Hack the reading process to get what you need from the nonfiction books you read!
Wouldn’t you like to learn how to consume more books to get ideas that you can apply to your business and career. As a way to give back in response to what’s going on in the world today, I decided to create what I called the Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge.
But what happened is that when people saw that they had to read 30 books in 30 days, they completely shutdown. They were overwhelmed even though I explained that you were only picking out the important bits in the book.
I had a big problem. They’re about seven of us participating in the challenge. I’m grateful that I’m not going through this process alone. I decided to clarify what I meant, so you don’t need to feel overwhelmed. I created a Facebook Live that I’ll add in this post. But first, there are a couple of things that I’d like to touch on first.
Have you read?
Launching the Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge
I’ve mentioned the Francis Bacon quote about how to read books, but I’m doing so again, because it gives you insights into how to read books. And it explains why you need to hack the reading process. You also need to treat each book individually.
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”
While taking the PhotoReading course I learned that only four to 11 percent of the text on a page is important information. You read that correctly. So, you tell me, why should you be reading the other 89 to 96 percent of the book?
Publishers have word counts. Therefore authors often have to pad their books to satisfy the word count. Have you ever been reading a book and wondered, “Haven’t I read this before?”
Hacking the Reading Process: Digesting 30 Books in 30 Days
To hack the reading process, so you can digest 30 books in 30 days means that you have to inspect each nonfiction book before you start to read it. You want to understand the lay of the land so to speak. But before I list the steps to inspect a book, the first thing is to decide on your purpose for reading the book. This is critical because it helps you to select and read information that aligns with your reason for reading the book.
Before you read any nonfiction book, you need to preview it first. This entails:
- Read the Preface, Foreword, Introduction.
- Review the Table of Contents
- Place a check mark beside the chapters and sectors that you want to explore more deeply. You also want to read the sections that align with your reason for reading the book.
- Scan the Index. The terms with the most references tell you what the author considers important.
- Read the Book Description.
- Write down the main idea of the book and everything you know about the topic.
- Read sections of the book that you think needs further exploration.
- Tie what you’re reading to what you already know.
Where to Find Free or Heavily Discounted Books
https://digitalbooktoday.com/free-kindle-books-amazon/
https://www.bookbub.com/launch
Final Thoughts: Learn How to Hack the Reading Process: Digest 30 Books in 30 Days
Now that you know the reading challenge will not overwhelm you, I invite you to join now!
How Avil Can Help You!
I invite you to Join the Performance Accelerator Plan that walks you through the process of learning key skills and more. You’ll be reading books to build skills and develop intercultural awareness. Get more reading and learning tips here.
In December 2020, I published two books on Amazon. I would greatly appreciate your support if you bought my two short e-books Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon and Performance Accelerator Plan: Guide to Learning and Mastering Key Skills for the Future.
Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon is not about speed reading. It’s about approaching every book differently and reading only the sections that align with your purpose.
The Performance Accelerator Plan book is a stripped-down version of the paid reading challenge of the same name. Obviously, you won’t get all the resources that come with the program that I sell on my website. But if you are a self-directed learner, it will help you tremendously.
If someone clicks on a link and buys something from Amazon, the company will pay me a very small commission.
