurts with a short break
i. Search “speed reading” in YouTube and web (utilize free material)
j. Use fee online software spreeder to practice and read all online material (just copy and paste words in spreeder and increase the time weekly).
k. Google “Evelyn Woods”
l. For additional info. Check out “Speed reading for Dummies.”
Have fun and keep me posted with your progress and/or comments on how you and I can continue to reach our goal. Good Luck!