Some of us set ourselves the goal of reading more at the start of the year, perhaps even deciding how many books we want to read each month or year. Are you one of them?
How are you getting on with that goal? I’m doing so-so—perhaps more poorly than well. I’ve somewhat forgotten about it and gotten stuck. Has that happened to you? If you’d like to find out how to read more and, above all, how to read well, this article is definitely for you.
MAKE TIME FOR IT
One of the biggest obstacles we face is the clock. The first things we tell ourselves when we want to start a book are: “I don’t have time,” “There aren’t enough hours in the day,” “24 hours isn’t enough,” and so on. I’m not saying these are excuses, or that you’re not really interested in reading that book you’ve been drawn to or putting off for so long. What I’m saying is that you do have the time—you just aren’t using it well. Of course, you may be the exception and genuinely not have even 5 minutes of free time in your day. But generally speaking, we tend to waste time on little things we think don’t affect us—for example, spending 15 minutes in front of the TV, half an hour on social media, or 10 minutes searching for videos on YouTube. I could go on. Does any of that sound familiar?
Make a list of your daily activities and how much time you spend on each. This will help you realise how many minutes slipped away on less productive things, keeping you from picking up your book. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy some downtime, just that it shouldn’t stop you from reaching your goals.
FILTER OUT THE NOISE AND CHOOSE YOUR MEDIA WISELY
One of our biggest enemies is the mass media: all those advertising links that pop up everywhere, with headlines like “5 tips to never look ugly again,” “how to get the guy you like,” and “see what happened to this boy’s face after he was attacked by lions.” These stories are more sensational than informative. They’re designed to grab people’s attention and attract more visitors to sensationalist websites that lack quality, credibility and accuracy. Reading just anything doesn’t count as “I’ve done my reading for the day.” How can you tell if it’s worthwhile? Ask yourself: What does this add to my life or knowledge? What will I learn? Will I improve at something? Is it a good use of my time? These questions will help you realise just how much time you waste reading things that aren’t useful to you.
If you’re someone who is glued to the news and newspapers, you might not like what I’m about to say, but try to step away from them a little. I’m not saying you should shut yourself off from the world or stop knowing what’s going on around you, but how much do these stories really add to your life? The line between staying informed and being drawn in by sensationalism is very thin.
Look for blogs on topics that interest you and help you learn and develop your knowledge, or find novels you enjoy, reviews and recommendations.
STOP FEELING GUILTY ABOUT GIVING UP ON A BOOK.
If you always finish what you start, or you’re a little obsessive, this might be hard—but say goodbye to that book that hasn’t grabbed you, the one you read reluctantly while waiting to reach the word “THE END,” the one you’re more than halfway through but still struggle to get through because you don’t like it and don’t want to leave it unfinished.
If a book doesn’t give you what you were looking for or live up to your expectations, don’t feel bad about putting it down. Reading should be something we enjoy; it should nourish us. Reading just so you can say you’ve read a book or keep count is pointless if you take nothing away from it.
Don’t waste time on books you don’t like just for appearances. Keep looking for the book of your dreams.
[irp posts=»596″ name=»5 tips for never being late and becoming more punctual»]
AUDIOBOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE AUDIOBOOKS
If you’re more of an auditory than a visual learner, or you’re very active, this is a perfect option for you. Listen to an audiobook on the bus, while going for a walk, at work, or while cooking.
You can listen to an audiobook while reading another book, learning from two different formats and exploring two different subjects.
TAKE NOTES, HIGHLIGHT AND LOOK THINGS UP
Something interesting I heard today was that after 24 hours, you forget roughly 40% of the information you’ve read in a book. Imagine how much more you forget after a day, two days, and so on. Our brains retain only a few things, while the rest fades away. We don’t read just to forget everything, do we?
It’s important to take notes, whether in a notebook, directly in a physical book by highlighting and adding notes, or electronically. There are many apps these days that help you save bookmarks, notes and highlights in your digital books. You can also write down new words you’ve learned. Use dictionaries, and don’t leave any words unexplained—this will help expand your vocabulary.
I’ve heard that “Every note” is an amazing app, so I downloaded it today and I’m fascinated by it. It lets me organise my notes and add links, references and photos. It’s great for getting the most out of your notes. Finally, remember that you don’t always have to read an entire book if what you need is in a particular chapter. Always ask yourself what you’re looking for in the book and what you want to learn about the subject. Don’t feel bad about going straight to that section and then putting the book away again. Remember, reading is for you, not for competing with anyone. Learn in your own way.
This article was inspired by a podcast I listened to on “Spotify” called “El Arte de Presentar” (The Art of Presenting). I learned a lot from it and wanted to share it with you. Here’s the link so you can listen to the whole episode: https:
//open.spotify.com/episode/67Rn7FJaKPhTCeuOp9we6q?si=hyNyyNAvSAOMnkTIGH4Gmw
