Introduction
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This is my second book in the "10 minute" series. There is some redundancy between this one and The Fitness Expert Next Door in the second chapter, so if you read that one - you were warned.
When I started my self-development program, I stumbled upon a workbook about speed reading. The author outlined a program there for a massive improvement in the speed of reading within three months, but you were supposed to practice one to two hours per day, every day.
Two hours per day! That's a lot of commitment. I didn't have time for it. But I was at a stage of developing my Ten-Minute Philosophy and decided to give it a try, but only for 10 minutes a day. I took that program and modified it by extending each week into a full twelve weeks.
The last time I checked my reading speed, I read at about 240 words per minute. Since that time, my skills had no chance to improve, as I was reading less rather than more and neglected any training in that area.
I checked my results after a month from starting my 10-minute practices, and I was blown away! It was 360 words per minute, 50% progress! Later on, it appeared this result was a coincidence, but still, after six weeks of practice, I read about 340 words per minute, and the progress was impressive.
All you need to achieve similar results is this booklet and 10 minutes a day of your time.
I want to help you, not to rob you. If you can already read quickly, or if you read no more than 30 minutes a day, then the program described below won't improve your skills or give you profits. Remember that I speak of all the time you commit to reading as a whole. That includes Internet, magazines, mail, and work materials, not just reading for pleasure in your leisure time.
So, reader, how fast do you read? If you don't know, then check it out immediately:
http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/
OR
http://legge.psych.umn.edu/mnread/DEMO_RS/
If you are offline and cannot reach those online tests, then prepare a timer, and read below four paragraphs highlighted in different font. Start a timer, and read the paragraphs at a fast enough pace to comprehend the meaning. Then, use the formula I provided after those paragraphs to gauge your reading speed. Ready? Go:
If your honest result is below two hundred and fifty words per minute, then this book is the best value available for you. Grab it, practice ten minutes a day, and within several weeks, you will experience a significant improvement of your reading skills.
If you read below four hundreds words per minute, then I still encourage you to give my ten-minute program a try. You don't have much to lose, and you have a lot to gain: your precious time. You could read the same amount of text in 2/3 of time previously needed. Or you can read twenty, forty, or one hundred percent more text at the same time.
If you read faster than four hundred words per minute, then I cannot guarantee that the techniques I recommend will significantly improve your reading speed. But if you’ve never consciously worked on your reading skills, then chances are that you have a natural talent and you can develop it with a few simple, consistent exercises. Try it for thirty days. All you’ve got to lose is one dollar and five hours of your time within a month. The average American spends more time in front of the TV in two days [1] And the potential gains are huge.
Generally, the slower you read right now, the bigger gains of increasing your skill are. Using my example - I read two hundred and forty words per minute, and I would read about two hours every day. I have increased my reading speed by fifty percent by practicing only ten minutes a day. Thanks to my improved skill, I still can read two hours, and I can absorb monthly, twenty two and a half hours of additional materials. Or I can read the same amount of materials and use all those hours in any way I want. If I would use them for
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