How to Read Faster and Remember More: Lessons from Jim Kwik
Many people wish they could read faster. You might pick up a book, get through a few pages, and realise you’ve already forgotten what you just read. According to brain coach Jim Kwik, reading is not an innate gift — it’s a trainable skill that most of us simply never upgraded after childhood.
Kwik explains that improving your reading speed and comprehension begins with breaking a few long-held myths and re-training how you focus.
Myth 1: Reading Faster Reduces Comprehension
Most readers assume that speeding up means understanding less. In reality, testing shows the opposite — faster readers often comprehend more.
Here’s why:
When you read slowly, your brain gets bored. It’s a powerful processor being fed information one word at a time, so your attention drifts. You start day-dreaming, checking your phone, or rereading lines.
Kwik compares it to driving. When you’re moving slowly through your neighbourhood, your mind wanders. But if you’re racing on a Formula 1 track, you’re fully alert — focused on what’s in front of you.
Speed commands focus, and focus builds comprehension.
Myth 2: Lack of Focus Is a Permanent Problem
Focus isn’t something you’re born with or without; it’s a skill strengthened through speed and engagement. When reading feels sluggish, your brain seeks other stimulation. Reading a bit faster actually gives it the novelty it craves, helping you stay immersed instead of distracted.
Myth 3: You Must “Hear” Every Word in Your Head
Most people silently pronounce words as they read — a habit called sub-vocalisation. It began in childhood when teachers told us to “read quietly to yourself.” We internalised that voice and linked comprehension to hearing each word.
But you don’t need to vocalise “stop” to understand a stop sign. Likewise, you already recognise 95 per cent of the words you read as sight words — symbols your brain knows instantly.
By reducing sub-vocalisation, you remove a major bottleneck. Your reading speed is limited by your talking speed, not by your thinking speed — and your brain thinks far faster than you can speak.
Common Habit 4: Regression and Back-Skipping
Another hidden time-waster is rereading lines unconsciously. This “regression” doesn’t improve understanding; it simply breaks flow. Awareness and a few simple techniques can eliminate it.
The Technique: Use a Visual Pacer
To read faster right now, try this simple exercise.
- Set a baseline.
Mark your starting line, read for 60 seconds at a normal pace, then mark where you stop. Count the number of lines read. - Read again — with a pacer.
Use your finger, a pen, or the cursor on your screen to guide your eyes left to right just above the words. Don’t skip; simply move smoothly across the lines. - Re-measure.
In almost every case, readers improve their speed by 25 – 50 per cent instantly.
Why it works:
- Your eyes are attracted to motion, so the moving finger pulls your attention forward.
- It prevents back-skipping because your gaze stays anchored to the line.
- It strengthens focus; as your finger moves, your brain follows.
Teachers once discouraged using a finger while reading, yet it naturally enhances coordination between sight and touch, two senses closely linked in the nervous system. People often say they feel “more in touch” with what they read when they use this technique — and science supports that.
The Productivity Pay-Off
Reading takes time — about four hours a day for the average professional between emails, reports, and online content.
If you double your reading speed, you reclaim up to two hours every day. Over a year, that’s roughly nine extra work weeks — nearly two months of regained productivity without adding more effort.
No wonder organisations like Google, Nike, and SpaceX invest in speed-reading and focus training. Learning faster doesn’t just save time — it accelerates progress.
Key Takeaways
- Reading is a trainable skill, not a fixed ability.
- Speed creates focus; focus drives comprehension.
- Minimise sub-vocalisation — you don’t need to “hear” every word.
- Use a visual pacer to boost speed by up to 50 per cent instantly.
- Reclaim hours each week and months each year by reading efficiently.
Final Thought
Jim Kwik reminds us that reading is the ultimate exercise for the mind. The faster and more effectively you read, the more you learn — and learning faster means living smarter.
If you practise this every day, you’ll soon find that what once felt slow and tiring becomes sharp, focused, and energising.
“Leaders are readers — and faster readers are better leaders.” – Jim Kwik
