You’ve tasted it. The freedom of speed reading. The thrill of doubling your reading speed and getting through your workload faster than ever before. You know the techniques. You’ve experienced the benefits.
But then something happens.
You’re reading a dense article, a textbook, or even a simple email, and suddenly you realise you’re back to the old habit. Reading slowly and linearly (possibly on word at a time), hoping to absorb it all. You sigh. “Why am I doing this again?”
Here’s the truth: speed reading isn’t just a technique. It’s a mindset, a habit, and a lifestyle shift. Forming this habit takes intentional effort. But once it’s embedded, it transforms not just how you read, but how you think and learn.
Let’s explore what it really takes to leave old habits behind and make speed reading second nature.
Forming a New Habit Begins with Conscious Use and Practice
Like brushing your teeth or driving a car, speed reading only becomes effortless after consistent, conscious repetition. Initially, your brain resists. It wants to fall back on well-worn neural pathways, the ones built by years of reading slowly, word by word.
To create a new reading habit, you need to:
- Use speed reading techniques every day, even for a few minutes.
- Make speed reading your default, not your “sometimes” mode.
- Remind your brain that it’s safe, effective, and more efficient to read this new way.
Richard Wiseman’s upcoming book 
The most comprehensive book on speed reading, guiding readers through simple techniques, strategies and tips to improve their reading speed, understanding and concentration.
