How To Read A Book (Without Ever Struggling to Finish)

In this article you’’ll discover how to quickly extract the value from practical books.

In Richard Koch’s The 80/20 Rule, he explains that most non-fiction books have few real nuggets in them. As an author myself, I was told by my publisher to aim for 55,000 words. Authors are given word targets. Too many books have a lot of filler.

Unfortunately, school teaches you to finish books that you start…

If you struggle to finish books, that’s ok

You are already busy enough without adding artificial shoulds to your to-do list.

• Your focus in business — and life — is creating, not consuming.
• 50,000 words at 238 words/minute (average) is almost 4 hours a book
• If a book is dull or unhelpful, you don’t need to finish at all.

If you want to learn useful and valuable info from books but don’t want to invest 4 hours into every one, there is another way. Here’s how…

Step 1: Figure out what you need from a book (or books)

Don’t pick up books just because you think you should read them.

When I wanted to bake artisanal bread, I bought a book about craft baking. I read just enough to bake my first loaf. It went well, I got hooked and read more.

Step 2: Triage the top books in the category

There are reviews of all the top books in every category online. Find the ones with the ideas that resonate for you. Then either skim-read or find a detailed review.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a case in point. The big ideas and methods are in detailed reviews all over the web. 15 minutes or less in a review will point out all of the major ideas plus lots more besides.

Step 3: Dig deeper when you’re inspired

Sometimes a book will resonate more deeply and you’ll want to read it from front to back. That’s great. Just don’t feel compelled to do it because you should.

Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog