How to Read Better and Gain More From It

// A THREAD //

“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero.”

— Charlie Munger

...but maybe you don't and would like to.

That's why I put together this thread.
What will I cover?

1) The biggest myths about reading
2) Why should you read
3) How to find time for reading
4) How to gain the most from your reading
1) The biggest myths about reading

Let's start with briefly debunking some of the biggest myths out there.

"I don't have time for reading."
- We all have the same 24 hours. The reading may not be the priority for you, but that's a choice. The choice you made.
"Reading is boring."
- It doesn't have to be. As @naval puts it: "Read what you love until you love to read".

"Reading is procrastination."
- If you apply what you read, this is non-sense. And if you don't... I still think it's time well spent.
"To read many books, you have to spend ENORMOUS time reading".
- Read every day 10 minutes right after waking up and see, how much nonsense this is.

You can definitely read a lot, even if you invest little time in it.

But why even get bothered by it?
1. Why should you read?

The books are just the condensed answers to questions that way smarter people than you decided to answer.

And if the books passed the test of time, you can tell, they succeed in answering them.

Use this accumulated wisdom.
2. How to find time for reading?

Don't make it harder than it's.

Even the 10 minutes of reading a day, gives you 60 hours of reading yearly.

That's ~ 10 books.

It doesn't matter how "small" you read if you do it consistently.

That's the mindset to have.
2b. Practical tips

- Make reading a habit (I personally set a timer for 25 minutes after lunch just to read.)

- Get inspired by @ShaneAParrish and aim at 25 pages every day.

- Get an ebook reader and use it when commuting etc...

MAKE READING A SYSTEM
3. How to gain more from your reading?

A good answer to this question definitely beats the volume (how much you read.)

I will share the best tips I found.
#1 Pick the "right" books.

I can't stress this one enough. Definitely the most impactful "hack" out there.

Check reviews. Get recommendations. And most importantly use your own BS filter.

Also, pay attention to the test of the time (if interested google Lindy effect).
#2 @ShaneAParrish blank sheet method

Take a blank paper before you start reading the book and write down what you already know about the topic.

Then start reading the book, and after each reading session (or once you finish it whole) update your sheet with the new knowledge.
#3 Notes

The purpose of the book is to give you the knowledge, not to look "as it was just bought."

Feel free to write notes there, underline, fold pages, whatever...

Treat it as you talk with the author himself.
#4 Pre-bite it for rapid re-reading

I like to own physical copies of the books. It allows me to fold the pages to highlight what's the most important to me.

When I want to re-read the book, I (can) read just the folded pages, so I'm able to finish it much, much faster.
#5 Make sure you apply what you read

Try to come up with 3 things you can apply from any book you read.

Write those three bullets down.

Then apply it.

Simple as it sounds, it will multiple the ROI of reading to you.
To sum it up:

- Debunk the reading myths
- Make reading a priority
- Read what you enjoy
- Make reading a habit
- Pick up the good books
- Fold the pages
- Make sure you apply what you read
Thanks for reading!

If you liked the thread consider RT the 1st tweet.

https://t.co/tKNgMadNLQ

👇 Let me know in the comments, what about you and reading?
@threadreaderapp unroll

More from Freedom Designer

20 Most Important Lesson of 2020

// A THREAD //


It was a fast and weird year.

The year of change.

My life changed a lot and I learned even more.

Here are the 20 most important lessons - which will shape the upcoming decade for me.


1. Systems Are Better Than Goals

In the past, I failed many of my goals.

This year I've realized that it could be caused by the fact that they were goals, not systems.

Thanks, @ScottAdamsSays for helping me realize this.

Short article on the topic:
https://t.co/lyBqGBR0yM


2. Use Notion More

@NotionHQ is definitely the most useful tool I've discovered this year.

I use it for:

- Twitter
- Freelance CRM
- Content Creation
- Website project management

And for personal use, it's completely free.


3. Email Is Immortal

This year we saw on social sites:

- Shadow bans
- Normal bans
- Decreasing reach (e.g. during the presidential election)

That's why I believe building an independent audience e.g. email list is mandatory.

P.S. https://t.co/iuhQJIf80K
5 Micro Skills That Will Improve Your Life Drastically

// A THREAD //


Even the small things compound over time... and become huge.

And they become HUGE.

This is the list of small skills that will improve your life A LOT over time, you can't even imagine how much... before you give it a try.

I'll present the skills in form of mini challenges.


1. Type with all ten fingers 10 days - 10 mins in the morning.

Most of us spend a lot of our time behind the computer typing.

Yet, not many people know how to write with all ten fingers —> drastically faster.

You can learn it for free here:
https://t.co/ow2WTHrXBJ


2. Make at least one Zap

Zappier allows you to make micro workflows between the applications you use.

Let's say you have to calendars (work and normal) and you want to sync them all the time —> Zappier


2b. You send an email every month remind your customers to pay the maintenance fee + reminder them if they won't —> Zappier

You want an email notification every time someone edits a Google sheet —> Zappier

Basic version is free. @zapier

More from Culture

Best books I read in 2020

1. Atomic Habits by @JamesClear

“If you show up at the gym 5 days in a row—even for 2 minutes—you're casting votes for your new identity. You’re not worried about getting in shape. Youre focused on becoming the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts”


Good Reasons for Bad Feelings

https://t.co/KZDqte19nG

2. “social anxiety is overwhelmingly common. Natural selection shaped us to care enormously what other people think..We constantly monitor how much others value us..Low self-esteem is a signal to try harder to please others”


The True Believer by Eric Hoffer

https://t.co/uZT4kdhzvZ

“Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all unifying agents...Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without a believe in a devil.”


Grandstanding

https://t.co/4Of58AZUj8

"if politics becomes a morality pageant, then the contestants have an incentive to keep problems intact...politics becomes a forum to show off moral qualities...people will be dedicated to activism for its own sake, as a vehicle to preen"


Warriors and Worriers by Joyce Benenson

https://t.co/yLC4eGHEd4

“Across diverse cultures, a man who lives in the house with another man’s children is about 60 times more likely than the biological father to kill those children.”
I woke up this morning to hundreds of notifications from this tweet, which is literally just a quote from a book I am giving away tonight.

The level of vitriol in the replies is a new experience for me on here. I love Twitter, but this is the dark side of it.

Thread...


First, this quote is from a book which examines castes and slavery throughout history. Obviously Wilkerson isn’t claiming slavery was invented by America.

She says, “Slavery IN THIS LAND...” wasn’t happenstance. American chattel slavery was purposefully crafted and carried out.

That’s not a “hot take” or a fringe opinion. It’s a fact with which any reputable historian or scholar agrees.

Second, this is a perfect example of how nefarious folks operate here on Twitter...

J*mes Linds*y, P*ter Bogh*ssian and others like them purposefully misrepresent something (or just outright ignore what it actually says as they do in this case) and then feed it to their large, angry following so they will attack.


The attacks are rarely about ideas or beliefs, because purposefully misrepresenting someone’s argument prevents that from happening. Instead, the attacks are directed at the person.
@bellingcat's attempt in their new book, published by
@BloomsburyBooks, to coverup the @OPCW #Douma controversy, promote US and UK gov. war narratives, and whitewash fraudulent conduct within the OPCW, is an exercise in deception through omission. @BloomsburyPub @Tim_Hayward_


1) 2000 words are devoted to the OPCW controversy regarding the alleged chemical weapon attack in #Douma, Syria in 2018 but critical material is omitted from the book. Reading it, one would never know the following:

2) That the controversy started when the original interim report, drafted and agreed by Douma inspection team members, was secretly modified by an unknown OPCW person who had manipulated the findings to suggest an attack had occurred. https://t.co/QtAAyH9WyX… @RobertF40396660


3) This act of attempted deception was only derailed because an inspector discovered the secret changes. The manipulations were reported by @ClarkeMicah
and can be readily observed in documents now available https://t.co/2BUNlD8ZUv….

4) @bellingcat's book also makes no mention of the @couragefoundation panel, attended by the @opcw's first Director General, Jose Bustani, at which an OPCW official detailed key procedural irregularities and scientific flaws with the Final Douma Report:

You May Also Like