I don’t care about the consensus. The general consensus does not practice these techniques. That is why you will find mixed reviews on the internet. At some point one needs to stop reading about a certain technique and just start practicing it. I can vouch for speed reading. It has worked wonders on me.
I also don’t understand why people are skeptical about something while reading about it. Try and Google ‘Suspension of disbelief’.
If I told you it works great and Tony Buzans book is fantastic, would you continue reading it?
Read this for inspiration: