Speed Up Your Reading Without Losing Comprehension

Speed reading as a concept has a poor evidence base; faster reading with comprehension intact does not. The techniques that genuinely help are different from the ones marketed as transformative. This explains which approaches have evidence behind them, what to stop doing that is slowing you down, and a specific practice exercise for this week.

I want to read faster without understanding less. Explain the evidence-based techniques that actually improve reading speed, distinguish them from the techniques that look impressive but reduce comprehension, and give me a specific practice exercise for this week. Tell me the one habit that does the most damage to reading speed at the word-by-word level and how to reduce it. Assume I am an adult who reads reasonably well but slowly.