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Jim Kwik - How I Read a Book a Week | Jim Kwik

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Author: Jim Kwik
Categories: Education
Tags: education
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 03:06 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Read about 45 minutes a day, scheduled into your day, to finish roughly one book a week, and build quick reading speed so that time drops toward 15 minutes a day. Jim Kwik says the average reader at about 200 words per minute needs about 320 minutes for a 64,000-word book, and that breaking reading into small, scheduled chunks helps overcome procrastination.

Key Points

  • Procrastination is the main barrier; splitting a big goal into small, manageable chunks makes it easier to start and finish.
  • The Zeigarnik effect, named after a psychologist who noticed waiters remembered unfinished orders, is cited to explain why people want to finish what they start, so consistent daily follow-through matters.
  • Kwik says CEOs and leaders often read about four to six books a month, roughly one book a week, which he presents as a habit of successful people.
  • Reading speed changes the time commitment: at 400 words per minute about 22 minutes a day is needed, and at 600 words per minute about 15 minutes a day.
  • Quick reading is framed as a must-have skill in the information age, and reading is presented as the best mental exercise, with Will Smith cited as someone who runs and reads daily.

Details Worth Noting

Concrete instructions:

  • Estimate your time: divide the book's word count (Kwik uses 64,000 words as the average) by your words per minute, then divide by seven days. At 200 words per minute, that is about 45 minutes a day.

  • Schedule reading time on your calendar every day, since unscheduled reading usually does not happen.

  • Do a baseline two-minute reading test: time yourself reading for two minutes, count the lines you read, divide by two, and record that number as your starting point.

  • He describes reading with a finger moving left to right along the line, starting from the indentation rather than the margin, so peripheral vision picks up more text, and also describes an eye-tracking exercise where the head stays still, eyes follow the finger, with steady breathing and attention to posture.

  • Practice slow, controlled reading first, since Kwik says "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast."

  • Minimum daily homework is 10 minutes of scheduled reading; if you miss a day, don't miss two.

  • You can split reading into multiple sessions, such as morning and night, and log your progress publicly for accountability.

  • Kwik's own homework and daily target differ: he mentions 45 minutes at average speed, but the assignment he gives is 10 minutes minimum.

  • The 64,000-word average and the 200 words per minute reading speed are the speaker's figures, not independently verified here.

  • Kwik notes that reading 400 to 500 words per minute is what he considers normal reading, not speed reading.

Bottom Line

Reading a book a week is achievable with a fixed daily slot, and improving reading speed is the most effective way to shrink that daily time commitment.