EXPOSE | Read Religiously
“We all hear about about how Bill Gates and Ben Carson would stay home and read books relentlessly. Reading may not be an easy habit to develop, but it’s one that can help you expand your business.” – Daniel Allay
Reading consistently, but mining each book for what it’s worth, may be the better place to start.
EXPLORE | Read Some, Remember More
Reading faster, better, or more isn’t all about work, or launching a business. But I have always appreciated someone who is able to read consistently, and actually remember what they read. I’m somewhat of the opposite. Developing good habits (reading more and remembering more) is how I approached the idea of reading. Too often, articles like this tend to over amp a concept. But as you’ll see from this and other posts, I’m all about “getting in, getting what we need, and getting out.” Daniel Allay relates 5 tips he used to read more and remember more: learn how to speed read, don’t read cover-to-cover, set time limits, read the easy books first, and only read the best books.
EXECUTE | Read With Purpose
You may not have a magic number, but reading more, and developing the habit of retention, can have profound benefits. So I’m not suggesting setting a personal best for number of books read in a year, but even if it is 12 (one a month), and you’re able to integrate the most appropriate parts–for you–into your life, that will certainly be a win.
Based on Allay’s 5 tips mentioned above, let me suggest an action plan:
Identify what it is you want or need to learn more about. Is there a burning question you need to answer? An area of your life that is screaming for a little attention? Perhaps something that would help you in your line of work? If you had the chance to start something new, would you know how to go about starting it? What is your heart leading you to explore?
Scour that interest/desire for the most recommended books. It can be as simple as an Amazon search of bestsellers in the category your interested in. I’ve also taken it as far as a Google keyword search. Or, what does your favorite author, coach, blogger, businessman, entrepreneur suggest you read?
Set an appointed time, and, be ready to read whenever. To develop the habit, we’ll need to nail it down with a daily time reserved just for this purpose. But also, have the book/article handy to take advantage of unexpected times to read. It will also help develop the habit of making reading a priority.
With your hands on what you want to ‘consume’, strategically ‘attack’ it. Review the inside flaps and the table of contents to get the context, and identify chapters that are most important to you/for you. Skim those selected chapters to get an overview.
Read with purpose. While you read, write down what you want to apply. Now, there maybe more that you find interesting, but at the very least, record what it is you’re going to integrate into your life. Taking notes is always a good idea for comprehension and recall.
There. Get in, get what you need, and get out. Aim for value, not volume.
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Further reading:
5 tips to read 100 books a year
