Almost every reader "subvocalizes," or moves their throat as they imagine speaking the words. This may help the reader remember concepts, but it's also a major barrier to speed. Here are a few ways to keep this habit to a minimum:  Chew gum or hum while you read. This occupies muscles used to subvocalize. If you move your lips as you read, hold a finger against them. When reading, your eyes often move back to earlier words. Most of the time, these are short movements that probably don't improve understanding. Use an index card to cover words right after you read them, training yourself not to overuse this habit. These "regressions" also happen when you've failed to understand something. If your eyes jump several words or lines back, that's a sign that you may need to slow down. While reading, your eyes move jerkily, stopping on some words and skipping others. You can only read while your eyes are stopped. If you learn to make fewer movements per line, you'll read a lot faster. But be careful – research reveals limits to how much English readers can see at once:  You can read eight letters to the right of your eye position, but only four to the left. This is roughly two or three words at a time. You notice letters 9–15 spaces to the right, but can't read them clearly. Normal readers don't process words on other lines. Training yourself to skip lines and still understand them would be very difficult. Your brain normally decides where to move your eyes based on how long or familiar the next words look. You can read faster if you train your eyes to move to specific places on the page instead. Try this exercise:  Place an index card over a line of text. Write an X on the card, over the first word. Write another X on the same line. Place it three words further for good understanding, five words for easy texts, or seven words to skim the main points. Write more Xs at the same spacing, until you reach the end of the line. Read quickly as you move the index card down, trying to only focus your eyes just below each X. Many programs claim to increase your reading speed by training your reflexes first, then practicing until your brain can catch up. This has not been thoroughly studied. It certainly increases the speed you move through the text, but you may understand little or nothing. Try this if you want to aim for extreme speed reading, and you might understand more after a few days of practice. Here's how:  Move a pencil along the text. Time this so you can say "one one thousand" at a calm pace and finish just as you reach the end of a line. Spend two minutes trying to read at the pace of the pencil. Even if you can't understand anything, stay focused on the text and keep your eyes moving for the entire two minutes. Rest for a minute, then go even faster. Spend three minutes trying to read at the pace of a pen that moves across two lines every time you say "one one thousand".

Summary: Stop talking to yourself. Cover words you've already read. Understand eye movements. Train your eyes to make fewer movements. Set a pace faster than you can understand.


When you have a crush, it can feel world-ending if it's not reciprocated. If you feel like you can't tell if he likes you, he probably doesn't. If he says he'll call, and then doesn't for a long time, there is a good chance he's not interested. If he really likes you back, things should feel easy. Sometimes when we have a crush, all we want to do is obsess about them. But part of what makes you crush-worthy is living the life you're living, not obsessing about something that might never happen. Obsessing will certainly not make it happen. If you normally go out with friends or do yoga or anything else regularly, keep doing it. Thinking in endless cycles the same thoughts over and over about a guy who may or may not call you won't in the end make him call you. If you find yourself in this thought cycle, gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Focus on your breath and how you feel. Avoiding rumination can help the crush not seem so painful, because rumination tends to reinforce the negative feelings you are already feeling. You will feel a lot about a crush, and judging your feelings (feeling guilty about obsessing, or feeling ashamed that you still like them after they haven't called you) won't help. It's easy to get stuck in our heads with our feelings and it can feel insurmountable.  Remind yourself that you are awesome with or without this crush in your life.  Tell yourself that your feelings are valid, but also that they might not be representative of reality.

Summary: Don't force it. Do your normal daily activities. Don't ruminate. Don't judge yourself.


Boosting your vitamin E may help to increase your sperm count, though data on this is limited. Add more high-vitamin E foods to your diet such as:  Sunflower seeds, almonds, and peanut butter Cooked spinach, cooked beet greens, and cooked collard greens Raw red peppers, canned pumpkin, cooked asparagus, raw avocado, and raw mango Cooked swordfish Safflower oil Vitamin C may help boost male fertility, though research on this is limited. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in every meal, as these contain high amounts of vitamin C. Some of the produce highest in vitamin C are:  Citrus fruit and juice, like orange and grapefruit Tropical fruits like cantaloupe, kiwi, mango, papaya, and pineapple Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, and watermelon Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts Peppers (green and red), tomatoes, and potatoes (sweet and white) Leafy greens like cabbage, spinach, and turnip greens Having appropriate levels of vitamin A may help improve male fertility. Eat fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A such as spinach, kale, collard greens, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, carrots, and fortified dairy. Liver is also high in vitamin A.
Summary: Get more vitamin E in your diet. Eat foods high in vitamin C. Get more vitamin A.