The promise of speed reading is alluring, but does it work? For questions like these, I have a coterie of self-help experts (1) whose opinions I trust, or at least trust to get me pointed in the right direction.
Some (Steve Pavlina, Tim Ferriss) are huge fans of speed reading. Others focus more on the structure of our habits around reading (James Clear). Some were speed reading converts before reversing course and disavowing speed reading (Scott Young).
The same patterns play out in better-known circles: a speed reader gives a TED talk; a Wired article explains why speed reading doesn’t work.
My takeaway is that speed reading is dubious at best. It still might be worth exploring the methods just in case, but they are not a top priority.
There were some much more useful (and credible) strategies: Start and quit more books. You’ll find more books you like, which will make it easier to stick with them. You’ll encounter more topics and choose books that are most relevant to you. You’ll weed out poorly written books.
Engage with the books you read before and after. Identifying the book’s thesis beforehand and writing down questions that you hope to answer before you start will help prime your mind to absorb the material on offer. After reading, try to recall as much as possible. Sketch out a knowledge map of the book’s concepts. Think of ways to apply the book to your life.
Most importantly, read more and read broadly. Reading more and broadly is not about practice, it’s about building context. The more context you have, the less you will need to look up words and concepts and the easier it will be to grasp what is innovative about a particular book.
Speed Reading Readings:
- https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/10/photoreading/
- https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/10/photoreading-walkthrough/
- https://zenhabits.net/read/
- https://tim.blog/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-accelerated-learning/
- https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2015/01/05/deep-habits-read-a-real-book-slowly/
- https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2014/06/16/my-deliberate-quest-to-read-proofs-faster/
- https://jamesclear.com/read-more
- https://jamesclear.com/reading-comprehension-strategies
- https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2015/01/19/speed-reading-redo/
- https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2019/03/13/reading-faster/
Thanks to Early Readers: Sean Langhi, Phil Geurin
The Pragmatic Philosopher 