TLDR: I wasn’t much of a reader until I changed how I read, and all it required was a few new rules.
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Ughh books.
I think between high school and college I might’ve read a total of zero books. I always preferred the A- book report using cliff notes to the A+ and hours spent doing what someone else told me to do.
If you’re anything like me, you might have similar blockers: no time, prefer physical books, not a fast reader, don’t really enjoy it, yada yada, you don’t read. I’ve since changed my rules of reading, and it works.
If you get nothing else today, at least a favorite quote:
Read what you love until you love to read -@naval
That advice might be enough, but if you really want to overhaul your learning game, here some rules to read by (some of these also courtesy of Naval):
Invest. “Why I would pay $20 if I can get the headlines from Google?”
Now, if I hear of a great book from someone I trust, I buy it on the spot. It’s an investment in education, not a buying decision to waffle over.
Forget the hard copy. “I love the feel of a hard copy, and I want to write notes in the margins.”
It was hard to let go, but Bezos was right and the Kindle is amazing. It’s context-specific, which removes all distractions. Trust me. Reduce the friction. At a minimum, get the iPhone app.
Multiple books. “I’m not in the mood to read.”
Easy to say unless you keep multiple books open at a time so there’s always something to be in the mood for.
Ditch the OCD. “I need to finish this one before I pick up the next.”
I’m an adult, I can do whatever I want. Flip between chapters that sound interesting, don’t finish it, who cares. Get what you want out of it. No one is grading your homework.
Pick a time. “I read when I’m bored, but I don’t have time.”
Instead, commit to 15 minutes during breakfast. If that’s all you do, that’s still 300 pages a month, or 10 books a year, minimum.
For bonus points, pick 3-5 daily newsletters to subscribe to and click on an article or two from your LinkedIn feed every day. Knowledge compounds.
See you Monday.