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Knowledge Is Power!

 

I’ve always been a reader, since I’ve started this blog my reading has increased exponentially. In order for me to have an infinite reservoir of things for me to write about I have to constantly learn new things, and what better way to learn new things than to read.

It’s interesting to note that I earn a reasonable stream of income from this blog, which only exists because of all the things I’ve learned from reading so many books. Reading a book a week has been the root of my success. “Knowledge is power” sounds super cliche at this point but it is true nonetheless. It has empowered me to be consistently creative.

When I really need to crunch in a bunch of reading material in a short period of time, I know how to do it. Not just going through the motions either, but actually comprehending what I’m reading as well. On average, I can read about a book a week. This is a huge increase from my previous one book a month. I want to share some advice that might help some of you increase your reading speed dramatically like I have.

Why are you reading?

This is probably the most important aspect of reading in my opinion.

Without an overall goal or purpose you are essentially just going through the motions.

Now, for somebody who just reads with no intention on ever using or remembering what they read then go right ahead. If you’re reading this I assume this is not you.

So why are you reading?

I’ve learned that people generally read for:

  • pleasure
  • homework
  • general study/research
  • or curiosity

You need to figure where you are at. Reading for pleasure requires a different strategy then reading for general study/research. Reading out of curiosity is different than reading for pleasure. Know why you are reading.

Making time to read.

I hear people say “I don’t have time to read” all the time.

Those same people spend HOURS a day watching TV.

Those same people spend HOURS a day playing video games.

Those same people spend HOURS a day on social media.

If reading was important to you then no matter what, you would make time. Especially if you have HOURS of every day to spend doing other activities.

You’d be surprised at how fast you can get through a book when you actually sit down to read it. In my experience, an hour to an hour and a half of reading every day could have you finishing a book by the end of the week (unless you are reading a giant dictionary).

Taking notes.

I only read non-fiction books these days. So most of what I read has tons of facts and information. I have trouble remembering key parts some times so I do two things.

First, while I’m reading the book I always have a highlighter in my hand to mark anything I deem necessary to stand out. This helps quite a bit because the next time I open the book all of the main parts are already highlighted.

Secondly, when I’m done with the book I write down a short summary of the book. Usually I do this with a list of key points or main ideas. This helps me ensure that I actually understand what I just read.

Just do it.

It’s not rocket science.

The hardest part is picking up the damn book and getting started.

If you want to read a book a week, then give it the same attention and energy you give your favorite Netflix series.

Once you get past this giant hurdle in your mind by reading a few books at a high speed then it would start to become normal. You won’t have anxiety about reading a lot anymore.

Hopefully, by using some of these tips you’ll be on your way to reading a book or more a week.

PS – If you don’t find any of these tips useful then do what works best for you. As long as you get the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding out of what your reading then it doesn’t really matter how you do it. It’s all about the results.

 

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