Feel like I have really let myself go not reading for quite some time, while I have a pile of books that are on my to read list. It is just so much easier to start up netflix at night and watch some show till you go to sleep versus pickup up a book.
For you regular readers out there: How do you stay on top of your reading?
I don't. I subscribe to Audible and listen to books on tape during my commute and any long drives. i'm able to bang out 2 books a month at the current pace.
Second this - Audible is about the only way I have time for "reading"
If this is the one way you truly have time then it’s def the best option, I’d just argue you don’t get the “brain exercising” benefit of actually reading a book which is the only downside.
I agree with everyone here so far. Audible is a good way to get some "reading" done if not you could schedule some time in the morning or before bed and make it a ritual
Reading for 20-25min before bed knocks me right out (actual book, not on a screen). Numerous studies show that watching screens 60min+ before bed can have pretty negative effects on your sleep and I totally believe it from personal experience
Reading is brain exercise so at first it won't be easy (especially if you've been out of it for a while as you said) for the first week or so you'll have to almost force yourself to do 20-30 minutes a day. Keep doing that and it'll get progressively easier and you'll read for more time or read more material in the 30 minutes you started with.
Its really all about the delivery. The key to reading and retention is activating parts of the brain that respond to the words given to you, as stimuli.
Billionaires have used a simple trick for decades. Basically, there is a company out there called Readtronics who shows you pictures of their professional dictators and also their voices in an fMRI. These two factors are weighted and Neuroimaging is utilized to choose a professional dictator to read all of your books with you. Based on how your brain lights up in the test will decide what verbal and visual cues will align with optimal memory retention. You can take your dictator with you on travels, or even in the shower. The rules are up to you. Many wealthy men seem to keep choosing 20-30 year old former models with high voices, so that seems to be the secret to success.
There are rumors out there that Melania was Trump's Readtronic dictator, but I haven't seen anything confirmed.
I looked up the research on how they are weighted in the test and the fMRI runs voice once, image once, and image/voice together once. The test favors voice more than image (rightfully so), but they both play into a part of the success of the dictator/client relationship.
Any links to this service?
How to read more. (Originally Posted: 11/22/2013)
http://www.ryanholiday.net/how-to-read-more-a-lot-more/
I don't agree with everything this guy says, but his ability to burn through books and become very successfull without a college degree is impressive as hell.
"When you read a lot of books people inevitably assume you speed read. In fact, that’s probably the most common email I get. They want to know my trick for reading so fast. They see all the books I recommend every month in my reading newsletter and assume I must have some secret. So they ask me to teach them how to speed read.
That’s when I tell them I don’t have a secret. Even though I read hundreds of books every single year, I actually read quite slow. In fact, I read deliberately slow, so that I can take notes (and then whenever I finish a book, I go back through and transcribe these notes for my version of a commonplace book.
So where do I get the time? (Well for starters I don’t waste any of it asking dumb questions).
Look, where do you get the time to eat three meals a day? How do you have time to do all that sleeping? How do you manage to spend all those hours with your kids or wife or a girlfriend or boyfriend?
You don’t get that time anywhere, do you? You just make it because it’s really important. It’s a non-negotiable part of your life.
I think there are three main barriers that hold people back from making this happen and I want to disassemble them right now so you can start reading way, way more.
TIME The key to reading lots of book begins with stop thinking of it as some activity that you do. Reading must become as natural as eating and breathing to you. It’s not something you do because you feel like it, but because it’s a reflex, a default.
Carry a book with you at all times. Every time you get a second, crack it open. Don’t install games on your phone–that’s time you could be reading. When you’re eating, read. When you’re on the train, in the waiting room, at the office–read. It’s work, really important work. Don’t let anyone ever let you feel like it’s not.
Do you know how much time you waste during the day? Conference calls, meetings, TV shows that you don’t really like but watch anyway. Well, if you can make time for that you can make time for reading. (Or better, just swap those activities for books)
MONEY If I had to steal books to support my reading habit, I would. Thankfully you can buy some of the best literature ever published for pennies on Amazon.
But forget money entirely when it comes to books. Reading is not a luxury. It’s not something you splurge on. It’s a necessity.
As Erasmus, the 16th century scholar once put it, “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”
On top of that, books are an investment. I hear from people all the time who tell me they plan to buy this book or that book. Plan? Just buy it. I promised myself a long time ago that if I saw a book that interested me I’d never let time or money or anything else prevent me from having it. Not money, not time, not my own laziness. Don’t wait around for some book you want to read to come out in paperback–trying to save $2 or $3 is the wrong mindset. If it’s a book you’ll read, then read it now, not in a year.
(One related note: I don’t check books out from the library and haven’t since I was a child. This isn’t like renting a mindless movie. You should be keeping the books you read for reference and for re-reading. If you are OK giving the books back after two weeks you might want to examine what you are reading).
PURPOSE Perhaps the reason you having trouble is you forgot the purpose of reading. It’s not just for fun. Human beings have been recording their knowledge in book form for more than 5,000 years. That means that whatever you’re working on right now, whatever problem you’re struggling with, is probably addressed in some book somewhere by someone a lot smarter than you. Save yourself the trouble of learning from trial and error–find that point. Benefit from that perspective.
The walls of my house are covered in books from floor to ceiling. The last time I moved, I had to rent a U-Haul exclusively for books. At first that frustrated me, and then I remembered that books paid the rent on both those houses. They kept me sane, they made me a lot of money.
The purpose of reading is not just raw knowledge. It’s that it is part of the human experience. It helps you find meaning, understand yourself, and make your life better.
There is very little else that you can say that about. Very little else like that under $20 too.
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Look, you either get this or you don’t. Reading is something you know is important and want to do more of. Or you’re someone who just doesn’t read. If you’re the latter, you’re on your own (you’re also probably not that smart).
Think of someone like Frederick Douglass, who brought himself up out of slavery by sneaking out and teaching himself to read. Books weren’t some idle pursuit or pastime to him, they were survival itself. And despite this dire situation, he managed to read and, as the writer Thomas Sowell once put it, “educate himself to the point where his words now have to be explained to today’s expensively under-educated generation.”
What excuse do you have?
If you want to read more, there’s no real secret. It’s about adjusting your priorities and your perception so that reading becomes an extension of who you are and what you do.
When that happens, you’ll be the person that people now ask: How do you do it? And the answer will be: I just do."
Another way to find time to read more is to cut out the picture mags. This frees an amazing amount of time. Unfortunately, I have not been able to achieve this so I'm mostly reading mags.
Great Advice. I met a highly successful JP Morgan executive out at the bar at a fine dining steakhouse in Chicago. He gave me some of the best advice I've ever received and I was only 21.
His advice was enjoy life, go out for a drink or a good steak every once in awhile, work hard in the office, go to basketball games, but if your in your own home that is your time to read. He said basically when he's home all he does is eat or read. He feels that has been the number 1 reason he's been so successful.
Great tips. Commuting via public transportation really helps as well...
Disagree about libraries, although most public libraries seem to have an overwhelming amount of crap. You can also check out e-books from most libraries now, too.
I subscribe to The New Yorker, which is lighter & easier to carry around during the day. Collections of short stories are especially well suited to commuting.
I keep a stack of books next to my bed, mostly poetry since it's somewhat relaxing & has more natural stopping points so I don't end up reading all night. (Currently: complete poems of Emily Dickinson, Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Rilke's Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge). Bedtime is also ideal for reviewing foreign language grammar, it'll put you right to sleep. I alternate literature & Econ/finance books, which tend to be slower reads for me.
sounds like a pussy creep fuck
I don't have the time to eat three times a day (usually once, twice at the most) and I'm sleep deprived as fuck on a regular basis—when huge workload hits I get into a schedule of sleeping every other day. Been carving out time to spend with girlfriend through cutting contact with all other friends: hella unhealthy, but what am I gonna do. (Need new friends anyway, old ones suck.)
Casual acquaintances get very pissed when I announce I literally don't read books, which I find kind of strange. I mean, I read some news and sites and technical stuff and all that, but books? I'm lucky if I have 15 minutes for that every month.
Honestly I just see it as quite perplexing that many people assume somehow reading more must makes one more intelligent or knowledgeable; I believe it is far more beneficial and efficient if one thinks a lot over the information he takes in, especially synthesizing across a spectrum of various topics, than just keeps taking in information. After all, one can be thinking anytime while doing anything else. Also, it speeds up taking in new information and makes the difference between being wise and simply being a nerd.
Not implying I'm "wise" or anything (definitely not there yet, barely an adult), just my two cents here.
Reading by itself does not make you smart, because "reading" is pretty idiosyncratic when you get down to it. A lot of my friends in college "read" Harry Potter and The Hunger Games and count that among their "prime literature;" others "read" comic books (sometimes comic books that don't even have words, just pictures). I completely agree with you that reading any of that does NOT make you more intelligent. It's like the housewives that claim, "Oh, I'm such a big reader; I finished the 50 Shades series this weekend!"
Some, like Ryan Holiday, prefer to read more serious things like books on stoicism and religion. As far as I'm concerned, Ryan is getting much more out of his reading than the twenty-year-olds who read books meant for elementary schoolers because, as you put it, "one thinks a lot over the information he takes in, especially synthesizing across a spectrum of various topics, than just keeps taking in information." There's much more information to think over in the "Unbeliever's Prayer" from Death Be Not Proud than in Harry Potter's Quidditch match.
To me, that's the beauty of reading: being able to access some of the most brilliant minds of all time in the comfort of your own home and letting that information sink in.
TL;DR: go pick up a real book
I am also going to have to agree that liberal arts degree is not useless, although for a different reason than m56.
A liberal arts education is not as much about the degree as the experience. I don't mean this in the "i had a college experience because I took bullshit classes and got laid every other night" kind of way, but rather that the a true liberal arts education focuses on integrating disciplines for a more complete educational experience. I think that the ability to connect philosophy to finance, or history to accounting, for example, is an invaluable skill that can be leveraged in just about any profession. Additionally, a liberal arts education is less socratic or lecture based and focuses on discussion and academic debate. This is a fantastic opportunity to build relationships by virtue of the fact that you interact, and don't just sit next to your peers listening.
From an anecdotal perspective, I can tell you that the majority of alumni from my school are wildly successful - even those with a true liberal arts degree. I can think of several people in my class who have the dreaded english degree and are employed at top firms like McKinsey, Bain, Northrop Grumman, Wells Fargo, etc. Contrary to popular belief, I think employers still recognize the value of a liberal arts education
Of course, to read more a person needs to have the resources, time and money, included. I agree that money should not be an issue when it comes to reading since there are many ways to read without actually buying (if you really don’t have the money). This is why I disagree about the library. Libraries are one of my most favorite places because this is where I can enjoy reading without thinking about anything else. Going to the library is also one of things I do to bond with my children and grandchildren which developed their reading habits and skills.easylearnreadingdotcom
Guys... How to read? (Originally Posted: 10/14/2012)
I've always been a hardback/paperback guy, but have just ordered the new Kindle (the Paperwhite, no ads).
How do you guys read? i.e. what format do you prefer?
I prefer paper. I dislike reading on my laptop and even at work, will usually print out documents at work to read and mark up, much to the dismay of my Eco-friendlier colleagues.
I haven't used an e-reader yet, but think it would be convenient for my casual reading as i travel a lot for extended periods and the regular Kindle is closer to the look of real paper than the ipad and other tablets.
What do you guys think? Have i made a $140 mistake? ... Is it useless to have a dedicated e-reader with all the ipads and other devices? Are books still superior given that they cost a similar amount to their kindle versions?
Also, what are your reading habits? Do you read outdoors, or only at home? Do you read in bed or whiel travelling?
I got the original kindle over a year ago and I prefer it to real books. Paperwhite should be even better.
I hate e-readers. Honestly, the Kindle (original) is the only tolerable one for me, and I assume the Paperwhite is just as good.
IPAD...
I prefer paper truly...but truly easier to get pdfs of most stuff these days.
Ditto with the paper especially if it's a complicated text. I mark it up, write in the margins, pull out my own notebook to outline etc. However for general reading I just used my monitor or my laptop, I'm really paranoid about my eyesight (have perfect vision and am interested in keeping it that way) and I adjust the brightness a lot to make reading easier on the eyes.
I'm also a bit picky about the resolution if I'm going to be doing a lot of reading, back in my gaming days I found out that a higher resolution would fatigue my eyes much quicker so if I'm going to be doing some reading I just stick with a nice small 1080 x 760 screen (looks awkward on my laptop sometimes).
So for me it really depends on what I'm reading but most general browsing is usually a chrome tab opened up, and a word document where I can type out thoughts. If it's a really good piece (get those about once or twice a week), I can print it out and mark it up and keep those in a binder. I've been meaning to get myself an ereader, but one of my weird goals is to eventually build up a nice library (ie couple thousand books) as I grow older, I'm unfortunately only at 200 or so.
Definitely like real books more, but you can't beat having over $10,000 worth of books (Margin of Safety) in your hand.
i have a nook color and ipad and while both are great they are just to similar to the computer screen that I do work on all day. I find enjoyment in the physical book and there is something cathartic about holding a book and if its technical writing in it that an e-reader will never have.
Yeah, I've spent maybe 2 minutes total looking at various e-readers, yet it's obvious to me the kindle is the only one that looks like real paper, which I love. Don't wanna stare at a bright computer-esque screen while reading a book. Also, I feel like I read faster on the kindle's paper-like screen than I read on the bright glowing screens of the ipad, etc.
Depends on the type of reading. I do all of my leisure reading on my tablet (Nexus 7) via the Kindle and Nook apps. However, any type of study material, work material, or reference material I have to have in paper format. Flipping through pages for reference is too cumbersome on an e-reader, and while there are great PDF annotation apps out there, nothing beats old-fashioned pen and highlighter.
I pretty much print everything at work because it makes me seem busy when I am walking back and forth to the printer all day. Add in stapling things, shuffling papers and having like ten stacks of paper on your desk and you are golden. I also find myself missing stuff when I am flipping through PDFs whereas when I am reading papers I get all the info.
I have an iPad for Magazines and books with graphs, infographics, etc and a kindle for books that are exclusively text. Works out perfectly.
I prefer paper but I feel like I'll buy a kindle or something equivalent in the near future because it is easier to carry around and in the long term it is cheaper.
One thing that makes me skeptical is that in 10 years, home libraries will be almost non-existant. What about real libraries? University libraries? Will they have an ebook or will they continue to have paper books?
Just bought a Kindle Paperwhite as well because my book collection is getting too bulky. I ordered next-day shipping only to find out that there is a 4-6 week delay. Now I've finished reading all of my books but don't want to buy new paper ones before the new kindle arrives.
First world problems.
Thinking of snagging a MSFT Surface when that comes out for all non-book media.
Kindle is greater, it is so much easy to read in a crowded tube than a "regular" book
You can highlight texts with kindle and it will put everything you highlighted into one nice summary. That's a huge upside for me
Reading for work - I strongly prefer printing paper so I can mark up docs.
Reading for pleasure - Strongly prefer my ipad, which has made my bookcase, most of my books, my xbox, my TV, my laptop and my desktop comp all redundant. I consume alomst all forms of media on my ipad.
I would return the kindle and get yourself an ipad. If you're sensitive to cost, go with Google's Nexus tablet.
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