You will hear over 30 practical strategies that can simplify the way you approach your time and your life. We promise you will feel some relief at the end of this 45-minute podcast! You will learn how to:

• Spend your time and money more wisely
• Make your reading pile more quality, instead of quantity
• Use email and other technology smarter
• Take better care of yourself

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The download is processed through our online store. However, it is FREE, and you will NOT be charged.

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The download is processed through our online store. However, it is FREE, and you will NOT be charged.

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Your Reading Stick-Shift

I begin by saying that readers really do have a reading stick-shift that consists of five gears with gear one being very slow up through gear five being overdrive. Most readers are stuck in first or second gear because they just don’t know how to get into gears three, four or five. A speed reading course or book will show them how to expand their peripheral vision to see more at a glance – with comprehension – and provide them with simple options they didn’t even know existed!

Probably THE most useful speed strategy is one that you probably never learned to do: read effectively with your hands or a white card. When I was doing research for The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading, I re-read (okay, skimmed thoroughly!) over 30 books on speed reading. To my amazement, every single book talked about the use of one’s hands or a card to read faster. Click here for instructions on one of my favorite methods: The White Card Method. And if you’re interested in others, Chapter Two of The Idiot’s Guide is dedicated to these methods, with pictures.

Avoid Wasting Time on Unnecessary Reading

Speed reading is also being able to get what you need quickly without wasting time. This includes thinking about why you are reading what you are reading and what you need it for. Click here to read about another one of my favorite ideas: Read the best and SKIP the rest!

If you were the person I was talking to at the party and you had interest in learning more, then I would suggest you go to your local library or bookstore and get a copy of one of my books. I would also tell you about my new online course if you wanted more personal guidance and instruction. In the meantime, this tips archive page has lots more ideas on how to read and work smarter, faster and just plain better.

Here’s to getting started on s-p-e-e-d-i-n-g through your reading!

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This tip may be reprinted as long as the following byline is included:

 Abby Marks Beale is America’s #1 Speed Reading Expert. She has taught speed reading for the past 25 years and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading and 10 Days to Faster Reading.  She is also the creator of Rev It Up Reading, the online speed reading course. Please visit www.RevItUpReading.com for more.

All reading, especially effective, efficient reading, involves a rhythm. You can create this rhythm by using a metronome. (A metronome is a rhythm-keeping device used by musicians.) If you do not have one, you can create a rhythm for your eyes on your own.

Much like the tick of an old grandfather clock, a metronome ticks back and forth rhythmically. The benefit of a metronome is you can set the speed.

Try this: Select any general reading material with narrow columns such as a newspaper or a magazine. Set the metronome to start at a slow pace. Start at the beginning of the first line on the first tick and reach the end of the line at the second tick, then go to the beginning of the next line on the third tick and so on. As you become more confident and find you are reading faster than the ticks, increase the speed of the metronome.

Challenge yourself by forcing the speed for a paragraph or two. You may be able to go faster than you think!

TERMS OF PERMISSION TO REPRINT

This tip may be reprinted as long as the following byline is included:

 Abby Marks Beale is America’s #1 Speed Reading Expert. She has taught speed reading for the past 25 years and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading and 10 Days to Faster Reading.  She is also the creator of Rev It Up Reading, the online speed reading course. Please visit www.RevItUpReading.com for more.

On a piece of paper – or better yet, your computer – jot down all of your reading material you receive for one month. Include newspapers, magazines, professional journals, newsletters, email newsletters and so on. Using a scale between 1 and 10 (1 being low; 10 being high), rate each item’s value to you, personally.

Any item whose value is under 6 should be re-evaluated and possibly deleted (or unsubscribed) from your reading pile. If you don’t have patience to do this for a month, you could also just take current inventory of your pile(s). This works just as well. HINT: If you have 5 or more unread back issues of any one publication, chances are you either don’t have time for it or don’t find value in it. Get rid of it, now!

TERMS OF PERMISSION TO REPRINT

This tip may be reprinted as long as the following byline is included:

 Abby Marks Beale is America’s #1 Speed Reading Expert. She has taught speed reading for the past 25 years and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading and 10 Days to Faster Reading.  She is also the creator of Rev It Up Reading, the online speed reading course. Please visit www.RevItUpReading.com for more.

A common problem all readers have is passive regression, or unintentionally going back over material previously read. The habit typically stems from a reader’s insecurity about their comprehension level initially instilled by our well-meaning reading teachers. Regression can be beneficial though if it is done actively with a purpose in mind, such as going back to check an unfamiliar word.

Try this: To reduce passive regression and to help you read faster, place a blank 3 x 5 white card ON TOP of the words covering the text you already read, leaving exposed the words yet to read. Use the narrow side of the card for narrow columns and the wider side of the card for wider columns. If the column width is very wide, then tape two cards together. This will force you to push your eyes down the page and help you resist the urge to re-read unnecessarily. Focusing only on the words you are reading enhances your concentration, helps you keep your place and facilitates forward eye movements.

(Important Note: Placing the card under the line of text you are reading is great for beginning readers and those who are learning how to decode words but not useful for experienced readers!)

Added Tip – Use the white card as a bookmark!

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This tip may be reprinted as long as the following byline is included:

 Abby Marks Beale is America’s #1 Speed Reading Expert. She has taught speed reading for the past 25 years and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading and 10 Days to Faster Reading.  She is also the creator of Rev It Up Reading, the online speed reading course. Please visit www.RevItUpReading.com for more.

Pure subvocalization, also know as mental whispering or hearing all the words in your head as you read, slows down your reading speed. An average untrained reader has an average reading speed of 250 words per minute; however, mental whisperers average only 100 to 150 words per minute. We CANNOT GET RID OF this talking but we CAN REDUCE it.

While subvocalization is useful when reading things like poetry or plays or while studying or memorizing, it slows you down with your other reading.

Try these 10 ways to REDUCE the talking in your head:

1. Catch yourself doing it!
2. Read faster (you can’t talk as much this way)
3. Put your index fingers to your lips
4. Read key words (3 letters or longer)
5. Mumble or Hum
6. Use your hand or card to speed you up
7. Put toothpaste (or other strange flavor) on your lips
8. Gently bite your tongue
9. Chew gum
10. Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth

It is important to try each method for a reasonable period of time in order to evaluate their effectiveness at reducing your talking.

TERMS OF PERMISSION TO REPRINT

This tip may be reprinted as long as the following byline is included:

 Abby Marks Beale is America’s #1 Speed Reading Expert. She has taught speed reading for the past 25 years and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading and 10 Days to Faster Reading.  She is also the creator of Rev It Up Reading, the online speed reading course. Please visit www.RevItUpReading.com for more.