Introduction: Learn Speed Reading Fast by Joseph Milano
Because our environment is changing rapidly. And skills are changing at the speed of light, so professionals have to learn, unlearn, and relearn. One of the popular ways of learning is by reading books. This means that you have to learn to read faster. Although this book is about speed reading, you can read a book faster without speed reading. It's more about reading intelligently.
“We live in such a fast-paced world that it seems information is constantly being thrown in our faces. Learning how to process it in a quick and effective way can help us to rise above the pack and, more importantly to our well-being, not become overwhelmed.”
I don't speed read, but this Bookish Note is not about me. Some members will be interested in speed reading techniques. And who knows, I may pick up a strategy or two that can help me when I'm consuming a lot of information. In the past, most of the speed reading techniques didn't make sense to me. And subsequently didn’t work when I tried to use them.
It's inconvenient to move your hand across the screen since I mostly read e-books. I'm approaching Learn Speed Reading Fast by Joseph Milano with a growth mindset. Therefore, I'll read what the author has to say and do the exercises. If you master speed reading, or any other technique to read faster, you'll become more learning agile. The ability to learn is a prized skill for a professional expecting to thrive.
Have you read?
How to Learn Faster and Be More Productive by Joseph Milano, Summary
Best Speed Reading Method? BrainRead by Göran Askeljung
Summary of Learn Speed Reading Fast by Joseph Milano
Learn Speed Reading Fast is the second book by Joseph Milano I have read, and I like his style – the way he delivers information. I've read on several occasions that you absorb more of what you read when you read faster.
“When we read slowly, there is actually more chance of what we are reading being forgotten. This may seem strange, given that we would be led to believe that we are concentrating more, but it is actually the opposite. When we are “taking our time,” we are only leaving ourselves open to more outside distractions.”
As with most books on speed reading, one of the first things to do is to calculate how many words per minute you read. The average speed reading rate is 250 words per minute. Some people double, triple, or sometimes, five times their initial reading speed. How would it help you in your career if you could double your reading speed?
Meta Guiding Technique
“This involves taking a playing card, a pen, or even your finger, and covering the lines to come in each paragraph as you read.”
The Meta Guiding Technique works well because of chunking. When you master this technique, it becomes an important tool in your speed reading toolkit.
To practice the Meta Guiding Technique, you use a playing card that's laid flat on the page and move it down line by line. You spend a second reading each line of text. You set the timer for three minutes to see how many lines you get through. You repeat the process, spending only .5 seconds on each line. Each time, you calculate the rate at which you read.
Chances are you won't remember anything you read, and that's okay. The aim is not comprehension. But to get comfortable with seamlessly sliding the playing card down the page. And concentrating while doing that activity. Comprehension will come later, after you've practiced doing this.
Expand Your Peripheral Vision
Your peripheral vision is everything that you see on each side of what you are actually looking at. It. This reminded me that I hadn't done the exercises to expand my peripheral vision in a long time. Your reading speed will increase as you are able to see more words at once when you expand your peripheral vision.
There are videos on YouTube with exercises to expand your peripheral vision. The author makes no mention of preparing your mind to read, and I think that's critical. I advise you to do brain gym exercises first. And there are brain gym exercises to expand your peripheral vision.
Evaluate Your Progress
You have to use the strategies to get results. There is no way around it. The author emphasizes that speed reading is not just about consuming lots of books. It's also about understanding them.
Now is the time to test what you've learned so far. Incorporate what you've learned to read something, then test yourself. Write down key points from the text. Read the passage again at a slightly slower pace to see what important points you missed the first time around.
How to Remember What You Read and Learned
It is completely healthy for our brains to let go of things. Otherwise, we'd be overloaded, and that's not a good thing. Information has to pass through our short-term memory filter before it gets to our long-term memory. We then have to give this working memory a reason for the information to stick.
You have to be proactive when reading and have a growth mindset. I also think that preparing your mind is also important. Although Joseph Milano does not say this in Learn Speeding Fast, it's important to craft questions that you want the book you're reading to answer.
Pause and Recall
- When finishing a paragraph, stop for a moment and let it sink in.
- If you come to an important point or phrase in the middle of a paragraph, stop regardless and let it stick.
- Do the same at the end of each chapter.
I ask people to take notes while they're reading. That's a form of learning, and I think it's also a form of pausing and reflecting. Doing this makes the information stick. The author also recommends visualizing keywords as images.
There are a few times the author mentions that when information is important, you read through the book three times, so the information sticks, instead of reading three books about the topic. I have a problem with this. It's important to have diverse perspectives and multiple points of view. I think a middle ground would be to read through three books two times. You cannot accept what one author says and this is something that I feel strongly about.
Milano advises that the reader should read using all the techniques he covers in this book, even when you're reading for entertainment.
Reading List
Learn Speed Reading Fast by Joseph Milano
How to Learn Faster and Be More Productive by Joseph Milano
Next Steps
- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
- Join the Art of Learning Membership Site
- Buy and read Learn Speed Reading Fast
If you access to my Bookish Notes, join my membership site, Art of Learning Leadership Academy.
This post contains affiliate links and The Invisible Mentor® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
