There’s no better superfood for your brain than a book.
Reading is the best way to rapidly gain a deep, and broad understanding of a topic or discipline.
You can read an entire book every day, but it will cost you. It’s a massive goal and can be unreasonable, but it works for me.
I am selective about the books I choose to speed read. I look out for the most important ideas in each book. Ideas that can advance my long-term goals.
I don’t read when I am “in the mood” because that’s unpredictable. I read everywhere when I have even five minutes. It’s super convenient to pull out my phone (I keep it in airplane mode and avoid all notifications) and read a paragraph or two when I can.
Some books can be read just once, providing instant gratification, and then you feel you can pass them on to somebody else. Others will require more from you. The question is, how much are you willing to put into them?
Whether you are looking to improve yourself or learn something new, it’s possible to read a book in a single day.
When you aim to understand an author, it won’t take you too long to read an entire book. Understanding a book is the best way to read it quickly.
Many nonfiction authors make a point and ask us to learn from them. Once you know and understand the author’s message, you will be able to read it faster, learn from it and move on to the next one.
Sir Francis Bacon once said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”
Don’t read all your books with the same mindset
Choose books with purpose for speed reading. You can’t use any book for this purpose.
Enjoying books is no different than enjoying a TV show or a movie. If you don’t like a show, you won’t waste your time starting it in the first place. If you want to give it a chance, you will try watching the first episode. If you don’t really like a book, you will stop reading it and start read something else.
Reading a book should be an experience that provides you joy and value, not something to labor through. It’s important you select your book carefully.
Find a reason to read. It could be self-improvement, better utilization of time, learning things, improving your career etc.
Use your peripheral vision
Learn to speed read.
Using your peripheral vision allows you to read with fewer eye fixations because your vision span is wider and you can see, read, and process more words at a time.
When you use your peripheral vision to read, you look in the space between two words instead of looking the specific word, trying to read both words and then moving your eyes to the next pair of words.
Once you’ve taught yourself to speed read at a decent pace, and have some books you want to work through, you need an ideal reading environment. Distraction is everywhere.
Separate yourself from everything that distracts you. Think of how much solitude you’ll need, then double it. Go somewhere that can guarantee the solitude you want, and use headphones, if you have to. Listen to white noise. It will help you keep focused, and read little faster.
If you’re really short on time, and sitting isn’t an option, you can choose an audiobook. You can read for a couple of hours, download the audiobook and listen to it while you drive, shop, on break, do house chores, or when exercising. You can always return to your book once you have everything done.
