I used to be a deep reader when I was younger. Then I discovered some really bad advice on how to read faster via the internet. At the end of a period of experimenting with speed reading, I started being able to read very quickly, grabbing the essence of a page without reading all the words. But I found that my retention of that material was no longer as clear or as detailed as it used to be. This continued until I eventually could no longer read slowly at all, at least not without great effort.<p>Tl;dr: speed reading creates terrible habits, don't do it.
- Take a pen with black finish and run it under the letters, you’ll read at 1,5 speed (and it’s not a trick, it’s something children dp with their finger when they learn to read so it's quite natural).<p>- Stop saying words aloud in your mind when you’re reading.<p>- Try to catch two or three words instead of one.<p>Now, none of this is bullshit or skimming, I'm doing it and have same retention as I'd be 'spelling' in my mind word by word, I believe human brain is smart enough to process more than one word or you think it's a crazy idea? hehehe if so then good luck ;)<p>It's not about skimming or reading whole page in a matter of a couple of seconds (I don't think you can have great retention with that unless you have really great/photographic memory), but about basic skill which you can improve (just like riding bicycle or doing tricks on skateboard). There are some 'bad habits' of reading and eliminating this would improve your reading speed.<p>btw. I also know couple of mnemonic techniques that lets me remember things permanently and very quickly - again, no bullshit, just a technique as old as ancient Greece.