Double & Triple Your Reading Speed Cheaply

[sevenzedek]

I am very excited to share with the board something I have been playing around with for a few months because I have been successful in doubling my reading speed for very little money. What I did is very simple and I did not have to purchase any sort of "I hope it works" program guaranteed to work for only three easy payments of $19.99. What is even more exciting is that I am now confident that I will eventually triple my reading speed.

All this was done using my iPod touch and my Pitt Minion NKJV bible. I started off using the Audible app because it has a feature that allows me to double the playback speed. I did this for two months for approximately one half hour a day. It was challenging to keep up at first, but I quickly found it easy to keep up after about a week's time. After using the Audible app for two months in this manner, I found that I could continue free reading without the aid of the app at 375 words per minute for only short periods of time. When I began this process, I was free reading at 180 words per minute.

Then I wanted to go faster. So, I looked for an app in iTunes that would allow me to faster, and I found one called Swift Player. This app allows me to go three times as fast which is about 563 words per minute using the 70 version of the mp3 bible I now own. After reading at this speed for about two weeks at 15 minutes a day, I now find it quite easy to maintain a reading speed at 375 words per minute, unaided by the app, with comprehension. Success! And now I am sharing the process with everyone here.

I do have a few things I would like to say about all this, however. It is not that I am just trying to see how fast I can read the bible, per se. What I have found is that I am able to read through the bible more and more if I make the best use of my time. This is what I am after. My goal is to eventually be able to read through the bible in a month at 30 minutes a day.

The value of being able to read the bible in this manner is great. As I have been doing this process for a few months now, I have found a need to read more slowly and meditatively. So, in addition to reading 15 minutes a day at 563 words per minute on my own time, which will get me through the bible in 90 days! I am also reading through a yearly plan with my wife in a guided plan that has us asking questions about our daily reading. I'm not missing out on anything.

The cost?

$13 for the NKJV Mp3 audio bible on CBD.

$5 for the Swift Audio Player in the iTunes Store (I think it was $5).

The cost is $18 plus time and discipline.

Easy and cheap.

I would also like to give a warning about this method. It would be easy to make it all about "just getting through the text" without any comprehension. That is why I recommend doing this as a project along side another more comprehensible plan, as I already said I am doing with my wife. Also, I would also like to caution others about the danger of priding one's self at the amount one reads. After doing this for a short time, reading through a yearly plan will seem like a joke! So, guard yourselves.

 

[Christopher88]

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swift-player-speed-up-video/id545216639?mt=8

Do you know anything like this for those of us with an Ipod or smart phone devices?

 

[sevenzedek]

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swift-player-speed-up-video/id545216639?mt=8

Do you know anything like this for those of us with an Ipod or smart phone devices?

Audacity has a way to speed up audio and it works well on desktops and laptops.

 

[Dwimble]

Looks like the Swiff Player is available for free for a PC... Swiff Player

I did a very brief search and couldn't find it for Android, but that doesn't mean there isn't something like that available.

 

[Dwimble]

Did a search for something similar for Android and it looks like Astro Player supports fast playback, too: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.astroplayer&hl=en

Edit:

Ah, here's one that looks more promising: AudioSpeedChange: xSpeedPlayer. Speed from 25%-400% without shifting pitch (and it's free): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=common.androiddev.audio

 

[sevenzedek]

For those who attempt to use the 3x feature on some of these programs, you will notice the speech beginning to break up. This is a good thing, actually.

Although it seems to be a flaw between the app and the sample rate of an mp3, it can used to your advantage. With a little practice, you can actually read the words that become skipped.

The reason this is good is because, as you are reading at such a fast pace, you are being given an opportunity to learn how to read by seeing the words rather than internally vocalizing them.

Furthermore, if you are reading at 3x, you are probably reading your audio bible at a pace better than 500 words per minute. I hear that such a pace can actually begin to open the door to speed-reading at speeds exceeding speeds of 1000 words per minute (6x?). One of the things necessary for speed reading is the ability to read the words on the page without internally vocalizing them. If you vocalize the words when you read, you are limited to only those reading speeds you are able to speak (internally vocalize).

About the 2x speeds, however, I have not noticed a flaw in audio quality.

 

[Curt]

Frankly, I would rather read more slowly. I know comprehension is supposed to come along with the speed, but I still prefer my (not too) slow pace. I enjoy reading.

 

[sevenzedek]

Frankly, I would rather read more slowly. I know comprehension is supposed to come along with the speed, but I still prefer my (not too) slow pace. I enjoy reading.

I get what you are saying, but "fast" is not for everyone. The idea, however, is to get depth and breadth. That is why I read at these paces along side a slower plan. It is pretty cool when the pastor ALWAYS preaches from a text you read not more a months ago.

 

[Christopher88]

Check out these programs as well
Eye Q and 7 speed reader

I would love to learn to read at about 800 to 1,000 words per minute. My guess is I'm around 300.

 

[rookie]

I think I might start committing to something such as this...took me about 15 minutes to read this thread....ouch.

 

[sevenzedek]

Well, I had a chance to be tested using something other than the bible to evaluate my reading speed. It turns out I am faster reading the words of scripture with which I am familiar. Using the bible, my reading speed is approximately 350 words per minute. Using unfamiliar text, my average is about 250 words per minute. Although I have improved my reading speed from 180 words per minute using the method in the OP, I haven't done so with unfamiliar words. I say this to help others understand the process. The good news is that I can get more bible.