In the beginning

Back in 2009 Forbes published an article regarding the self-help industry. The article states that "Americans spent $11 billion in 2008 on self-improvement books, CDs, seminars, coaching and stress-management programs."(1) Clearly its a huge industry, so maybe theres something to it. I'm not sure if there is but I plan to find out. My idea is to experiment with self-help books, and possibly other media formats, to see if they actually work. The plan is to pick a book, follow its advice as precisely as possible and record my progress and results here on this blog. Sounds simple enough.

I've already decided on my first book; "10 Days to Faster Reading" by Abby Marks-Beale (2). Seems appropriate enough, these experiments will probably have me reading a lot so I might as well learn to read faster. I requested the book from the Brooklyn Public Library and should have it in a matter of days, as soon as I receive it I'll get started.