Limitless - Jim Kwik Page 0,88
vocabulary. Some people just sound smarter. How do you react when you encounter one of these people? In all likelihood, you offer them increased respect and even a certain level of deference. People who sound smart tend to have access to and a facility with a wider vocabulary than the average person. Reading allows you to build vocabulary organically. The more you read, the more you are exposed to an expanded range of language and the use of that language in a variety of contexts. And because reading is such a superior focusing tool, you’re absorbing a great deal of this, and it will be accessible to you as you need it.
Reading improves your imagination. If you were ever given a story prompt at school or at work, you know that it is often easier to think creatively when using a tool to get started. Reading is essentially one story prompt after another. “What would it be like to be in this person’s shoes?” “How can I use this technique to be more productive?” “What am I going to do first, once Jim Kwik helps me become limitless?” A great imagination helps you see more possibilities in your life, and reading keeps your imagination on high alert.
Reading improves understanding. Learning comes in many forms, and learning as a success tool has many elements. And while agile thinking and mastery of skills are critical to success, empathy and understanding can’t be overlooked. Reading exposes you to lives you’d never known before, experiences you’d never imagined, and modes of thinking far different from your own. All of this builds both your empathy for others and your understanding of how the world works beyond yourself.
KWIK START
If you can read faster with greater comprehension and enjoyment, what books would you start reading this month? Create a list of three books you want to start reading.
READING SELF-ASSESSMENT
The first thing you must do is discover your present reading speed, also known as your base rate. This reading rate is measured in words per minute. In order to measure it, you will need an easy reading novel, a pencil, and a timer. Then do the following:
Set an alarm to go off in two minutes.
Read at a comfortable speed and stop when the alarm goes off (put a mark where you left off).
Count the total number of words in three regular lines, and divide that number by three. This is the average number of words per line.
Count the number of lines you just read (only count those lines that at least make it halfway across the page)
Multiply the number of words per line by the number of lines you just read (multiply your answers from steps 3 and 4).
Divide this number by two (because you read for two minutes) and this is your words per minute. Do this now. It is critical to have this exercise completed before moving on. Write down your current reading speed.
The average person’s reading speed can usually be found somewhere between 150 to 250 words per minute. This range varies with the difficulty of the material. If you are reading much below 100 words per minute, the material may be too difficult or you may want to seek remedial help (the skills you learn here will still be of great value).
Let’s say a person reads at 200 words per minute. This person reads and studies for four hours a day. A person who reads at 400 words per minute (twice as fast) needs only to study for half as much time. A faster reader saves at least two hours each day.
KWIK START
If you can save two hours each day, what would you do with this extra time? Take a moment to write down how you would spend those extra two hours daily.
CHALLENGES TO READING
People either don’t read or choose to read very little for a variety of reasons. You work long hours, and you’re exhausted at the end of the day. It’s easier to be entertained passively (through television, film, music, etc.) than to engage in the activity required to read. If you’re going to work for your entertainment, you’d rather be playing a videogame. I hear you, but if you’ve absorbed the benefits I just listed above, you know that you need to fit some time into your day—every day—to read.
Another key reason why people don’t read is that they find it a laborious process. It can take them five minutes to get through a single page in a book, making the