Tim Ferriss's Process for Improving Reading Speed

Tim Ferriss shares techniques to enhance reading speed without sacrificing comprehension. The process focuses on leveraging eye mechanics and peripheral vision to optimize reading efficiency.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Select a Book with Standardized Formatting

Choose a book with consistent text layout (minimal bullet lists or graphs) for ease of measurement.
Example books Ferriss recommends: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (non-fiction) and Vagabonding (non-fiction).

2. Calculate Words Per Page

Count the number of words in 10 lines on a page.
Divide by 10 to get the average words per line.
Multiply by the number of lines per page (e.g., 30 lines × 10 words/line = 300 words/page).

3. Establish Baseline Reading Speed

Read at your normal speed for 1 minute.
Calculate the number of pages read and multiply by words per page to determine your words-per-minute (WPM) rate.
Note: The observer effect may slightly skew results, but it's a reliable starting point.

4. Use Peripheral Vision to Reduce Fixation Points

Problem: Most people read word-by-word, underutilizing peripheral vision.
Solution: Draw vertical lines on the page, indenting one word from each side (left and right margins).
- Read from the first line to the second, zigzagging down the page.
- This focuses on the middle third of the page, reducing eye movement.
Practice for 5–10 pages; if comprehension remains intact, indent another word.
Outcome: This can double reading speed by minimizing the number of eye fixations.

5. Minimize Eye Regression with a Pacer

Observation: Eyes don't move smoothly; they jump between fixation points (saccadic movements).
Problem: Tired or untrained eyes may backskip, rereading lines.
Solution: Use a finger or pen as a pacer to trace under each line, aiming for two fixation points per line.
- This prevents regression and keeps the eyes moving forward.
Practice for 10 minutes to build fluency.

6. Push Comprehension Limits Temporarily

For 5 minutes, read slightly faster than comfortable, accepting a ~10% comprehension loss.
This resets your comfort zone, similar to adapting to a higher driving speed (e.g., 80 mph feels normal after practice, making 55 mph feel slow).
Goal: Expand your speed capacity while maintaining near-full comprehension.

7. Retest Reading Speed

Read for 1 minute using the indented margins and pacer, ensuring full comprehension.
Recalculate WPM by multiplying pages read by words per page.
Expected results: Most people improve reading speed by at least 50%, with some doubling, tripling, or quadrupling WPM.

Key Principles

Eye Mechanics: Eyes jump between fixation points, not smoothly. Reducing fixations and regressions increases speed.
Peripheral Vision: Focusing on the middle third of the page leverages peripheral vision to process more text at once.
No Pseudoscience: The method avoids speed-reading myths, grounding techniques in optical perception and practice.

Additional Notes

For fiction or poetry, you can slow down to enjoy the text, but these techniques give you a "Ferrari" to choose your speed.
Ferriss recommends applying these methods to non-fiction for efficient information absorption.
Books recommended: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia and Vagabonding.

Bonus: Tim Ferriss Show

Ferriss promotes his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has over 70 million downloads and features interviews with world-class performers to extract actionable habits and tools.

By following these steps, readers can significantly improve their reading speed while maintaining comprehension, making it easier to consume large volumes of text efficiently. If you are interested in reading more on this topic. Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour