Reading Isn’t A Race: How Speed Reading And Spritz Completly Miss The Point
Reading is good. So reading faster must be better right?
This is the well-meaning logic behind every person who googles “speed reading” and all the recent excitement about the Spritz speed reading app that makes it possible to read 1,000 words per minute. It’s one of the reasons people like ebooks so much too.
The problem is that it’s wrong. Not stupid wrong, it just misses the point.
I took a speed reading course and read “War and Peace” in twenty minutes. It involves Russia. —Woody Allen
Reading is the quiet time in which you reflect and learn, it is not a race. It is where you teach yourself that which you don’t know—it is your time with some of the smartest (or at least different) people who’ve ever lived. This is not something to be rushed through, but enjoyed, savored and done deliberately.
In fact, smart readers do more than just comprehend words. They ask questions, they take notes, they look things up, they make connections, they produce marginalia. People who read a lot of books spend a lot of time reading. There’s no way around this.
But still, everyone asks how to do it faster. Let me tell you why this is so short sighted:
-If you find yourself wanting to speed up the reading process on a particular book, you may want to ask yourself, “Is this book any good?” Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy reading.
-Yes some people read faster than others, just like some people eat faster or walk faster. But when you ask, almost all of them don’t think or know that they read fast. In other words, it’s not conscious. We all have our own pace.
-The best way to read quickly is to be smart and, paradoxically, well-read. Like anything, you get faster at reading the more knowledge and experience you bring to the table. You can guess where things are going, you don’t need to double back to check things, and you won’t get caught by surprise. It’s how you build up cumulative advantage.
-Seriously, give me some examples from history of greats who were “speed readers.” I can name many who were dyslexic and struggled through books anyway like Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg and Richard Branson, but I can’t think of a speed reader. I’ll say it again: People who read a lot do it because they love it and put time towards it.
-I like to remind myself that no matter how fast or how many books I’ll read in my life, I’ll never have or surpass a small branch public library. And this thought calms me. Who am I trying to beat? The only thing that matters is if you’re getting smarter and better.
-How many books do you really need or want to read in a week? The most I’ve ever done was 7 (some were short, reading was all I really did that week). I’ll be honest: I don’t remember ONE of those books.
-Let’s say it again once more: if a book is skimmable, skip it altogether. You don’t get a prize for completing it. And there are better ones out there.
-Tackle the big books that will take you a while. No one speed reads The Power Broker. But if you make a go at it, it may just change your life.
-On the other hand, if you find yourself hitting a wall with a book and start to feel the Resistance, don’t feel ashamed to jump to another book to keep the chain going. I also apply this to my work life so I’m never stuck and always have something productive to do.
-Also ask yourself, “Am I reading slowly on this book because it’s poorly written?” You have paid the author once for the book and again with your attention. If they haven’t delivered value back to you in the form of a clear, coherent and masterful book then put it down and find someone else who can. The author is also supposed to pull the reader from page to page.
-An important part about reading is taking notes, marking the passages and quotes that you find to be important. Tell me how you plan to do that with an app that turns your book into a series of flashcards.
-Reading, especially reading physical books, is about seeing a concept laid out in front of you. It’s seeing the paragraph, the sentence, the page. As the great literary critic Northrop Frye once said, “The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book.” I’m with Northrup, I don’t anticipate any technology, especially Spritz, beating a book anytime soon.
-This is an issue I don’t think Spritz can solve. They know that sometimes books have charts right? And what about the translator’s introduction, footnotes, and editors notes? All of this is important and I never skip them because this information adds context and sets the stage for the text you’re reading.
-Doing this is akin to cutting out establishing shots in movies. What about all those downs in football where they aren’t throwing the ball? Or the set up and communication in baseball before a pitch? Don’t ever tell me why you came to think something, just tell me your final conclusion with no context. Life would be so much better without all that “waste” wouldn’t it?
-I like Richard Feynman’s line about how if you can’t explain something in a simple straightforward way then you probably don’t understand it yourself. This is unfortunately true for far too many books. If you’re reading a book where the writing is obtuse or the author can’t easily explain what they claim to be an expert about, they’re probably a charlatan. Put the book down—that will save you some valuable time.
-What are you going to do with this time you “save” speed reading? Work more? Watch more TV? Respond to email? Ugh. By doing this you miss out on all the ancillary benefits of reading: peace, quiet and concentration. Don’t toss that out.
-I’ll put it another way: Why is this the area in your life you’re trying to optimize? I’m laughing thinking of the time we waste in meetings, in traffic, in restaurants waiting for the check, on projects we’ll quit halfway through, on small talk and a million other ridiculous, preventable things. But reading books is the wasteful part we need to address. Be serious.
-I think I know why people focus on speed reading. They want the results without the work. There is and never will be a substitute. Put the time in, you’ll get the results.
I promised myself I wouldn’t end this with a cliche as simple was “quality over quantity” but I think you know that it’s true. The same applies for working out—there are tricks and strategies that could help you get most of the effects of a full workout in just 15 minutes. But I’ll tell you what: is that even worth putting your gym clothes on for? Are you actually decompressing and getting your mind off work in that short of time? Do you really want to be the person who crams a leisurely but important process down into mere minutes and loses the intangible benefits in the process?
Because that’s what speed reading does.
Reading is a ritual thousands of years old. One partaken in by some of the smartest, wisest and most accomplished people who ever lived. And you want to rush it so you can get back to TV or Twitter?
There’s a better way: Take it slow and do it a lot.
This column originally appeared on Thought Catalog. Comments can be seen there.
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For a long time I was in that camp of trying to consume as much information as possible in the shortest amount of time, but it’s a never-ending game and it took me quite a while to figure this out.
Nowadays, I hate it when I come near the end of a book and try to read slower.
Hey Ryan – great points. If Spritz can encourage more people to read, than they would have traditionally, it’s a good thing. So I do see a market for their app but probably not relevant for already bookworms.
Those of us that love to read, enjoy the experience of cuddling up with a great book and perhaps, more concerned about better comprehension and recall than just getting through the material quickly.
Traditional speed reading strategies from previewing the book before you start to reviewing your notes regularly help comprehension and recall. Hopefully in the near future, you can share your tips & strategies for better comprehension with the community.
p.s. Thanks for your monthly book club newsletter – some great suggestions!
Very valid point.
I think much of it has to do with the hurry that is associated with learning in todays society. When you´re studying in college and meeting a deadline, sometimes all you can do to relieve some pressure is trying to skim through books and read them faster and faster.
However, for the reading you are talking about, it definitely makes no sense to hurry through those astounding works.
If you have to read fast for learning, something is wrong with education.
I totally agree with Ryan when it comes to reading novels or business books. I love thinking about what I’ve read, writing down notes and mark interesting parts.
But I’m also lecturer at a University of Applied Science and I need to read a lot of paperworks from students and value them. For that purpose, speed reading is very useful, so I don’t have to spend too much time for this paperworks and have more time left over for interesting lecture…
Hi Ryan, I almost never comment. This is worth my time. Exactly my thoughts. Thanks for sharing.
I think these points apply only if speed reading is the ONLY type of reading you’re doing.
There are plenty of articles out there I like to skim to get the gist of or to determine if there is relevant content worthy of further attention.
I believe there can be a healthy balance of slower, methodical reading and skimming.
as a slow reader, my desire is to read more and spritz will allow that. i imagne reading 7 books a week rather than just a personal best. and, yes, i do take notes and i ASSUME there will be a pause button as well as a rewind.
I like to use a speed reader because it keeps me focused on reading instead of mentally wandering off to revise my grocery list every 2nd sentence. I don’t read at a break neck speed. Just something slightly above my natural reading speed. It’s the focus that it brings that is most important to me.
Funny that I find this blog post just now, I just found this blog by reading another blog.
Oh boy, have I been obsessed with speed reading for quite some time now! In fact, I think I own about 5-10 books about speed reading by now. I wonder how much time I could have saved skipping those and reading the books I actually want to read fast!
Well, I basically came to the same conclusion as you. Instead of trying to read everything I come across, I now select what I read more carefully. Instead of reading every article in every magazine that I come across, I read the first paragraph and determine if the information is actually useful to me.
I think the biggest problem is that you’re not smart enough about selecting what you want to read, not that you’re not fast enough.
A few exercises to read faster where useful, though. Helped me scan and evaluate texts faster. But yeah, most books that are truly worth being read can’t be speed read anyways. I put them down so often to write something down or even outright call someone because I just had a valuable insight and I can’t keep those to myself 😀
I haven’t made in-depth reading a priority, lately, but I still get a lot “read” in the small time on my phone – and I notice the difference. Assuming it’s good, reading a blog post in two minutes on the john is so much less beneficial than reading the same post in ten minutes when you can leave a comment, take notes, check out the author’s background.
I think it’s the old dopamine trap – “finishing” something feels immediately good, whereas the deep, long-term benefits you gain from taking your time might not. So of course we look for ways to finish more, and wonder why we’re not seeing those deep benefits.
Wow! Always two sides to a coin . Just read an article on spritz and downloaded the app yesterday and thought it could change my life. But also felt that loss of perspective and connection having words spat at me. I have a wondering attention span so spritz does help to keep me focused.
This reminded me of Milan Kundera’s book, Slowness. “There is a secret bond between slowness and memory, between speed and forgetting.”
Fantastic blog Ryan, thanks for posting!
As I dedicated reader, I couldn’t agree more with this post. Thank you, Ryan!
If you imagine that you’re building a latticework from the knowledge you’re accumulating from reading, do you really want to weave it as quickly as possible? I’d prefer to build something sturdy and deliberate that provides a lifetime of usefulness.
I’d love to have you on my show sometime to discuss The Obstacle Is the Way, if you have 10-15 minutes to spend on encouraging people to read more.
Exactly what I needed to read. I just hurried through 3 books at the same time, learning about nothing on the way.
I admit I skimmed through the post at some parts, but if you haven’t mentioned it; discussion. Whenever a concept in a book strikes me as important, I talk about it with someone else–or write a post about it. That way you really engrain the ideas in your mind.
I completely agree with thoughts in your post. Should we speed drink fine wines?
I love the process of reading and see no point in rushing through a book that I’m enjoying. I tend to overbuy so to slow the process down I write down any potential titles in a binder and come back to my lists to choose the best candidates after my emotions have died down. That little tactic has saved me many hundreds of dollars.
I may only read a chapter or two out of a book and if my enthusiasm for it dies down I’ll put it in my stacks to munch on later. Books I’ve read through (highlighted, underlined, annotated, etc.) are allowed to stand upright. Those in the process of being slowly read I lay sideways to differentiate the two. Some I may never finish, but I after a lot of angst I realized that that’s okay.
If you’re reading the right books, the process of reading should be a joy or at least a sources of a low grade buzz of satisfaction. The ultimate speed reading tactic is to be highly selective and refuse to read the 99 percent of books that are just fair, poor or downright crappy.
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Ryan you make some good points. We’ve created a site called SpeedRead.io (https://speedread.io) which, like Spritz, uses the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation technique. We’re seeing a lot of professionals use the service who don’t need full cognition but do need to get the gist of large volumes of written information quickly – sometimes quantity does take precedence over quality (or in this case cognition).
It’s going to be ending of mine day, except before end I am reading this great paragraph
to improve my knowledge.
Love the idea that I don’t need to speed read, however, my reason for wanting to is not so I can watch more TV. Rather, I want to read more (volume, not time). There are sections of books that would lend themselves to being read quickly. At other points, I will slow down and often take notes.
As it stands though, reading slow is my only option.