5 Minutes To Faster Reading (While Still Comprehending)

09 October 2017

Imagine how much more could you get done.

How much easier it would be to do prep and mark assignments.

How much quicker you’d get through textbooks and dull subject matters in class.

How much more time you’d have to spend doing other things like playing games and going on exciting school trips.

If only you and your students could read faster.

Well, according to a simple method demonstrated in The PX Project, you can. And not only is it incredibly quick and easy, but it can create significant improvements in your reading speed while still ensuring you absorb every single word.

The PX Project was a single three-hour cognitive experiment — conducted by Tim Ferriss at Princeton University in 1998 — that produced an average increase in reading speed of 386 percent. He claims, by following the simple process I’m going to outline below, anyone can do the same — Crucially, without decreasing comprehension. Here’s how it works:

To read, our eyes don’t track words in one, seamless straight line, but rather in a number of small fixations or ‘jumps’.

These jumps are like temporary snapshots of a section of text. You can feel them by closing one eye and attempting to read as normal. The untrained person is inefficient in making these jumps, and therefore spends a lot of time in regression (conscious rereading) and back-skipping.

You can increase your efficiency of jumps by improving your peripheral vision. Normally when reading, we only use central focus vision, and leave peripheral vision unused and wasted on empty margins. If you increase your use of horizontal peripheral vision, you increase the number of words registered per jump and therefore minimise jumps and regression.

First, practice the method while solely focusing on technique. After that, practice the technique with speed. Then, finally, practice it with both speed and comprehension. The trick to improving your reading speed while maintaining comprehension is to practice the technique at 3x the speed
of your ultimate target reading speed. Before you begin, calculate your baseline reading speed.

Do this by first counting the number of words in five lines, dividing the number of words by five, and getting the average number of words-per-line. Next, count the number of lines on five pages and divide by five for the average number of lines per page. Multiply this by the average number of words-per-line, and you have your average number of words per page.
Now set a timer for one minute and read for comprehension. Multiply the number of lines read by your average words-per- line to determine your current words-per-minute (wpm) rate.

The method:

1. Place a pen under each line to track and pace reading to a consistent speed of one line per second. Begin one word in from the first word of each line, and end one word in from the last word. Time yourself for three minutes.
2. Once comfortable, begin two words in from the first word of each line, and end two words in from the last word. Again, set a timer for three minutes and read.
3. Lastly, begin at least three words in from the first word of each line, and end three words in from the last word. Three minutes. Read. Go.
4. Now repeat the technique, but at a faster pace — keeping each line to no more than half a second.

This is the final step: reading for three minutes while starting three words in and ending three words out, sticking to the pace of half a second per line. Remember, focus on technique, speed, then comprehension.  Once you master the method, pick up a book and see how much your words-per-minute rate has increased.

And voila! There you have it, the ability to cram way more books into your head and whizz through lessons by simply taking five minutes to improve your fine motor skills.

Need a minibus for your next school trip or excursion? Contact our friendly team today and work
with a company that specialises in minibuses for schools.

Back to Blog listings