Limitless - Jim Kwik Page 0,93
events. After years of struggle in this arena, she was convinced that there was very little chance she’d ever be capable of improving her reading ability or her ability to study.
In my programs, I make it a point to reassure my students that we are not aiming for perfection but for progress, and this resonated with Sarah. She realized she had been looking for complicated solutions, but that the tools and techniques we teach—which are easy to ignore or overlook because they are simple—were the best to use. She decided to show up with dedication and do her best, no matter what doubts she might have.
The results speak for themselves; Sarah’s reading speed is now three times faster—she went from reading 253 words per minute to 838 words per minute. She starts her day by reading, which starts each morning with positive momentum and makes her feel like she’s already achieved something for the day.
Lou, another student, also experienced a profound difference in his reading ability once he learned a technique that could truly help him. Lou excelled at high-level left-brained topics such as engineering and math and obtained a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. But he struggled in every single English class he ever took. Throughout his school years, he had enormous trouble understanding the words he was reading and comprehending the lessons behind them. In fact, he’s convinced that he graduated only because his teachers gave him undeserved Cs out of sympathy.
ADDITIONAL READING TIPS.
Hold your book upright. If the book is flat on your desk, you may be doing one of two things, either looking at the print at an angle versus directly, thus putting unnecessary strain on your eyes, or
you will be slouched over in order to see the print clearly, and this (as you know) disrupts the flow of oxygen through your body and makes you feel tired.
Read for only 20 to 25 minutes at a time. Remember primacy and regency. Also, if your eyes ever get tired or feel strained, take a break. Close your eyes and let them rest.
Make reading a habit. Those who have reached a high degree of success in life are almost always avid readers. Great readers read often. The key is to make reading a habit. Give yourself this gift.
When he was 35, Lou began to take lessons to learn how to read. These were helpful, but he still found himself at a second-grade reading level after four years of work. This was a vast improvement from where he had been, but it wasn’t nearly what he wanted, and he continued to be frustrated with his inability to master words and concepts. A big part of the problem was that he had been trying to learn by rote memorization—reading the same passages over and over in the hope that he would absorb what he was reading. But he consistently found himself having learned nothing by the end of the page.
While he had made significant progress, finding programs was the key for Lou. As our memory program taught him how to absorb the material he was reading, he began to take a little more time to visualize words as he read them, and he used his left hand as a pacer to help stimulate the right side of his brain. Finally, for the first time, he found himself reading books and understanding them.
KWIK START
Block out at least 15 minutes each day for reading and put it in your calendar like an important appointment. Commit to making reading part of your daily habit.
BEFORE WE MOVE ON
Unlimiting your reading and learning will offer you an unparalleled level of freedom. People who make the most of their capacity to learn find themselves experiencing the world with a sense of mastery and with the confidence that no task or challenge will intimidate them. Visit www.LimitlessBook.com/resources and put what you learned here into practice. You can watch an hour speed-reading masterclass where I walk you through these methods. Before we get to the next chapter, try a few things:
Identify a current reading habit that you’d like to change. Any transformation requires you to acknowledge what’s holding you back and notice when it shows up during your practice.
Practice reading with a visual pacer each day. Schedule your reading, for even 10 minutes each day, to build your “reading muscle.”
Make a list of the books you would like to read this month and write down what can change in your life when you finish reading them.
Take my