This is not the end all be all write up on how to read books.
Read books however you want. Read word for word. Skim. Skip parts then come back to them. The choice is yours.
This is simply my way of doing things. This how I read books.
This is how I’ve read books since Freshman year of high school. This “method” has helped me become a better learner (for personal purposes) and a better student (for purely academic purposes). So you can say it’s helped me out over the years.
Watch the video to see an example:
To recap, this is my method on how to read books in world obsessed with speed.
1. I read the book and underline the important parts with a red marker. I also make little notes when needed.
2. I revisit all of the pages with the red underlines.
3. Of all the red underlines, I pick 3-5 of the most important messages/lessons I get from the book. These are the points that really hit home. These can also be quotes.
4. I mark the pages with these 3-5 messages/lessons with a small post it.
5. I constantly refer back to these pages and internalize these points. If these are exercises or require some sort of action, I make sure I integrate these in to my life somehow.
I’m a big believer in reading books and taking the time to learn and apply the information. This means you should take your time when you are reading.
It’s not a race.
You shouldn’t be trying to read as many books as possible or engaging in those bogus 52 books in 52 week challenges.
When you try to power through as many books as possible, you’re not really reading. And you certainly are not learning.
In reality, you’re skimming. You’re barely absorbing anything. You’re mostly wasting time. This is not how to read books.
Remember this. You don’t get an award for reading a lot of books. And you’re not impressing anyone.
That hot girl you see at the gym every day doesn’t care that you read all of John C. Maxwell’s books on leadership. Your friends don’t care that you know all about Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power.
And if we’re being honest here, neither do you. If you’re not getting anything out of it, it’s worthless.
Seriously no cares.
The only one that matters is you. Only you should care.
You get rewarded if you’re smart and figure out how to apply the information (or stories) to your situation.
One last point on how to read books…
I think books can be a secret weapon.
How can you look at someone and tell if they have read a lot of books? You can never really tell.
Watch the movie Finding Forrester for a good example.
It’s about a black kid from Brooklyn who plays basketball. What are the odds that he is a well-read individual?
Not very high. But he is… And with the help of Sean Connery, he becomes a talented writer as well.
Literature and prose was his (their) little secret.
It can be yours too…
Imagine having a secret reservoir of knowledge that you can rely upon when needed.
You can absolutely have it.
Just take your time and make sure you are getting something from the books you read.
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3 Comments
great post sonny
Thank You!
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