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  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Plagiarism Notice

  Self-publishing has made it easier to become published. As a result, there is a growing number of opportunists stealing and copying works of other authors and claiming them as their own. We take plagiarism very seriously. If your intention is to copy the contents of this book, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Section I – Pre-Reading

  Chapter 1 – Purpose

  Chapter 2 – Power of Preview

  Chapter 3 – Change Styles

  Section II – Speed Reading Techniques

  Chapter 4 – Space Reading

  Chapter 5 – Chunking

  Chapter 6 –Subvocalization

  Section III – Enhancing the Techniques

  Chapter 7 – Fixation

  Chapter 8 – Regression

  Chapter 9 – Visual Range

  Section IV – Improving Comprehension

  Chapter 10 – Reading for Ideas or Main Points

  Chapter 11 – Topic Sentences

  Chapter 12 –Vocabulary

  Section V – Additional Tips

  Chapter 13 – Remembering What You Read

  Chapter 14 – Visualize

  Chapter 15 – Eye Health

  Conclusion

  Introduction

  The sheer volume of information the eyes take in at any moment is incomprehensible. Look around and take note of everything you see. If outside, notice the trees, cars, people, and everything in between. If sitting at a desk, take note of the pens, paper, notebook, and all the other material in front of you.

  The mind processes these objects so fast you’re not aware of the processing happen. You simply move your eyes in a direction, and they instantaneously detect and understand what is there.

  When we read, however, things are not quite as smooth and fluid. It takes time and effort to process words, and the meaning conveyed by those words. For many, reading is a demanding activity that consumes a lot of mental energy. For some, it is so demanding, they avoid reading altogether.

  So, the question is why can’t we process text the same way we process other objects in our environment ?

  The truth is we can!

  The human eye is an incredible organ. It is the second most complex organ in the body, containing 2 million components and 12 million photoreceptors. It functions faster and has a wider dynamic range than any camera. Brain scientists and information experts assert that up to 90 percent of the information we take in comes through the eyes.

  The eyes do not operate alone but work in conjunction with the brain. In fact, the eyes are directly connected to the brain, which leads many to think they are an extension of the brain rather than distinct, separate organs. Scientists estimate that as much as 65 percent of the brain is used to process visual information.

  If the eyes are the second most complex organ in the body, that makes the brain the most complex. In fact, many assert it is the most complex structure in the known universe - more complex than planets, stars, and even airplanes. The brain is behind our every thought, action, memory, feeling, and experience in the world.

  So, humans are walking around with two of the world’s most complex systems working together to provide the basic foundation of intelligence through observing, thinking, writing, and above all, reading. We have the natural ability to read and process information at a high level.

  Unfortunately, most are simply not using this ability. That’s because reading isn’t something that originated in or exists in nature. Reading is something that humans created, and since it is manmade, it is not an instinctual skill that we are born to do. It is a skill that must be learned.

  Most of us learn to read, but that doesn’t mean we learn to read in the best way. Our educational systems and teachers, along with parents, do an admirable job of teaching us how to combine words to form sentences. However, they don’t necessarily teach us the most effective way to use our impressive eyes and mind to do that. As a result, we are left feeling like we are not capable of reading better or faster.

  This couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is, we are all capable of reading better and faster than we ever imagined. We simply need to learn the correct ways to use our infinitely powerful eyes and mind.

  That is what this book aims to teach. With simple strategies that unleash the power of your mind and sight, the techniques in this book will fill in the gaps teachers failed to cover to accelerate reading in ways you can’t imagine.

  If you seek that level of improvement, continue reading.

  Before proceeding, please download the bonus guide Conquer Your Internal Resistance to Make More Money, Have Better Relationships, and Live a Fulfilling Life . It’s free and compliments this book’s advice to ensure you perform better, faster, and with less effort. You can download your free copy at mindlily.com/ir .

  The Process

  Since the eyes and mind already have the ability to process information at a high level, this book doesn’t require learning or doing anything new or difficult. All it requires is to make slight shifts in reading habits.

  As a result, this book is not very lengthy or complicated. Each chapter is a few pages long and easy to read and digest. The chapters provide exactly what is needed to improve reading speed—and nothing more. The truth is, many of the important shifts in reading habits take only a few minutes to learn.

  You can literally double or even triple current reading speed within minutes of reading some of the chapters and increase speed further after practicing the additional suggestions. With commitment, there is no doubt that you will develop the ability to read a 200+ page book in one hour !

  Also, reading and comprehension go hand-in-hand, so in addition to improving reading speed, you will learn to improve comprehension. After all, the purpose of reading faster is to learn more information. What good is reading quickly if we can’t make sense of and retain that information? Improving speed without improving comprehension is not speed reading. The goal is for you to read faster and with greater comprehension.

  What’s Inside

  This book is divided into 5 sections. Each section has 3 chapters, and each chapter covers 1 aspect of the speed reading process.

  Section I discusses what to do before beginning to read. Most people assume reading is only about picking up a book and reading words. That’s an ineffective approach. There are important steps that precede the reading process, and the chapters in this section discuss these steps and explain why they are important.

  Section II focuses on techniques that increase your ability to read more words in less time. That is, reading significantly more words in a significantly shorter amount of time. The techniques in this section are what people are searching when they seek to improve reading speed. It is the heart of the speed reading process and where those small shifts in habits that bring about the big results lie.

  Section III expands on the techniques presented in Section II. It offers g
uidance on how to both enhance and refine the suggested techniques, all toward pushing reading speed even further. Committing to these chapters will push your ability to practically inhale information from written material.

  Section IV is all about comprehension. Remember, reading without comprehension is not reading. This section presents strategies to better understand how authors organize written material and ways to use that knowledge to better understand their message. The material in this section also addresses creative ways to enhance vocabulary, a key element for both reading and comprehension.

  Section V addresses topics that don't fit anywhere else. Although each chapter in this section stands on its own, each contains important lessons to enhance the reading experience, including improving memory, overcoming daydreaming, and maintaining eye health. This final section ties everything together.

  This all may seem like a lot to take in, but trust me, it is not. Remember, each chapter is only a few pages, and majority of the advice is easy to read and understand. After understanding what to do, it is simply a matter of practice.

  This brings up the next point:

  Old Habits Die Hard

  Although the lessons do not present significant learning challenges, where challenges may arise is in shifting reading habits. Habits are routines or behaviors that are repeated so often and for so long that they become automatic—and then permanent. Habits engage without conscious choice or decision, and often, they become the default action or response. Any behavior can become a habit, and that includes poor reading.

  Habits can be difficult to break—extremely difficult. Even when a behavior isn’t working and a better way exists, habits will keep you in them. Even if the alternative is the simplest technique, explained using the clearest instructions ever written, habits make it difficult to apply. Despite knowing what to do, and how to do it, old habits make it challenging to actually do it.

  Such is the nature of habits. They are designed to keep you in a pattern, regardless of the benefit or pain they bring. Therefore, something as simple as shifting your eye gaze may at first feel like pulling teeth, creating intense amounts of resistance, discomfort, and even pain.

  In order to effectively apply the instructions in this book, it is important to break free from old habits and adopt new ones. A great way to adopt new habits is with practice drills. Drills involve repeating a routine over and over, not in conjunction with any other activity, until the body develops a rhythm and habit for it.

  Drills are key to successful skill development. High performers in many disciplines become high performers by regularly practicing their craft with drills. Practice drills are essential to learning, retaining, and most importantly, easing into doing something new.

  For this reason, the chapters in this book end with practice drills that help you integrate and become accustomed to the instructions. I strongly recommend doing them before moving to the next chapter.

  The mind and body learn and remember better from doing than from reading, hearing, or seeing. The sooner you start applying the techniques, the sooner you'll see improvements in reading. That means not only will these drills motivate you to begin using the techniques, but they will maximize learning.

  Also, these drills build on one another. For example, the drill in one chapter instructs practicing one technique, while the drill in the next chapter instructs practicing another technique in combination with the first. In a subsequent chapter, you'll then practice the three together.

  This cumulative approach trains you to use these techniques simultaneously. This way you can learn, understand, and physically integrate all the lessons by the time you finish the book. After finishing, you can jump to speed reading other material instead of starting at square one.

  The drills presented in this book are simple and brief, each requiring 5 to 20 minutes to complete. Working through them will make a huge impact on your ability to learn and integrate the information. If you skip the drills, you will experience difficulty with the techniques and ultimately not form the necessary habits to use them.

  People falsely assume they can take what they read and automatically apply it. That’s wishful thinking. In order to apply the techniques, you need to apply the techniques, and these drills help you do that. With that said, don’t skip any of the them. They are the most important part of this book.

  Many of the drills involve practicing on various types of materials. So, before reading further, gather as many different types of written content as possible—everything from stories, novels, narratives, and articles to textbooks, manuals, newspapers, biographies, and trade journals to a variety of magazines, such as fashion, business, and special interest. Keep these materials at arm’s length while reading this book, so when you arrive at a drill, you can start right away.

  It might help to go to a library or book store, since all this material will be in close proximity. If that’s not possible, work with what is available in the immediate environment.

  With everything out of the way, let’s begin developing the skill to read a 200+ page book in 1 hour.

  Section I – Pre-Reading

  Chapter 1 – Purpose

  The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why—Mark Twain.

  As noted in the introduction, reading isn’t about jumping into a book the moment you pick it up. Important steps precede the reading process that aid in absorbing the text. The three chapters in this section discuss these steps, starting with purpose .

  Have you ever noticed when you’re in the market for a new car and have settled on a model to buy, you suddenly begin seeing that model everywhere? Or when setting a goal, opportunities related to that goal and ways to achieve it begin appearing all over?

  This happens because the mind is a goal seeking, purpose driven machine. Setting a goal or purpose activates different neural networks and regions of the brain to work in unison. So, each region of the brain is not just doing its own thing. With purpose, the focus of the mind changes and its awareness opens, often without you realizing.

  This is why new opportunities begin appearing. Of course, those same opportunities existed prior to setting the goal, but since they were of no interest at the time, the mind paid them no attention.

  In addition to achieve goals, numerous well-documented studies show that purpose offers a host of physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Purpose in a person’s life reduces the risk and the effects of many illnesses, including heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, depression, addiction, suicide, and anxiety.

  Purpose improves mental function, increases concentration, and actually repairs the DNA. When people have purpose, they live longer, are happier, and have an easier time handling challenges, finding solutions, managing conflicts, using resources, and most importantly, living with a sense of belonging and well-being.

  Purpose has power!

  Purpose has power with reading as well. When a goal or purpose is applied to a reading assignment, the mind suddenly stops wandering, and instead, becomes focused on the material at hand. This makes you more attentive and less distracted, so you can get through a passage in less time and with less effort.

  Since purpose has such power, the next time you sit down to read, set a goal or purpose. Determine beforehand what you want or hope to gain from the material.

  Interestingly, we all have a purpose when reading. Anytime we pick up a book, magazine, or article, it’s for a reason. The reason might be to ace an exam, write a paper, or to complete an assignment. Maybe it’s to find an answer, learn a skill, or solve a problem. Some read to end boredom or to unwind and get lost in a fantasy. Whatever the purpose, there is a purpose—even if you don’t consciously recognize that purpose.

  Now, just because you know the purpose, that doesn’t mean your mind will know as well. We often assume that we are one with our minds. We believe that when we know what we want, our minds automatically know as well. Sadly, that isn’t true.


  In any given moment, we have hundreds or even thousands of wants, drives, and desires percolating inside. Our minds are sifting through all of these wants to figure out which one to pursue in the moment. Should I message a friend, respond to the boss, watch a show , eat lunch , clean up , ask out a classmate , listen to music , or play outside?

  Clarifying your purpose helps the mind tremendously. Instead of deciding which of the hundred urges to follow, it has a clear directive. It knows what to tune out and where to turn its attention. In other words, if you want your mind to know and pursue your goals and intentions, you must identify and clearly state them.

  Anytime you pick up something to read, state the purpose or intention for reading it. The clearer the purpose, the easier it will be for the mind to interpret the information—and the faster you can sift through it.

  Your purpose does not have to be long, drawn-out, or complicated. It can be as simple as I’m reviewing yesterday’s notes to find answers for tomorrow’s assignment. That’s it.