#16 | Speed Reading: Wins + Lessons

👀📖 My Techniques for Speed Reading

It all started eight or nine years ago, winter, definitely evening.

My desk was a war zone—books in every direction, a dozen tabs open on my laptop, and sticky notes multiplying like rabbits. (I’m still a bit like that.)

I wasn’t just overwhelmed; I was outnumbered.

Each page felt like it was mocking me, whispering, “You’ll never get through us. 👀”

Dramatic? Sure. But hey, that was how things stood.

Then came the idea: speed reading.

Indeed, I thought, there must be a way to blast through this mountain of information like a literary superhero.

What could go wrong? (Spoiler: A lot.)

What I cover today:

• My weird start with speed reading
• The techniques that actually work
• ​A guide to read faster​ (article)
• ​How to speed read​ (article)

Turning point: the book that didn’t change my life

One night, I decided to take the plunge. Enter Photoreading by Paul Scheele.

The book promised to unlock the secrets of reading at lightning speed.

I dutifully followed the instructions, mentally photographing pages for 1-2 seconds without actually reading them.

You were meant to be in Theta State, so the whole process felt a bit like trying to channel the Matrix.

A few days later (activation phase), I reviewed the material, fully expecting some enlightenment.

And… nothing. Not a single groundbreaking insight.

Turns out speed reading isn’t magic. Who knew?

In the end, it was a rather frustrating wake-up call.

Speed reading wasn’t going to be some effortless hack (maybe if you manage to get into Theta mode).

It was a skill that required practice, patience, and a reality check, so I got serious. It was messy at first.

I skimmed too fast and missed key points. I scanned for details and lost the context.

But slowly, things started to click, and the mountain of information began to shrink.

Techniques that finally made sense

1. Skimming and scanning: the bread & butter of reading

Skimming gets you the overview; scanning digs out the details.

The first time I paired them, it was like realizing peanut butter and jelly were made for each other.

I’d skim an article to understand the argument, then scan for the stats and examples that backed it up.

Finally, the chaos made sense. ​Read this article on skimming​.

2. Silencing the inner monologue

That little voice narrating every word? Subvocalization.

Mine was a Shakespearean actor. Dramatic, loud, and completely unnecessary.

Learning to shut it up was tough but worth it.

Instead of subvocalizing, I started visualizing.

When I read about AI, I wasn’t just reading; I was seeing robots, algorithms, and circuits in my mind.

It was like upgrading from a flip phone to a smartphone.

​Learn more about subvocalization​.

3. The pointer trick: kindergarten genius

Dragging a pen under words felt ridiculous at first, a bit like kindergarten.

But here’s the thing: it works. Like, really works.

It’s the training wheels of speed reading, keeping your eyes on track and your brain focused.

Plus, there’s something satisfying about physically guiding yourself through a text.

Tip: You can use the mouse pointer to go along lines to mimic the pen and paper version.

4. Expanding my peripheral vision: the superpower I didn’t know I had

Training my eyes to take in groups of words instead of one at a time felt like watching three movies at once. Sorry, I can’t think of another analogy here.

At first, it was chaos. But with practice, it turned into my number 1 skill.

You start with 2 words at the same time, then move on to 3, 4 and then 5.

Eventually you will combine reading word groups with pacing (pen) and hop along the text in a wave or zick zack mode.

It’s a great feeling when whole sentences start snapping into place, and suddenly, reading felt less like a chore and more like an adventure.

​Read article to learn reading chunks.​

Real-life wins with speed reading

Well, here are two use cases I found speed reading to be useful.

— Career chaos, tamed

Going through data-heavy reports used to drain my energy. Anyone else?

Now?

I rather skim for trends, scan for actionable insights, and dive into key sections.

Reports that used to take hours now take minutes, and I actually remember what I read. Imagine that.

— Personal productivity overhaul

Books like ​Atomic Habits by James Clear​ (affiliate link) used to feel overwhelming.

Now, I skim for principles, scan for strategies, and focus on the tips that actually make a difference.

Speed reading didn’t just help me finish books; it helped me apply them.

But hang on, Mark: Can’t you just do a summary with AI?

Where AI fits in

Well, here’s where things get interesting.

AI didn’t just speed up my reading—it supercharged it. Let me show you how:

• Summarizing made simple: Upload a PDF or share a book title, and AI creates a summary that actually makes sense.
  
• Previewing for relevance: Before committing to a dense report, I let AI give me a sneak peek. It highlights the key sections, so I don’t waste time on fluff.
  
• Highlighting key details: Ever pasted text into an AI tool and watched it flag the best sentences? This is a highlighter trick to see exactly what matters.
  
• Comparing perspectives: Recently, I threw two articles into AI—one pro-AI ethics, one skeptical—and it gave me a balanced view faster than I could say “deep dive.”

And before you start thinking about any obstacles: No, you don’t need to be a tech wizard to try these. That’s the best part.

Just upload, paste, or share, and let AI do the heavy lifting. Maybe just give it a clue or direction here and there for more precise results.

Tip 1: You can get an AI summary and actionable steps on most books these days.

“In detail, outline the key points of [Atomic Habits by James Clear]. Provide detailed descriptions for main points and concepts. Provide actionable advice.”

Take action: ​Read a summary of Atomic Habits​ (Perplexity search engine).

Tip 2: Get a decent AI summarizer. Browsers have built-in apps, like LEO for Brave, that can summarize articles and online files.

The lessons learned

Speed reading wasn’t all smooth sailing.

I picked a weird book, skimmed too fast, missed the point, and hit a few walls.

But every mistake taught me something valuable.

Summarizing aloud helped with retention. Breaking texts into smaller chunks made them less intimidating.

And when burnout hit, I embraced the power of taking breaks. Even speed reading needs a pause button. Think Theta mode.

Your turn

So, what’s on your reading list?

Pick a book, article, or report. Try one technique. Maybe even throw in an AI trick.

Then, let me know how it went. Let’s swap stories and keep learning smarter, not harder.

Do you prefer speed reading with AI or speed reading the classic and physical way?

Cheers, Mark
The AI Learning Guy
👋⚡😎