“Chunking” Challenge – Bootcamp Session 4
So you made it this far. Congratulations!
The Week 5 Recording is Accessible Here. You can revisit any of the lessons if you need a refresher.
This week we covered an Advanced Speed Reading Exercise that is sometimes referred to as a “Tap Drill.”
The goal of the Tap Drill is to see multiple words in a single glance while maintaining a concentrated pace. Your eyes will move from one fixation point to the next and this strategy will help you avoid fixating on a word-by-word basis.
We all have peripheral vision and you are perfectly capable of picking up groups of words. Depending on how wide the margins are, start with breaking each line up into 2 or 3 sections.
You might see several words in a single glance, but remember that some of them are Stop Words (such as “a” “an” “the” “of” – words that are there for grammatical purposes, but don’t necessarily add additional meaning to the sentence).
There are always key words and key phrases that will jump off the page. Being mindful of “Stop Words” will help you reduce Subvocalization.
How To Practice
Time to get some productive reading done!
You might already have some purposeful reading in mind.
Select material that you already need to read or choose something interesting to you.
Using a “Visual Cue” to Guide Your Eyes (Hand, Finger or Pen)
You’re not only doing this because your eyes are naturally attracted to motion, but also because you can use this movement as a pacer to control your speed. This also stimulates your focus and forces you to concentrate harder on the material.
Changing Up Your Reading Speed
Knowing when to slow down and speed up, depending on how your reading material is structured, and practicing this simple technique is tremendously useful in improving your comprehension because it forces you to pay attention while reading.
If you’re constantly reading at the same speed, you’re more likely to lose your focus/concentration and get distracted.
By making a concerted effort of slowing down / speeding up you are essentially changing up your own energy, which allows you to approach the material more efficiently.
Mindfulness of the 3 Old Reading Habits
Fixation: You don’t need to read on a word-by-word basis, and using a visual cue to guide your eyes allows you to get used to seeing words at a faster pace and picking up groups of words more effectively.
Regression: If you are going to invest your valuable time reading anything, it’s best to read it effectively the first time around so you don’t have to go back and re-read. Strategic implementation of the IRIS Method we covered will be helpful for non-fiction, technical, analytical or informational material (Inspect, Read, Inquire, Store).
Subvocalization: This can be one of the most difficult habits to change, but always remember that your thinking speed is way faster than your reading speed. All of this is covered more comprehensively in our Speed Reading Mastery Course.
Practicing Speed Drills
These eye-training exercises might feel uncomfortable for your eyes at first, but drilling is essential to help you continue improving your speed beyond the workshop. If you already have some purposeful reading that needs to get done, this is a strategic way to get some purposeful reading done while reinforcing the techniques.
Focus on finding a concentrated pace and learn to pace yourself. You should be practicing speed drills in reading material that you already read for good comprehension, so you should look at speed drills simply as hand-eye coordination exercises. Similar to muscle memory, they become a lot more fluid and effortless through repetition, consistency and discipline. Step outside of your comfort level and challenge yourself to maintain high speeds for longer periods of time.
The easiest way to practice speed drills in your own material is to read for a period of time (20 minutes, for example), then run a speed drill over the same material in half the time (10 minutes). This forces you to practice seeing words at 2X your normal reading speed. Don’t worry about comprehension during the speed drill. It’s nothing more than a hand-eye coordination exercise and you already read the material the first time for good comprehension. The additional exposure to the material might allow you to pick up additional details along the way, but don’t forget the true purpose – eye training.
You can also practice picking up groups of words more effectively on the computer screen using AccelaReader.
Strategic Implementation of the IRIS Method
Losing your focus / concentration and going back to re-read is more likely when you read from start to finish at the exact same speed. If you are dealing with technical material or analytical / informational reading, the IRIS Method encourages you to read out of order by starting with a strategic Inspection.
Be mindful of the 80 / 20 principle – Always ask yourself, “How can I get 80% of the information in 20% of the time?”
By familiarizing yourself with the material before you read it, you should be able to get through it more efficiently when you go back to the beginning and read everything. Your inspection strategy might change slightly depending on the content and structure of your reading material (look for patterns).
Apply the “25 / 5 Rule” when reading for extended periods of time. This technique encourages frequent breaks and chunking your focus timeframe, which stimulates your concentration.