4 non-trivial approaches to reading books that will help you grasp the essence faster

1. Don't read books to the end

Try to remember the last time you listened to the entire album. Not sure it's going to happen. But, of course, you read books from cover to cover. However, this is often a waste of time.

“I've started treating books like one-off blog posts, tweets or Facebook posts, and I no longer feel obligated to finish reading books,” said Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList, a website for startups and investors.

Follow his example and allow yourself not to finish books. First of all, this applies to non-fiction, because you are unlikely to throw in the middle of the "Da Vinci Code". But in general, this approach can be applied to.

2. Process the information received

Ten years ago, the average American consumed approximately 100,000 words a day. Now we browse about two hundred web pages per day, which means we see as many as 490,000 words (and this is according to 2010 data). In terms of volume, it is almost War and Peace. The problem is that only a small part of this information is remembered - or even none.

But the purpose of reading is to transform the information received into knowledge. Save facts, quotes, conclusions, interesting paragraphs, forewords and epilogues in your head, with which you can then do something. For example, share them with a friend or with the whole world.

Do not keep what you have learned to yourself. Actively process and discuss this information, and constantly re-adjust your thinking based on feedback.

In order not to forget most of what you read, use the tricks that Altman came up with for himself:

Review the table of contents and mark the chapters you want to read. Then immerse yourself in them when you feel like it.
Mark the margins, underline what is important, and fold the corners of the pages.
After a while, return to the highlighted places. Rewrite them by hand in a notebook or on.
Write a book review, review, or blog post.
Incorporate new information into conversations or speeches.

3. Read only selected passages from books

Information is quickly forgotten. This happens most quickly within the first 24 hours after you recognize her. After a few days, practically nothing remains in the memory. The only chance to remember something is to repeat it. The teachers at the school were not talking about this in vain.

Stop relying on Google, Wikipedia and algorithms. Train your brain, give it exercises.

According to marketing legend Seth Godin, most nonfiction books can be condensed to a few pages, if not a few paragraphs. The main idea is hidden among the "water", which is included only to please the publisher. Choose places with basic information and repeat it from time to time.

4. Read many books at the same time

Now reading is even more difficult to comprehend because our ability to concentrate has diminished. It is for this reason that Ravikant always reads 10–20 books at a time. If one of them does not hold his attention, he puts it off and comes back later. Or throws it altogether. He treats reading as a lifelong tool.

There are many advantages to this approach. You will begin to notice connections between realms that previously seemed incompatible. In addition, reading a book slowly is more enjoyable and rewarding. Stretch your reading to let the information sink in. You don't need to win a championship in reading speed. You decided to read a book because it piqued your curiosity.