7 Speed Reading Software

Can Speed Reading Make You a Mind Reader?

January 8, 2014

A large part of success in life depends on how well you interact with other people. When you’re starting classes in a new school you’ll be looking for ways to get along and fit in with your fellow students. When you’re in the workplace, you’ll need to negotiate with your coworkers, predict your manager’s mood and motivations, and convince your clients to do business with you. All of these things are made possible by an accurate analysis of what those people want and what they’re thinking – and if you’re able to read those wants and thoughts in their eyes and faces, you’ll be able to make the perfect connection between you.

A study recently published in the October 2013 journal issue of Science proves that there’s one way of getting this important people skill: reading. More specifically, the researchers found that when the test subjects read literary fiction, they were better able to interpret the emotions being portrayed by actors in still photographs. Simply by looking at the eyes of the person in the picture, the readers could tell whether the actor was angry, happy, or sad. It’s important to make the point, the researchers noted, that this skill appears to only be enhanced when someone reads thought-provoking works with character development and psychological insights – in other words, text that makes the reader think about why one of the characters acts in a certain way. That’s the same thought process that you go through when you’re thinking about the actions and motivations of your boss, your coworker, or your client.

With your speed reading skills, you’ll be able to develop your mind-reading skills at the same time. While fiction, especially of the kind that requires thought and consideration, isn’t something that you can skim through to get the same results, when you’ve eliminated bad habits like subvocalization, your overall reading speed will increase. That means even if you’re reading carefully and thoughtfully, you’re still reading faster than you used to.

In order to develop your ability to read other people, read more books!

Picture Books for Toddlers and Teens

January 6, 2014

Humans are generally visual learners, and even babies who don’t know how to read start learning as they look at images in books, especially if someone’s there with them talking about the pictures and engaging the baby in an interactive mode. When children start learning to read, it’s easier if there are pictures with the words, and this connection between pictures and words is something that we enjoy for the rest of our lives. Whether you’re stocking up the nursery for a new baby, filling the house with books to help your toddler learn to read and spell, or searching through bookstores for good alternatives to video games for older children, pictures books are a good choice. Here are some recommendations for all ages:

6 months – 2 years
Pat-a-Cake (Mary Brigid Barrett/LeUyen Pham)
A traditional game for babies gets some untraditional treatment.

3 years – 5 years
Ed and Ted and Ted’s Dog Fred (Andy Griffiths/Terry Denton)
A great book using alliteration and letter patterns to help children learn to spell.

6 years – 8 years
Battle Bunny (Jon Scieszka/Mac Barnett/Matthew Myers)
A fun book that encourages creativity – with a little adult supervision!

9 years – 12 years
Donald & Benoit (John Patrick Byrne)
Written and illustrated by an artist, this book encourages exploration and adventure.

13 years – 16 years
Buzz: 5 (Ananth Panagariya/Tessa Stone)
Manga-style graphics turn an ordinary spelling bee into a cutting-edge competition.

17+ years
Modern History in Pictures: A Visual Guide to the Events that Shaped Our World
The Smithsonian Foundation and DK Publishing have collected the images that will bring the last century to life. A great gift for a teenager or college student who needs a little help in their history classes, or for an adult who doesn’t remember much of what they learned in theirs!

Cross-posted at the Ultimate Spelling blog.

5 Steps to a More Efficient 2014

January 1, 2014

With the start of a new calendar year, many people think about how quickly the past year went by, and how often it seemed that there just wasn’t enough time to get everything done. If you’re one of those people, now’s the time to make a New Year’s resolution to make the most of your time in the year to come! There’s no doubt that focusing on learning time-saving skills like speed reading will help, because those skills let you get through your work more quickly. But there are other things that you can do to get organized and energized for each day and week ahead, and we’ve got five recommendations for you to follow in 2014:

Identify and set your priorities. Sometimes there are so many little things interrupting the day that we don’t get to the big things we meant to accomplish. Spend some time thinking about what your priorities are for the day, the week, the month, and the year. You might find it useful to map things out on a large one-sheet desk calendar for this exercise, using different colors for the different projects and goals. If you’ve got that calendar on your wall as a visual reminder that deadlines are approaching, you’ll find it easier to say “no” or “not now, sorry” to the smaller tasks that people ask you to do.

Be realistic. Stress and panic only lead to wasted time and inefficiency. When you’re looking at your schedule, think about how much time each task or project will take – and then increase that time by 50%. Most people underestimate when doing this part project planning, with the result that they’re trying to fit in too much in too few hours. The good news is that if you really have overestimated the time you need, that leaves you with free time!

Use reminders to keep on track. Day planners and other schedulers are essential if you want to stay focused and productive, and to-do lists are useful for many reasons. One reason for keeping lists and calendars is that you’ll get a sense of satisfaction when you can cross something off; another reason is that you’ll be less likely to forget things, or to spend time worrying that you’re going to forget things. Leave notes for yourself if you need to, and use built-in computer apps to automatically remind yourself of upcoming meetings or appointments.

Get the worst over with first. Sometimes we put things off as long as possible because the job’s unpleasant or boring or difficult. This year, focus on getting those tasks accomplished first, and you’ll find that the rest of the items on your list are a breeze.

Stick to your schedule. It’s hard to stay focused sometimes, but if you make a point of following the plans and priorities that you set at first, you won’t be disappointed. Of course, unexpected things will always come up, so make sure you don’t have every minute of the day accounted for. Leave a margin for the unexpected, whether that’s a last-minute request from your boss or a phone call from your best friend inviting you to dinner and a movie.

Reading: The Gift of Good Health

December 25, 2013

For some people in the Northern Hemisphere right now in the middle of winter, the dark nights can lead to feeling sad because of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but many people experience a sort of “holiday blues.” If you’re feeling depressed, you’ll have to wait a while for the long days of summer, but you don’t have to wait to pick up a book to make you feel better. According to a study published earlier this year, simply reading about self-help exercises and self-improvement routines can make you start feeling better. Since the brain processes thoughts and images as if those are actually happening, you can use books to build up a positive picture of yourself and your situation, and envision the better things to come in the future. As an added benefit, you’ll be inspired to put some of those exercises and routines into practice, which will give you new skills and new self-confidence. Here are some books you might be interested in:

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Intimacy and Solitude by Stephanie Dowrick

Reading is also a good way to relax and get away from the stresses that sometimes come with the holidays. In fact, if you regularly spend time reading, you may be able to lower your overall stress rate by more than 60%, according to researchers at the University of Sussex. In a 2009 study they discovered that reading slows down a person’s heart rate and helps their muscles relax. Reading is truly a way to escape the everyday world. Try one of these books that will take you away from it all:

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart

For good mental health now and well into the future, reading is key to keep your brain active and alert. When you keep the neurons in your brain working and flexible, you’re less likely to experience age-related memory problems. According to this study there’s a significant effect in the rate of cognitive decline when people consciously use their brains regularly later in life. Books are great tools for opening your mind to new ideas – and you can check out one of these books from your local library, no matter your age!

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku
This I Believe by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison

Is a Library Without Books Still a Library?

December 18, 2013

Imagine that you’re going to the public library in your town, and walking in the front door. You see the information desk in front of you, and tables on either side with people reading – nothing out of the ordinary, right? But the people at the tables are using e-readers and computers, and behind the information desks there are no long shelves full of books. In fact, in the Bexar County BiblioTech building in San Antonio, Texas, there aren’t any books at all.

The BiblioTech opened in September 2013 as a 21st-century library for local residents, with a focus on literacy, education, and technology. Instead of checking out books, library patrons can check out e-readers. There are also dozens of e-readers for use at the facility, as well as desktop computers and wireless internet access. They offer computer classes at the BiblioTech both to help people use the onsite resources and to learn how to use modern technology to get better employment skills. The library is free for anyone living in Bexar County, and like many other (book-filled) libraries, offers an online catalog so that materials can be checked out at home.

Does a library that has no printed books still seem like a library to you, or do you think it’s more like a computer center? With more and more focus on e-books instead of printed ones, perhaps in the 22nd century the libraries that do have bookshelves, and books on them, will be the ones that seem strange. However, the purpose of libraries is to help people enjoy reading, learn new things, and take advantage of the world of information, no matter what form that information takes. Whether you think a library needs a row of hardbacks or a line of laptops, you can’t deny that the BiblioTech is providing the access its users need to the wealth of literature and resources that will help them enjoy their free time, and enjoy success at work and school.

How to Prioritize Your E-Mail to Save Reading Time

December 12, 2013

Most people don’t really want to go back to work in the office after a nice relaxing vacation, and for many of them one of the main reasons is the huge backlog of e-mail messages waiting for them. With all of the e-mails coming in every day it’s necessary to make sure you don’t waste time on the ones that aren’t important, but that you do get the most out of the messages containing the information that you need. To save time and get through your inbox in the most efficient way, try these useful tips:

Start using keyword searches. Even if you’ve got 50 e-mails from the same department, they might not all be about the same thing. Do a quick keyword search using a term that you know is likely to be in the messages that you need to see – for example, the word project or meeting. If you’re working on something specific with a group, pick a term that relates to your current task, such as upgrade or rollout. The most timely messages should pop to the top of the list, and the messages about the upcoming birthday potluck will fall to the bottom.

Identify key collaborators. Many e-mail services allow you to set up different groups and assign people to those groups. If you can identify the people whose messages you almost always need to read right away, you can put them in one or two separate groups, and go to those messages first.

Stay away from the crowds. While there might be company-wide e-mails sent out that you do need to read, many people use the “send to all” feature much more often than they need to. You’ll probably be able to immediately see whether you’re one of a hundred others on an e-mail list, and just by looking at the number of people who received the message you’ll get an idea if you’ve been sent the message for no particular reason other than that you’re in someone’s e-mail address book.

Highlight the important information. If you can use your e-mail service to automatically assign a color flag to certain senders or keywords you’ll have an easy way to visually sort through your inbox before you go any further. You’ll be able to quickly spot the red-flagged or urgent messages and handle those first.

Let the system do the sorting. This might be something you need to work with a systems administrator on, but it’s likely that there is a way for you to set up folders and have the e-mail system automatically route messages into those folder, either by keyword topic or by sender. In addition, you can make sure that people who you need to communicate with by e-mail set up their systems to use the same method, and your folder will serve as the go-to spot for all of your e-mails, so that they don’t get lost among the hundreds of others you receive in your main mailbox.

Why Literacy Skills Increase Your Earning Potential

December 8, 2013

According to Stephen Fuller at George Mason University, people who struggle with reading face “a lifetime of economic challenges.” In conjunction with a project sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in the United States, Fuller and other researchers and social scientists discussed the many difficulties encountered by adults who can’t read, and the effects that this has on their earning potential, their health, and their children.

When you can’t read, you can’t participate in the written conversations that make up so much of daily worklife in the 21st century. From e-mail messages to post-it notes left on your desk to reminders scribbled on the whiteboard in the lunchroom, communication happens in many ways on the job, and you’ve got to be able to keep up. While someone who can’t read might be very skilled at the job they’re doing, it’s possible that they’ll miss an important message and create problems for the rest of the team. In the CPB series, reporters interviewed workers around the country and asked about this issue. They talked to skilled welder Matthew Burke and how his inability to read the other workers’ notes led to mistakes and delays in production – and how his new reading skills, gained after he enrolled in a community college, will be responsible for an upcoming 20% increase in his salary.

It’s not just the incomes of the parents that are improved by reading skills; studies show that when parents can read and write, they’re able to help their children in school, and those children generally go on to better and higher-paying jobs. And it’s not just incomes that are improved by these reading skills, either. When you can read, you’re able to follow the prescription written on the bottle of medicine prescribed by your doctor, and you’ll stay healthy and keep your children healthy, too. When you’re healthy, you’re not going to miss as much time as work, and when your children are healthy, they won’t miss school time (and keep you at home taking care of them, which also leads to a loss in work time).

There are many valuable reasons for improving reading skills, and the best part is that once you’ve started on the road to improvement, there’s nothing holding you back from continuing to work on your reading speed and comprehension to boost your abilities and income for the rest of your life.

Read more about “American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen” on the project website, and you’ll find some useful information on reading improvement programs for adults and children.

How to Cut Your Reading Time in Half

November 25, 2013

If you’ve been focused on improving your speed reading skills, you’ve probably interpreted the title of this post to mean that we’re about to give you some tips on how to read twice as fast as you already to. While reading faster is a good goal, it’s not the topic of today’s post. Instead, we’re going to talk about things that you can do to save time by eliminating material that you don’t actually need to read. After all, if you cut your to-be-read pile in half, you’re getting through the pile twice as fast, so that’s double your reading speed even if your actual words-per-minute rate hasn’t changed at all. Here’s how:

Start each week by sorting through your material. This means skimming through documents, magazines, and e-mails to identify what’s essential and what’s not. If you’re on a group e-mail list that fills your inbox with things “you might want to read” but that you know aren’t directly applicable to your job, move them into a separate file folder. They’ll be there if you need them, but not taking the time you need now to deal with more relevant information.

Cut down bulky trade journals and reports by cutting out the articles you need. If you’re looking at a long airline flight and need to occupy several otherwise unproductive hours, then feel free to read each magazine cover to cover. But if you’re looking at a stack of magazines that’s three feet high on the corner of your desk, you’ll save time by skimming the table of contents, locating the articles you need, and tearing those pages out of the magazine. If you can’t tear out the pages, then use sticky notes to mark the articles so that you can go directly to them later.

Lower your stress level by taking notes on what you read. You might think that this is actually adding time to the reading project, and it will take some time at first to get used to the process. However, if you call up a searchable text document and get into the habit of typing in your notes on the reading material as you go, you’ll find that you’ve got a customized database that has the essential information you need later – without the stress of having to wonder where you left that scrap of paper you jotted down notes on, or whether you accurately remember what you read.

Remember that reading is adding to your professional skill set. You might feel uncomfortable sitting at your desk “just reading” but you’re not “just” doing anything – you’re focusing on gaining the information you need to do your job. Feel confident in the process, and that will help you relax and smooth out your reading speed, allowing you to concentrate on quickly processing the text in front of you.

Using the Technique of Active Reading to Read Faster

November 18, 2013

Comprehension is just as important as speed when you’re reading. If you’re simply skimming over a text and you have no memory of what you read when you’re done, then you’re not speed reading, you’re flipping pages – and you’ll have to go back and start over again to get any information you need from the text. If you prepare your mind for what you’ll be reading before you even start, you can increase your comprehension rate, because you’ll be mentally alert and looking for that information, so even if you’re moving quickly through the text, you’ll remember what you read.

First, look at the outline of the text, including the table of contents, any chapter headings, and any subheadings that appear at the beginning of the book. These will give you an overall idea of what the book is about, how it’s organized, and where in the book you’ll be most likely to come across what you need to know. For example, if it’s obvious that the facts you’re looking for are in Chapter 5, it may be possible to entirely skip the first four chapters of the book.

An important tip for students is to read the questions at the end of each chapter if there are any. The person who wrote the questions has already done the work of identifying the most important information in the text, and if you read the questions you’ll know exactly what to look for in that section.

Read the glossary if it’s a book or other text on a topic you’re not familiar with so that new words don’t slow you down. We recommend writing down new words and looking them up as you read to keep your comprehension rate up, and if you take a few minutes to learn those new words before you even start, you’ll speed up your reading rate as well.

Good reading skills mean that you don’t stop when you’re done reading – think about what you’ve read, review the information, set out specific answers to the specific questions you had, and see if you come up with any new questions. You may have the information you started out looking for, but there are whole new worlds of information out there that you’re now ready to explore.

Getting the Most Out of the Internet With Jon Rhodes at www.AffiliateHelp.info

November 16, 2013

If you love what you’re doing at your job and are perfectly content with where you are, the salary you earn, and the people you work with, then you might not be interested in finding new and creative ways to work and earn money. On the other hand, you never know when you might change your mind – or find that something changes in your situation or career. Many people in the past have focused on self-improvement and career development to advance in their current profession, but others have made radical changes in their jobs and found new ways to make a living. One of these people is Jon Rhodes, who now makes his money through internet marketing, and through helping other people do the same.

7S: When people think about internet marketing, it’s often related to one of two things. First, they imagine themselves as a successful marketer, sitting back and watching the money roll in. Second, they check their spam messages and get a much less flattering picture of the profession! Which is it, really?

JR: I would have to say that the reality is neither. Once you start sitting back, that’s when you are on the slippery slope down. There is always work that can be done to improve your business. Its a nice idea having a business running on autopilot, but things change all the time, and you can’t take your eye off the ball. However you can work hours that suit you, and from a location that suits you. So it is perfectly possible to be running your business from a villa in Spain. But you must stay actively involved on a daily basis, or risk getting left behind.

There are many spammers, but these aren’t the successful affiliate marketers. You can’t make money online this way. Have you ever bought anything from a spammer? People aren’t daft when it comes to parting with their hard earned cash, and want to be sure you are trustworthy and ethical in what you do. I find it a bit frustrating that so many people spend so much time and energy spamming. If they put this same effort into dong things the ethical way, they would probably make a lot more cash.

7S: Why do you describe what you do as “ethical” internet marketing?

JR: To me affiliate marketing is about building up trust and reputation. This means doing things the ethical way. Being honest about the products you sell, and only selling what you have tried yourself and know is top quality.

My blog Affiliate Help teaches ethical affiliate marketing practices. This is better for long term success. Search engines are becoming more sophisticated all the time, so even if a spam technique works now, it won’t in the future. People are also becoming increasingly web savvy, and also increasingly see through any tricks you pull. Play the long game and do things the ethical way, and this helps assure your long term success.

7S: For our readers who aren’t familiar with the concept of affiliate marketing, could you please explain how it works?

JR: Sure. When you join an affiliate program (which is nearly always free), you are given a unique affiliate link. You can put this link on your website, on social media etc. When someone clicks on it, this is automatically tracked with cookies. It usually takes them to a sales page. If they buy a product, then you are automatically credited with a percentage commission. The occasional program will pay for some other action, such as a sign up.

So for instance I run my own hypnotherapy affiliate program. My affiliates put their unique links on their websites and on places such as Facebook and Twitter. When someone clicks on their link it takes them to my hypnosis website. If they make a purchase within 60 days, they receive 50% commission for the sale. This is a pretty good deal as they don’t have to create a product, don’t have to spend anything up front buying a product, and don’t have to deal with postage. Everything is done for them.

7S: How many websites do you read each day? Does your reading help you in your work?

JR: I do read a few websites, but I am trying to cut this down. I think most affiliate marketers will admit to spending too much time reading, and not enough time working. There are so many distractions online it is easy to fritter away a whole morning getting little done. I now try to allocate about half an hour first thing in the morning to get some reading done, then concentrate on work after that. It’s a constant battle trying to remain focussed on your work!

7S: What skills do people need to have before they consider going into internet marketing?

JR: The main things you need is tenacity and a willingness to learn. It is very likely that you will work hard for your first year without making much money. The majority of people give up well before then. You need the tenacity to keep going through this.

You also need to learn a whole load of skills. Sure you can outsource work, but you don’t want to be too far out of pocket in your early days. Learning copywriting (sales writing) and blog creation is pretty much essential. If you can set up a WordPress blog, there’s a lot you can do with pluggings and templates.

You have to keep going and keep learning new skills, build up contacts and build up reputation. Eventually you will get there, but it does take time and hard work.

speedreadingtechniques.org

On the pro side it has easy-to-use interface, video tutorials, multiple user accounts, well-structured course system for beginners & advanced students plus the ability to exercise with any digital text.

Elbert Zeigler

"I found 7 Speed reading. Doing eye exercises, warm-ups before reading, and how to look at words in groups instead of one at a time improved my reading and comprehension. I recommend 7 Speed Reading for you."

courselounge.com

7 Speed Reading is a decent speed reading software with an innovative approach. The customizable features are quite appealing since it allows you organize your speed reading training effectively.

Daniel Walters

"I have always struggled with reading slowly. Once I started using 7 Speed Reading, I did notice an improvement from approx. 200 wpm to 300 wpm."

winningspirit.com

If you want to learn how to speed read so that you can read everything faster, your best option is to get the self-paced speed reading course called 7 Speed Reading. It is designed to be the world’s most powerful speed-reading training program.

bestadvisor.com

From learning how to read and comprehend faster to how to keep your eyes healthy, everything is covered in this course for almost any age, and a team of professionals will help you master it.

Stephen L. (Reviewer)

I liked the accessibility of it. It helps, because users are able to easily maneuver throughout the software to varying levels and practice their reading at varying speeds.

Devad Goud

After having used this software, I learned techniques and skills such as eliminating my subvocalization, which not only greatly enhanced my speed reading, but also allowed me to get more engagement in what I read.

Reinard Mortlock

The biggest problem I had was sub-vocalization, 7 Speed Reading helped a lot with techniques to improve this and substantially improve my reading speed. The application is easy to use with loads of books to read to improve your reading skills.

Adel Serag

When I seriously exercise using the app, in no time, my reading speed goes from less than 400 to 600 and my target is 900 plus.

Nik Roglich

The pace trainer is great for getting my eyes focused and sharp. Also the word search exercise is very important, gets me searching for specific text.

Jose Godinez

I have improved my speed reading and comprehension since I started using 7 Speed Reading, I enjoy using it and I will continue to use it in the future.