PRODUCTIVE READING
WHY DODDLE AND WASTE TIME?
lead in, draft
This is all part of Authentic, Effective, Real Learning To Get What You Really Want In Life, which includes a link to The Best Ways To Learn.
Always, always, always do the 'survey review' (covered in the link above) of what you are to read, to see if it is worthwhile reading at all and to see what in the book is or isn't worthwhile reading. (You can actually choose to skip whole chapters!)
You can "scan-read" some sections, especially if you think you already "have the point" of it - this way you can speed it up and not waste time, but also be sure not to miss any key new points, which you will probably slow down to read fully.
It is most effective to underline key statements and points, both for increasing the learning effect in the moment but also for an easy review after you finish your first time through the book. Notes of thoughts that you have can be written in the margin, as I do, but you can also take notes as you go.
And, of course, if you do not review what you've read and make it into a meaningful whole and/or something that is implemented, you have left most of your winnings on the table. People who expose themselves to lots of information but then don't use it completely are violating the necessary purpose for learning, as discussed in Authentic, Effective, Real Learning. Always leave, or make, time for really tying things down to the level of "Sufficient Knowing", so that you are actually capable of getting the results you want!
Consider taking a course or reading a book on how to read and comprehend better. See also the article from outside in the side panel.
Of course, if you do more efficient reading, you'll be able to read more books and learn alot more in life - and if you do it the right way, you can be effective (i.e. getting the results you want).
Perhaps you might start from seeing what the best books are to read, such as in The Best Books Lists - Read The Best Of The Best, First!
__________
The Effective Student - I Wish I Would Have Known This Back Then... - Though written mostly for someone in school, it applies to everyone who wants to learn.
Smart, Directed, Effective, Proactive "Results" Learning - This booklet will take you all the way to effective learning!
Authentic, Effective, Real Learning To Get What You Really Want In Life, which includes a link to The Best Ways To Learn
From outside
Scientific Speed Reading: How To Read 300% Faster In 20 Minutes - By Tim Ferris, one of the master hackers of effective learning.
Harvesting is worth the extra time!
We read non-fiction to gain factual information for practical use (i.e. to get results).
It takes me about 3 times as much time to actually harvest a book instead of just (passively) "reading" it.
The Productive Reading Process Checklist
Smart reading is the process to engage in.
Smart = Ability to gain results
SQ3R = Survey, Question, Read, "Recall", Review/Finalize
SURVEY FOR USABILITY
__Be selective:
__ Scan for relevancy (usefulness).
__ Decide what not to read.
__ Skimread/scan (First one or two sentences in a paragraph tells you enough to decide whether or not to read the paragraph or section
READ/QUESTION IN DEPTH (WHERE USEFUL)
__ Read in-depth only if justified.
(Justified = Useability x likelihood of use)
Goals:
__ Understand/evaluate facts - To incorporate new ideas/facts for greater understanding that will help ultimate use. Understand the logic/reasoning and evaluate if the facts are valid and usable.
__ Capture, for "recall" - Gather the information that will be useful in future, in a referenceable way and in a form that is complete enough to be directly usable when needed. Notes taken should be useful!
__ Read critically - Critical reading is asking questions and is part of the critical thinking process that leads to all valid workable strategies and tactics.
REVIEW/IMPLEMENT
__ What do I need to go back to to understand more of or to decide what to implement?
__ Reference system set up - Reference materials set up for referenceability/use.
__ Implementation assured
__ Follow up to do list (of all that is
useful), properly tickled up
____________________________
USABLE "CAPTURE" METHODS
Highlight (and add comments)
Take notes - Rephrase in own words
What are the key points
Make them findable and usable
Set up a system (tickles or part of a list in a project that will be engaged in) for assuring followup.
Follow the steps in Capture It All - But In A Usable, Retrievable Way!
If the information is never used, then it is worthless!!!
YOU MUST ACHIEVE THE PAYOFF
The purpose of reading something is to get a "payoff".
If we read something and then move on having gotten no payoff, we have just passed time. Actually, bluntly we have succeeded in "killing time". And since time is the stuff of life, we have actually succeeded in killing a portion of our lives.
Of course, our payoff can be enjoying a book such that it is a good experience, adding to the pile of good experiences that one can appreciate having had. But if reading the fiction book is just a way of passing time in a way that one's anxiety is bypassed, it might be better to, instead, actually learn how to handle anxiety directly in a more effective way! Escape often have a very low payoff.
In order to learn how to handle anything in life better, we must read. So it makes sense that we should do it as productively and in as little time as possible, so that we can get the most for our time and energy trade-off.
YES, ALL MAJOR SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE READ ALOT, BUT...
You must read/learn alot that is relevant and useful to create the results you want. As such, the rules of smart learning apply here. Yes, many have succeeded purely by their volume of reading.
But our objective is usability - the value that is obtained. In learning, "value obtained" is classified as "quality", where as volume read is called quantity. As we all know, our goal is always to do that which gives us the most value per unit of effort/time.
The key is to always read based on a plan, a goal of what to get out of each segment, and careful selection, combined with sustained effort where we stick to one thing at a time until mastered (we don't zig-zag and we use the principle of "momentum").
MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT TIME USE
It seems that few people do that, as they just seem to doddle along as if the pace and attention level they were doing it at was "the" level to do it, almost as a given - but such "givens" should be questioned. Why not get twice as much out of it so that you get twice (or more) the payoff in the same amount of time - plus the bonus of feeling better about it - and having more time for other things that have a good, positive payoff!!!
