Become an expert Learner

Hello, I am Srinivas Vakati, Chartered accountant by qualification. Over the last 17 years, I have read over 3000 books. It was possible only because I mastered speed reading and accelerated learning techniques.

I have read 100s of books on the topics of speed reading, accelerated learning, memory development etc. I’ve tested various techniques and strategies shared in these books. 

Not all of them work.

I have put together all the techniques that work into a step-by-step system. I have trained over 9000 people with this system with amazing results.

In this epic guide, i share with you answers to the most frequently questions I am asked about speed reading and also techniques you can use right away to improve your reading speed.

In this guide you'll learn

Lalit Jain, Trader, Vikabh securities

Fundamentals

Are you one of them?

If this is the case, you must know what your reading speed is. We calculate our reading speed in words you read in a minute. ( I will show you how to calculate your reading speed below)

Calculating your reading speed will make you aware if you are a slow reader or an expert reader.

An average reader reads between 150-250 Words Per Minute (WPM).

A fast and an expert reader can read beyond 400 WPM.

No matter what your reading speed is, you must understand what you are reading. If you read faster and understand nothing, then it is useless.

An expert reader reads faster AND understands what they are reading. 

FUNDAMENTALS

Short Answer,

Yes. It is possible to read faster and understand what you are reading.

A few months back, I took a Read Faster workshop with around 100 participants where I taught the techniques of speed reading.

Before the workshop started, I asked every participant to calculate the reading speed and the average reading speed was around two hundred and six words per minute.

In three hours, I taught various techniques of speed reading, and at the end of the workshop, I asked all the participants to recalculate the reading speed and now the average reading speed of all the participants has been increased to three hundred twenty-six words per minute.

In just three hours, an average reading speed increased from around 200 words per minute to 300 words per minute.

That's a 50% of improvement.

The understanding was of equal importance

If all the participants practice these techniques for a few more weeks, their reading speed will increase even further by 2x or even 3x their original reading speed.

FUNDAMENTALS

I have trained people from the age of 12 to 75 years old with great results. 

If you want to master this skill, all you need is

- Interest & curiosity to learn speed reading

- Spend time practising the techniques 

- Read books consistently 

FUNDAMENTALS

Recent research shows that we spend over 4 hours a day reading something (hint: When you open social media and WhatsApp –You are reading)

In my workshops and my online course, I ask participants what their reading speed is. Very few people know what their reading speed is. 

Let me share with you a quick way to calculate your reading speed.

Important: When you are calculating your reading speed below, give the understanding of the text more importance.

Isn’t obvious you need some reading material to test your reading speed. You must select either a light fiction book or a non-fiction book to test your reading speed. Don’t select a technical book for calculating your reading speed. It will not give you the right picture.

Let’s calculate your reading speed

There are 2 ways of calculating your reading speed. The first is Non-mathematical and 2nd way involves mathematics.  You can choose any method.

Here are the steps for the first method:

Set the timer for 1 minute and start reading from the first word.

Read at your normal reading speed for 1 minute.–It is important to read at your normal reading speed and not try to read faster.

When the timer rings, stop reading and put a light mark on the last word you have read.

Count the number of words manually from the beginning till the last word you have read (you have put a light mark).

If you have read 200 words in that one minute, then your reading speed is 200 Words Per Minute (WPM).

Congratulations, that is your reading speed.

Summary: Read for 1 minute. Once you finish reading for one minute, then count the number of words you have read in that one minute.

That’s your reading speed.

Now it’s time for an elaborate method for finding out your reading speed.

Read the book for 3 minutes.

Take the book you have selected and set the timer for 3 minutes.  Read the book for 3 minutes. After you finished reading for 3 minutes, put a light mark on the last word you have read.

Count the number of lines you have read in 3 minutes.

After you finish reading for 3 minutes, count the number of lines you have read.

Let’s say you have read 20 lines.

Calculate the Average words per line.

Count the number of words in the first 3 lines.

Divide the total number of words by 3. You will get an average number of words per line.

Let’s say there are 37 words in 3 lines. So, it comes to 37 words/3 lines = 12.33 i.e.,12 words per line.

Calculate your reading speed

Your reading speed = Number of lines you have read X Average words per line.

In our e.g., your reading speed is 20 lines X 12 words per minute = 240 WPM.

The second method gives you a more true picture of your reading speed.

Remember, whatever your reading speed is, it is just an average reading speed. It is not your absolute reading speed.

Your reading speed will change depending on the book you read, your interest in the reading material, and your state of mind when you are reading. There are many factors.

Calculating your reading speed gives you a rough idea of where you stand.

Personally, I don’t care what my reading speed is because what I care about is how many books I am reading in a week or the number of pages I read in a day.

Knowing your present reading speed would be great if you are starting your journey to improving your learning skill. You would have some numbers to track your improvement.

Calculate your reading speed using any one of the above methods.

FUNDAMENTALS

One of the questions, I am asked frequently is What do you mean by speed reading. 

Many people have the wrong misconception that if you read faster, you won’t understand much.

Here is how I look at speed reading and this is my definition,

Speed reading is the ability to read at your maximum possible speed without compromising comprehension/ understanding.

It is an ability to customize your reading speed according to your purpose and the type of book you are reading.

No. We don’t compromise understanding while speed reading.

Here is what I believe, speed reading without understanding anything is as good as not reading.

In fact, I give more importance to understanding.

Speed Reading is not just about reading faster and ignoring comprehension.  While speed reading, you give equal importance to your reading speed and comprehension. In fact, you give more importance to comprehension.

I never ask my students to read faster than their comfortable reading speed. With training and the right mindset, you increase your comfortable reading speed and thus increase your reading speed.

FUNDAMENTALS

As I have said above, The average reading speed is between 150 to 250 Words per minute (wpm). This is the average reading speed all across the world irrespective of the language and other factors.

There are various techniques and strategies you can use which will help you to read faster with better understanding.

If you master these techniques, you can go beyond 400 words. Till 400 wpm, there won't be much effect on your comprehension. It will remain the same or even improve your current rate.

After 400 wpm, the comprehension starts to reduce. Some people read at around 1000 wpm. Yes, it is possible and you can train yourself to read at this speed but your comprehension will not be the best.

Now look at it like this, if you train yourself to read at 400 wpm, it's almost 2x the average reading speed. Even at this speed, you'll have a huge advantage over the rest of the population.

I personally feel it's better to read 2 times at 400 wpm than reading once at 200 wpm. It will take the same time in both situations.

FUNDAMENTALS

Based on my experience of training over 9000 people, You can learn and practice the core techniques of speed reading in 3 hours.

I have observed most of my participants see 50 to 60% improvement in their reading speed in just 3 hours.

If they continue to practice these techniques, they will be able to 2x their reading speed or even 3x their reading speed.

If you master these techniques, you will be able to read a book a week.

FUNDAMENTALS

To answer this question, let me give you a perspective and also ask you a question. While reading, what exactly are you doing? 

Are you reading or are you memorising? Most people make the mistake of combining reading with memorising. 

Both reading and memorising are two completely different processes. 

To recall something, you need to memorize it in the first place. While reading, you are just reading and not memorising. So during my workshop, I teach this framework called three steps to learn from books. 

The first stage is reading, the second stage is note-taking, and the third stage is memorizing. 

So while reading, you are reading to understand the text, and while making notes, you are identifying what is the key information and making note of it. And while memorising, you are memorising with the intention to recall something when required. So if you see, all three are completely different processes, and most people make the mistake of combining all three steps. 

So to answer the question, will I remember if I read faster?

So the answer is, you will remember something if you have memorized it in the first place. The chances of you remembering something are very less if you just read it. If you want to enhance your recall ability, then I recommend that you spend a lot of time memorizing the key information.

FUNDAMENTALS

I have mentioned above that participants in my workshop see an improvement of over 60% in just 2 hours. Here let me give you an overview of what I teach during the workshop. I teach them 5 levels to master speed reading. 

The first level is to break myths and misconceptions. We have been taught many things by our parents, by our teachers, and by the society which are actually not true with regards to reading.

And second level is in which state of mind should you read. 

Because of these misconceptions, you have developed many bad reading habits. I teach how to stop these bad habits and develop good reading habits. 

And the fourth and fifth level is how you use your eyes and your brain while reading. 

Once you master these five levels, you train yourself and your brain to consume information at a rapid rate. 

You will be able to read faster and still understand what you are reading…. Once you practice the techniques. 

Learn everything you need to know to master speed reading. in fact, you will see a significant difference in your reading speed in just 3 hours.

In this self paced online course, I have put together everything you need to know on how to read faster, how to read books, how make notes and how to remember what you read.

FUNDAMENTALS

Many people ask me this question - Can anyone learn to speed read? 

and Many parents ask me this question - What's the right age to learn speed reading?

Most people all across the world are taught in a similar way. We are taught phonetics - sounds of the alphabets first then words, sentences and so on.

After a few years, you have learned how to read.

As you clearly observe, our reading style hasn't changed much since our school days.

There are multiple things you can do to improve your reading strategy. One of them is Speed reading.

Most of the world's population reads between 150wpm to 250 wpm but with training, you can train yourself to read beyond 400 wpm. That's more than 2x to 3x average speed.

Anyone can learn speed reading and there is no upper age limit to speed reading. I have had a participant who was 78 and attended my workshop and learned speed reading. If he can do it. So can you.

I recommend you learn about speed reading from around the age of 12. By this time, you would have mastered the reading, vocabulary Etc. In fact, I was 13 when I learned speed reading for the first time.

Techniques

This is going to be a workshop-style answer, where you are going to do exercises. To do these exercises, you need to have

a Book or reading material you haven’t read previously.

A Pen

Let’s get started

I am going to break this answer into 3 sections.

First, we will test your reading speed and then I will show you 2 exercises you can do immediately to improve your reading speed and concentration.

Then we will end with testing your reading speed reading again us

To test your reading speed, set a timer for one minute and calculate your reading speed. I have shared in detail how to calculate your reading speed above. Refer to it, if you need more clarification. 

Remember while reading, it's important that you give more focus on understanding

Take out your book and calculate your reading speed. Write down your reading speed on a piece of paper. We will revisit this speed in some time. 

Now, let's focus on what you can do to increase your reading speed.

You can’t read a book with 100% focus if there are 100 people around you talking, mobile phones ringing, children playing etc. You can’t do a serious reading at these places.

You read and learn at your best when the environment you are reading supports you. You will learn at your best when there are no or minimum sounds and distractions when you are reading.

Now, select a place which is best for reading. The place should have no/minimum sounds. It is preferable to have no distracting objects on your desk when you are reading.

Select a place to read which is learning-friendly. Remove everything that is not relevant for reading. You only need to have just a book and a pen.

The best state to read and learn something is the alpha state of mind.

Without going into theory or technical details, the alpha state is a state of mind where your brain activity is less and is relaxed. 


In this state, you have fewer thoughts. This makes the reading more focused, productive and enjoyable.

If you read in this state, your focus on the reading material will be much more and you would have fewer mental distractions.

Before you start reading,   Close your eyes, and take 3 deep breaths.  and in your mind, start counting the numbers mentally backwards (slowly) from 10 to 1.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3….2…..1 stop.

You will be at an alpha state by the time you reach number 1.

With practice, you will go to the alpha state faster and deeper.  After a few days, you can count the numbers backwards from 3 to 1 and you will be at the alpha level.

Once you are in the alpha state …. Start reading.

From now, make it a rule to read only in the alpha state. If you are not in the alpha state, then don’t read.

·      With Practice, going to the alpha level will be as easy as counting the number backwards from 3 to 1.

·      Going to the alpha state will take a maximum of 10 seconds. These 10 seconds will save you hours in long run.

Imagine the last time you were looking for a meaning of a word in a dictionary-

Did you use a pen or a finger to guide your eyes to find the word?

Most likely you did.

We naturally use our hand as a pacer, when we have to find important information on the page.

If you start using a pacer every time you read, you will notice your concentration is more. Your eyes move smoothly and you will be fully engaged with what you are reading.

1. Place the index finger of your dominant hand on the first word of the page. Alternatively, you can use a pen as a pacer.

2. Sweep your pacer under the words as you read.

3. Keep your eye fixation above the tip of your index finger or on the pen while you are reading.

Practice reading with the pacer for a few minutes. It may feel uncomfortable in the beginning. You will get used to it very soon.

From today make it a habit to read everything with a pacer.  You can use your hand or pen or pencil as a pacer.  The use of a pacer should become a habit and it should come naturally from now.

Practice reading with the pacer for a few minutes. 

Now I want you to calculate your reading speed by implementing what you have learned so far. Keep everything you’ve learned in mind and read in an alpha state and with the pacer. You will surely see an improvement in your reading speed and concentration.

Techniques

Many people share with me, that they feel sleepy while reading.  In my experience, I have found that there are 2 major reasons why this happens. 

#1. Most people read in the wrong state of mind. 

#2 Most people don’t have a strong reason to read the book or finish it. 

1. Never read the book just before sleeping, lying on the bed. If you read while lying on the bed before sleeping, you are giving a message to your brain that reading = sleeping. If you have the habit of reading before sleeping, I recommend you to read sitting on a chair and then go to sleep when you want to. 

2. Always go to the alpha state before you read. This will reduce the thoughts in your brain and it will be more relaxed. 

3. Always have a strong reason to read the book. Always ask yourself these 2 questions  - Why do I want to read this book? What do I want to learn from this book? Write down the answers on a piece of paper. The stronger the reason to read the book, the more inspired you will be to read and finish the book. 

Techniques

Let me share with you one of the biggest misconceptions most people have about reading. They believe For better comprehension, one should read slowly and carefully.

Reality: Your brain has the capability to read at a faster rate and understand as well. 

Generally, reading slowly will put your brain to sleep. 

Your brain likes speed. 

Does this mean, you should read at high speed for all the material? 

Hell, No.

Your reading speed should vary depending on the material you are reading. Expert readers vary their reading speed depending on the text. You should do the same. 

In a few books, if you read very fast, you may not understand them fully, in that case, you should slow your reading speed. Sometimes, you have to increase your reading speed.

As I have mentioned before you can read faster and understand the text if you train yourself. 

Most effective readers are fast readers. Compare top-scoring students with low-scoring students. You will find that top-scoring students are faster readers.

Comprehension will reduce if you read faster than your present skill. You are reading slowly because you haven’t trained yourself to read faster. 

Techniques

There are multiple bad habits which people develop over the years. Here let me share with you one good habit which will help you the most. It's called Pacer. 

I have shared with you what the pacer is above. 

Using a pacer helps your Eyes move smoothly on paper while reading.

- Use of Pacer is the Solution to many bad reading habits most people have.

- Use of Pacer helps you concentrate more on what you are reading and stops you from rereading what you have read (called regression)

- Just the use of a pacer will result in at least a 10% increase in your reading speed.

From today make it a habit to read everything with a pacer.  You can use your hand or pen or pencil as a pacer.  The use of a pacer should become a habit and it should come naturally from now.

It might feel odd in the beginning. You will get used to it. The use of a pacer is something which we do naturally.  Remember the last time when you looked up the meaning of a word in a dictionary (in a book)? Most likely you will have used your hand as a guide to search for the word.

READING Habit

One of the most common statements I hear from my students is “ I don’t have time to read books”. Most people buy a lot of books but never finish them. In this answer, let me share with you some of the tips which will help you to find time to read the books… and complete them.

This is one of the best tips I have learned in my life to finish a large amount of work and be more productive. 

The technique is simple - before you start the task, you decide how much time you are going to spend on the task - uninterrupted and work for that duration.

 You rarely get things done because there are too many interruptions after starting your task. Blocking the time ensures you focus 100% on the task and finish a lot of work.

Here is how you implement this productivity tip for reading: 

Before you start reading. Set a timer for one hour and eliminate all the possible distractions that could come up when you are reading.  

If you want to make it even more effective, schedule this session in your calendar AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY OR EVEN THE WEEK. 

Schedule your reading time beforehand. 

Once you schedule your reading, you won’t plan other work later. Reading the book becomes a priority. 

After you started reading make sure you don't get up until the timer rings.

If you follow this, you will end up reading a lot more in one hour.

Personally, I have read 100s of books while travelling in public transport and in flights. You can switch listening to music with reading. This one strategy has played a huge role in my completing a lot of books. As professionals, I am sure you travel a lot. Why not use it to your advantage? 

When you make a true commitment, you’ll finish the task no matter what. We normally don’t read books, because it’s something that is “nice to do” and not a Must. once you make the reading a MUST DO activity, you will notice yourself reading a lot. 

So what I suggest is, Make a commitment to yourself to read ̣X number of books this month no matter what. Once you make a commitment, tell your close friends about it and challenge them to keep you accountable. Once you make a public commitment with accountability, you will surely get more reading done. 

READING HABIT

Let me share with you some of the best tips I have learned over the years to make reading a habit.

Decide a specific place and time to read a book. Finish this statement - I will read a book every day at [time] at [Place]. Once you decide on the place and time, it conditions your brain to read at this time and everything becomes easy.

If you are someone who rarely reads but want to read, this strategy will help you the most. It's called a tiny habit. Instead of setting up a goal to read a book a week, I recommend you set a goal to read one page a day. That’s it. One page.

It's easy to complete one page and also it will not overwhelm you. You will slowly develop the habit of reading and eventually, you will notice that you are reading more and more every day.  

The chances of you reading more is higher if you have an accountability partner. Here is what I recommend, find someone interested in reading and both of you hold yourself accountable to read. Set the targets together and meet once a week and discuss what you have read. This will force you to read. 

Alternatively, you can join a book club. 

Having the right environment plays a huge role in developing habits. Here is what I recommend:

- Select a place which will be your “reading zone”. For me, it's the table where I work. 

- Keep the book (s) you want to read on the table beforehand. If you have the books, right before you then the chances of you reading them become more. You can be creative and design the environment in such a way that it becomes easy and inspires you to read. 

Read the following books to learn more about building habits. These 3 are the best books I have read on the topic of habits. 

- Atomic habits

- Tiny Habits

- The power of habit

This is an extension of the previous tip - Read one page a day. After you read one page for a few days, slowly commit to reading for 15 minutes a day. Let me show you the power of reading 15 minutes a day in a separate section. 

READING HABIT

Many people come to me and say they want to read daily but don't have time. They ask me If they have to do just one thing to develop a reading habit and finish more books - what should they do? 

I always give this solution. 

And the solution is to read for just 15 Minutes a day

You might be thinking that's too simple. Now let me show you

- What will you accomplish if you read for 15 minutes a day

- How to find that 15 minutes even if you are super busy? 

The average reading speed of most people all across the world is between 150 to 250 wpm.

Let's assume your reading speed is 200 wpm.

At this speed, you'll read for around 3000 words. And in a week you'll read over 20000 words and in a year you'll have read over 11 lacs words. That's over 1 Million words.

Most non-fiction books are around 50000 words and You will have read over 20 books in a year.

Now if you don't read daily, do you realize the power of reading for just 15 minutes.

Can you imagine where your life will be if you execute what you learned from these 1 million words? Where will your career, and relationships be if you execute the wisdom from these books?

If you want to develop a reading habit, I recommend you start reading for 15 minutes and slowly increase the time and learn other strategies to read faster

Now if you feel you are too busy and you won't have here are a few ideas on how you can find that 15 minutes

- You can use Travelling time as learning time. While I was a student, I was travelling daily on public transport and used that time to read books.

- The next thing you can do is, you can read First thing in the morning. Wake up, read for 15 minutes and go through your day.

- You can schedule a fixed time in your day for reading. let's say, you decide every day at 2 pm you will read or you will read after having lunch. Once you decide on the time, schedule it in your calendar.

- The next strategy could be you can read right before going to bed. Just don't read laying on the bed. Read on your table and then go to sleep.

To summarize, make it your habit to read for 15 minutes a day. You won’t believe how much you will be reading in a year if you do it daily. 

Beyond Speed Reading - Reading  books

Recently, a student in my online course asked me this question.

Should I read one book or multiple books at a time?

Let me answer this question from my experience and what I do.

Here is what I love to do:

I like to pick one book, finish it and then move to the next book. I prefer to go deeper with one author and then move to the next author.

Even When I am researching a topic which involves reading multiple books. I still read one book at a time.

Once I finish books all the books, then I gather all the books to compare and contrast.

That's my strategy.

While I was a student and preparing for my exams. I used to study 2 subjects at a time. In the morning, I would study a theoretical subject which involves a lot of reading and in the evening, I would select a practical subject like accounting, which involved practice. Once I am finished with the entire subject, then I would move to the next subject.

One of my friends loves to read multiple books at a time. For him, reading multiple books keeps things interesting and makes him more creative. It works for him.

I have observed that few people start with a book but don't finish it. they don't start with another book until they finish the previous book.

If you are someone who loves to read the second book only after finishing the first book but don't finish books often, then it makes sense to start reading multiple books. Even if you don't finish one book, still you will be reading and finishing the other.

So, even if you don't finish one book, still you are reading other books.

BEYOND SPEED READING - READING  BOOKS

Here I am going to show you and prove it you why you can read a book every week and hopefully motivate you to read daily.

An average non-fiction book has around 50,000 words. An average person reads at around 250 words per minute (wpm)

At this speed, it will take him approximately 200 minutes to finish the book. That’s 3 hours and 20 minutes.

So, theoretically, you can finish an entire book in around 3 hours.

I know now you are thinking that is too good to be true.

it is.

This calculation assumes you read at the same speed throughout and with 100% focus. Both of which are practically not possible.

So, let’s take the worst-case scenario.

Let's assume your reading speed is less than the average person's and your ability to focus is not great.

So, let's double the time it will take to finish the book. It will come to around 6 hours.

You can still finish an entire book in a week if you read an hour a day and even take Sunday off.

Let’s look at this another way, instead of reading for an hour, you decide to read 50 pages a day.

That’s it, 50 pages. It will take 60 to 75 minutes to reach this target.

If you read 50 pages a day for 5 days a week.

That’s 250 pages in a week. That’s the average size of a non-fiction book.

If you do the same thing for a year, you would have read 13000 pages in a year.

Imagine how many books you could finish by reading 13000 pages in a year.

How would your life be if you have read 13000 pages?

Do you think you can’t read 50 pages a day?

No problem.

Why don’t you start small? Let's say with 25 pages a day or even 10 pages a day?

That’s achievable, right?

What’s important is the habit of reading daily and slowly increasing the number of pages you read daily.

Calculate how many books would you have read in the last 10 years, if you have read 25 pages or 50 pages a day. Do you want the upcoming 10 years to be the same as the last 10 years?

Either feel guilty that you are not reading any books to enhance your knowledge or learn better strategies to improve your life;

or

Start reading for an hour or set a target of the number of pages you want to read in a day.

Be a person who reads books instead of talking about them.

In long run, the results you get would be simply outstanding.

LEARN How to read a book in a day with rapid speed, make effective notes and remember all the key information in my online course.

In this self paced online course, I have put together everything you need to know on how to read faster, how to read books, how make notes and how to remember what you read.

BEYOND SPEED READING - READING  BOOKS

Are you someone who sits to read a book or study and within a few minutes you want to get up and do something else?

I am going to share with you 3 strategies which helped me study for a long duration and hopefully work for you as well.

If you have followed my teachings for enough time, you will know that I stress a lot about having a purpose. Purpose while studying or reading means having a strong reason to read a book. Before you start studying you must know what you want to get from this book or why you want to read this book.

I always say, if you don't have a purpose, then don't start to read.

Here is what usually happens. After a few minutes of studying, your brain comes up with reasons to get up. You will remember that call you need to make or take a bathroom break or some other reason.

if you want to study for a long duration. You must control this temptation.

To control the temptation, I recommend you set a timer.

Don't get up no matter what till the timer rings. I recommend initially setting a timer for around 30 minutes and slowly increasing the time. you set.

Train your mind in such a way that it knows that this guy won't get up till the timer rings. So, I might as well focus on what he is reading.

Slowly, the time you sit for studying in one go increases drastically.

It is recommended that you study for 40 minutes, take a break for 10 minutes and then resume reading. This advice is given because, scientists have observed that after 40 minutes of reading, we start losing concentration

This works most of the time for most people.

Interestingly, the opposite has been true.

Here is what I observed while I was preparing for my CA final exams. After around 40 minutes of studying, I start losing concentration. but I wouldn't stop. I wouldn't get up till I finish the chapter.

Here is what would happen: After 40 minutes of studying my concentration would drop but I would still continue with the book. After 10 minutes or so, my concentration would improve and in fact, it would be much better. I would become more engaged with the book.

The chapters I were reading were quite long. So, I would study for stretches of 3 hours. After a few days of studying like this, it has become a habit.

These are the 3 tips which helped me study for a long duration and I am sure they will help you too.

BEYOND SPEED READING - READING  BOOKS

In one of my speed reading workshops, I asked the participants how they select the book they read.

One participant mentioned he gets scared looking at the size of the books so, he picks the thinnest book. Are you someone who gets scared looking at the size of the books?

Let me share a mindset which will completely change the way you look at books and read forever.

Before I share with you the mindset, Let's understand how authors generally write books

He starts with a broad idea or ideas he wants to cover in the book

Then he will prepare the outline where he will list down all the key points he wants to cover in the book.

The outline is then expanded to headings and subheadings.

They are further expanded to chapters.

All the chapters are put together to become a book which you hold in your hands.

idea → Key ideas in outline → Headings/ subheadings → Chapters → Book

So, a 200 to 250-page book will start from 3 to 5 pages of outline.

Now ask yourself this question, while you are reading what exactly are you reading for?

Are you reading for the ideas or all the words that are written to convey the ideas? 

It may take 1000 words for an author to convey one idea. If you understand the idea then you needn't read all the 1000 words.

Most people believe they need to read all the words to understand everything the author wants to convey. That's far from true.

If you read with the mindset of reading for ideas, then the way you read any book will completely change.

You will start focusing more on reading that is important and skip what's not necessary.

Let me give you an example from a book I read a few years back without naming the book. This book has over 500 pages and when I started reading the book, I realise the core ideas of the book can be summarised into one-page max. There was a lot of fluff in the book. If I had focused on reading every word, then I would have wasted a lot of time. Instead, I focused on finding the key ideas and finishing the book faster and achieving my purpose and executing what I learned.

Remember I am not saying you shouldn't read everything. What I am saying is in the first reading, focus on reading for key ideas and if you want to learn in detail then you can choose to read everything in the second reading.

When you read with the mindset of reading for ideas, it will take very less time compared with when you read every word in the book.

So, from today for the first reading, focus on reading the ideas the author wants to convey.

Once you read with this mindset, you will never be scared of the size of the book.

BEYOND SPEED READING - READING  BOOKS

One question I'm asked is, does speed reading can be applied to both fiction and non-fiction books?

The answer is yes. 

You can speed-read both fiction and non-fiction books. 

The techniques of speed reading are universal and can be applied to both types of books. 

Many people have this misconception that they will enjoy reading fiction if they read slowly. That is one of the most common misconceptions many of the participants in my workshop have.  

So to answer this, let me give you an example from my life. When the Harry Potter book, the seventh part released, I purchased it on day one and finished it by the night. I read the entire book in one day, and of course, I read it fast. And I completely enjoyed the book more than the movie. 

If you think you cannot speed read a fiction book, then you are mistaken. 

I recommend that you read a fiction book faster and notice your experience, and then you tell me how was your experience. When I say read faster, I am in no way saying that you read so much fast that you do not understand anything.

BEYOND SPEED READING - READING  BOOKS

Short answer

Yes, it is possible to speed-read official documents and technical material.

Many people have this misconception that if you are a speed reader, then it means you read faster and at the same speed on all reading material.

I always say this to my students,

As an expert learner, you are a flexible reader. It means you change your reading speed depending on the book you are reading and the purpose behind reading the book.

So when you are reading technical material, your reading strategy would be different from let's say when you are reading a newspaper.

Most of the principles of speed reading can be applied to all the reading material. You just have to tweak it a little depending on what you are reading and why you are reading it.

By all means, speed read official and technical material. 

BEYOND SPEED READING - READING  BOOKS

Are you someone who likes to play music in the background while reading? Recently a student of my online course asked me if it is ok?

A few of my students mentioned that it helps them to concentrate better if there is some light music in the background.

Listening to music changes our mood and brain frequency. If you listen to the right music, then it will help you concentrate better.

I recommend that you play light classical music in the background. you can search for Alpha music or study music on YouTube. Listen to a few tracks and pick your favourite.

Whatever music you select, ensure that there are no lyrics or loud or rock music. That would be distracting and counterproductive. Don't play it at high volume as well.

Personally, I find any music in the background distracting. So, I don't play one while reading. I like to focus 100% on the book I am reading.

If you are someone who finds music in the background helpful, by all means, play it without guilt.

If you are someone who finds music in the background distracting, don’t play it. 

The superpower is the art of reading books faster with better understanding and concentration

If you master these five levels, I am sure even you will be able to read faster and develop your superpower.

If you want to learn how to read faster, check out my online course "Become an expert learner" where I teach you techniques to double to triple your reading speed with better concentration and comprehension.

Along with this course, you will also get access to 3 more courses which will take your learning ability to the next level. 

This is my master course where you will learn everything you need to master the art of learning faster.  You will learn how to read faster, make notes and memorize what you read.  

This course is the bundle of my 4 courses on learning faster and better.

Here is an overview of what you'll learn in the 4 courses.

Step #1

Bookmark this page and revisit the questions multiple times. It will give you clarity on what is possible and change your mindset about reading. 

Step #2

In this self paced online course, I have put together everything you need to know on how to read faster, how to read books, how make notes and how to remember what you read.

Step #3

If you have any questions about speed reading, studying, or leaning in journal. Send me an email. Also, if you want any clarity about my online course, do send me an email as well. I read all the email and will respond to you asap. My email id is: srinivas@srinivasvakati.com

I came to have a better grasp of the material I read. A lot of myths I lived with were removed, primarily 1. I was deliberately reading slowly 2. I wanted to grasp 100% at first go. I have already recommended your workshop to many. it was a very fruitful Sunday. I read more and enjoy reading more and share more.

Amita Sonthalia, 

MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRIVENI LIGHTS

“ Some myths about reading got busted, I always thought that I need to read every word and this affected my speed. Thanks to the workshop my speed has considerably increased. Srinivas's enthusiasm, knowledge of the subject and hard work is really commendable. Also noteworthy was the fact that he had read so many books and was belting out the must reads at the workshop. A must attend workshop for all, irrespective of age and profession, all the very best to Srinivas.”

Veena Kamath,

Banker,