Don’t let those 3 mistakes stop your improvement

This article is about choosing the right way to learn speed reading and about 3 main mistakes that can stop your improvement. If you are here you probably already have read a speed reading book or used software. You have got some results, but not as much as you expected.

1. You tried to learn it from book or software. Would you learn martial arts say judo by reading a book and playing computer game with combat fighting? Of course no, so why you expect to learn speed reading in such way? People learn from people. Not from books or computers. We have to watch someone else doing something and to repeat it. It is much easier to learn something when you have an example to follow. We copy and mirror the behavior and that works the best. Tell me please how you can mirror the book? So it’s no surprising that you reached 400-500 wpm with medium comprehension and that was the line you couldn’t beat.

The most effective way to beat any of your records is to get personal trainer and train until the results will astonish you. He will watch you and tell what to do what has to be fixed and improved. Second the best way to learn speed reading is to attend a seminar. You won’t get as much attention but as groups are usually comfortable to work in your questions will be answered. Third best way to learn is to participate in webinar or to watch video.
2. Lets admit you worked too little. All authors remark that it might be time consuming to do all tasks, but that’s the only way to get so desired results. There is no shortcut. Do yourself a favor and get rid of this kind of thinking that there is easy way to start speed read. It takes month to get the basics and second month to consolidate new habits. So don’t do this mistake. Don’t quick practice after few weeks. I know that you might be promised “to learn it in easy way or to triple speed in just one hour” or something similar. After that hour doesn’t quit training simply because it was the first hour and 99 hours are left.

3. You haven’t been given a complete and reasonable system. Everywhere you can find some good insights, but very rarely you can find complete methodology. Usually systems lack exercises for concentration, anticipation, articulation repression or peripheral sight development. Without these elements you won’t get as much as you could. That is the same as for bodybuilder to train only upper part of the body and to hope to win the contest. You have to train 8 key elements but usually there are given 3 or 4 elements. And even those elements usually don’t have reasonable argumentation. Every week I find some “exercises” that are more likely to remember primary school lessons but not speed reading training. My advice to you if you are given an exercise that you don’t understand probably it won’t work for you. First of all you can’t get results then you don’t believe in something. Secondly without deep and substantial understanding you won’t be able to modify exercises for your personal needs. In every seminar I met people who spend years reading books, playing software and finally come to seminar to put all pieces together.

When a person really understands the basics he is able to play with the system alone and modify exercises. So I am coming back to the point that old fashioned face-to-face training works the best.