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

When to Quit?

It’s ok to quit books. There is no need to read them if you don’t like them.

💡 Start books quickly, but give them up easily.

Putting a book down, that you don’t like, creates an opportunity to pick a great book. But, ensure to revisit the book in a couple or a few years. The book may be more relevant at that point in your life.

Different levels of reading

Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. – Francis Bacon

Levels of reading from ‘How to Read a Book by Mortimer and Charles

1. Reading to entertain
2. Reading to inform
3. Reading to understand
   • Classify the book
   • State what the whole book is about
   • Examine the major parts and outline them
   • Define the problem(s) the author is trying to solve
4. Reading to master
   • Reading just one book may leave blind spots. Read articles, research papers, and publishing on the topic.
   • Form your own opinion <Understand this>
   • The intention is to understand the idea or subject rather than the book.
   • Reading speed is a vanity metric. Important is to understand/absorb the idea.

How to choose great books?

How to improve reading comprehension?

Blank Sheet Method:

This will help 10X your comprehension overnight.

• Before you start reading a new book take out a blank sheet of paper and write down what you know about the book or subject you’re about to read, like a mind map.
• After you finish a reading session spend a few minutes adding to the map with a different color.
• Before you start your next reading session review the page.
• When you’re done reading, put these blank sheets in your binder that you periodically review.

Conventional Approach:

• At the end of each chapter, write a few bullet points that summarize the main idea or specific points.
• Use your own words and not the author’s.
• Try and connect it to something meaningful in your life. – a memory or another idea.
• Make notes of any unanswered questions.
• When you are done with the book, put it down for a week and then go through all your notes.

💡 Reading your notes will be as good as reading the book again.

Both the above approach helps connect new knowledge to old knowledge and point our gaps in your understanding.

Writing about what you read is a great way to see what you have actually learned.

You can’t go where you wanna go if you’re not learning all the time. One of the best ways to learn is to read and one of the best ways to learn more is to read more.

💡 Start with 25 page a day habit.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfu5-oGUgqk