How to get exponentially more out of what you read
Reading is power.
Beyond personal experiences, books are amongst the best, readily available tools to expand our understanding of the world.
But is the pursuit of knowledge about reading as many books as possible?
Or...
Is it about getting the information to stick?
Speed Racer
I used to rush through books like lightning.
For me, it was about taking in the reading, and moving on.
It was about learning, but in the wrong way.
My error?
I had mistakenly involved ego.
I wanted to feel smarter by saying I had read this book or that book.
But now I think I’ve found a better way to read, especially when it comes to self-improvement.
Stuck in the past
Beyond the speed, I inadvertently built up another bad habit—hyper preservation.
I was a collector of knowledge.
As a librarian of sorts, I kept each book I purchased in pristine condition, never marking a single page.
It wasn’t until about a year ago that I realized this method was actually doing a disservice to me. Because I was reading books so quickly, I was less likely to retain all of the knowledge if I didn’t interact with them.
I could recall the feelings and surface level ideas of the books. But I couldn’t for the life of me recall the granular details, tactics, and passages that I might put into practice.
I was stuck.
At 37 years old, I needed a new way to read.
Getting unstuck
I didn’t need to read the same arbitrary number of books every year just to pat myself on the back. I needed a way to retain the information from the books I read, regardless of the quantity.
First step to getting unstuck—try stuff.
So, I started testing out new strategies.
The first hurdle was getting beyond the “perfect” quality of my books. Keeping my library in pristine condition was clearly overkill and I needed to get over it.
Nearly 4 out every 5 books I read are to help me learn and grow. (As a writer, even the fiction books I read now I learn from in terms of styles or well-written passages.)
After I convinced myself that I could write in my books, I let go of my reading pace.
The result—fewer books, but exponentially more reward.
How to get more out of reading
My process has evolved from librarian to archaeologist. I am certainly a collector of books, but I now my priority is actively understanding them, writing my own thoughts on what I find.
Here are some of strategies that have helped me get more out of reading:
Highlight as you go. Write in the margins — Studies show that when we are able to actively engage in the process of reading, we are far more likely to retain the information. When we write little notes to ourselves and highlight, we are translating the written word of the author into something in our own words.
Pay attention to points that resonate with you — Reading isn’t always just about going from A to Z. It’s also about being inspired the words you read. Are there ideas in particular that you want to follow up with? Are there authors or references mentioned that jump out to you? Follow them!
Write a “mini report” directly after you’re done reading — When you complete a book and put it down, immediately take 15 minutes to write some high level thoughts about the book. What was the premise? What were the top three ideas to take with you? Would you recommend this to a friend? All of these ideas can help you make sense of what you’ve read and keep a record of it for your future self.
Keep a log of the books you read each year — For the past few years, I’ve kept a running log of all the books I’ve read. This does two things: First, it creates a simple gauge of what I’m reading and how often. Second, it gives me a sense of what to read next.
Share what you’ve learned — One of the best ways to learn is to teach. If you teach someone a concept, you have to understand that concept better than the person learning. In effect, you learn the concept better and someone learns it as well. Selfishly, that’s one of the primary reasons I have a newsletter. I want to teach what I learn so that I reinforce the knowledge for myself. As a benefit, you learn too! A win-win.
Final Thoughts
I used to think it was cool to read as many books as possible.
Don’t get me wrong, reading IS cool!
But reading is better when we can quickly go back and revisit the books we’ve read.
I don’t think any of us have time to re-read hundreds or thousands of pages. Instead, take your time and engage with what you read.
Build a mini-library of notes for yourself and keep the annotated copy, highlights and all, for whenever you want to visit the topic again.
Until next week, here are links to what I’ve been working on and treasures I’ve found out in the creative wilderness.
Enjoy!
Recent Finds
Ryan Holiday — 11 Stoic Principles Every Athlete Needs To Win (Video) | One of the most inspiring videos in recent memory that deftly connects mind and body. The path to self development is holistic and it requires us to push ourselves physically as well as intellectually. One can’t succeed without the other.
Tim Ferriss — Interview with Jane McGonigal (Podcast) | A few years ago, I read Jane McGonigal’s book SuperBetter and it changed my life. A game designer who used video games to build her own life up in big ways, Jane has been investigating major societal issues through the tool of video games for years. Tim Ferriss sits down with Jane to talk about how she accidentally predicted the future in 2010. Jane also shares some amazing strategies for how we can transform our lives by accepting more possible realities and futures.
The Everyday Stoic — Abraham Hicks and the 17 Second Rule (Video) | A quick exercise to help us immediately shift our mindset in real time. It’s particularly useful when you’re having a bad day or need a bit of a pick-me-up. Try it out and see if it works for you!
Quote of the Week
“Doctors don’t wait to become doctors. They go to medical school & study their butts off.
Athletes don’t wait to become the best. They get top coaches & train their butts off.
If you want to be average, wait.
If you want to reach your potential, take specific & strategic action.”
— Brian + Gab Bosché
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
