Denis Yablonsky: how to read books enthusiastically and with benefit

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How many books have you read in the last month? And in a year? If the numbers leave a lot to be desired, then this inspiring post is for you.

Little reader

As a child, I loved to read. However, the literature offered by the school seemed boring to me, and I decided to collect my own library.

Many thanks to my parents - they read constantly and did not spare money for books. Years have passed since then, but I continue to buy all the literature without limit, which seems interesting and useful to me.

Even moving to Bali could not cool my passion for books and reading - I have a suspicion that my business book library on the island is one of the most extensive. Moreover, I discovered the world of books in English and now I am reading novelties that may appear in Russia years later, or may not appear at all.

Crucial moment

The watershed of my reading experience was Timothy Ferris's How to Work Four Hours a Week. After her, something clicked and the consciousness came that you can achieve a lot and do a lot, the main thing is to believe in yourself and act right now. From the same book I learned about other useful books, and off we go …

Books have given me more than college education

Books have become my main source of knowledge. I have a higher education, but I learned the really important knowledge from books. The publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber" managed to do what the school and university did not manage - to instill a sincere love of reading and new knowledge. And my business muse, the Music Academy DJ School, allows me to test my knowledge immediately. This is very important: if the knowledge gained is not consolidated in the coming days, everything is in vain.

How i read

At some point, there were so many books that I thought about how to have time to read everything. And he set a goal - to read one book a week, that is, 52 books a year. And now for the third year I have been adhering to this plan.

It also happens, one day - one book. It all depends on the author and the translation. Some books, on the other hand, make you want to savor chapter by chapter without rushing. A striking example is the biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Eiskenson, which I read for over a year and now I am rereading it in English.

How I find books

I often learn about new books from books that I am reading now or have already read. Therefore, I hardly buy books spontaneously. But if I do decide to buy something new, then reviews from the publishers themselves help me a lot (for this it is better to subscribe to their email newsletter), as well as reviews and collections on useful sites - Lifehacker and Habrahabr. Great public - the publisher often uploads whole chunks of books, you can read reviews and take part in the discussion.

When buying books, I pay attention to the author: if I am already familiar with his previous works, then I understand what to expect. If the author is new, then I focus on reviews, reviews and intuition.

I follow this rule: if the book doesn’t catch on in the first 50 pages, then I don’t read any more.

Is it worth reading several books at the same time

Many people advise not to read several books at the same time, but this is definitely not about me. I constantly read 5-10 books, in some places I shift my focus towards one. However, I try not to read books on the same topic at the same time, in order to avoid mess in my head.

I tried to learn speed reading, but in general I was disappointed in his methods. I realized that it is better to read fewer books, but thoughtfully taking notes and having fun.

Now I read more and more literature based on my life needs. If I understand that I need to improve my knowledge in some area, I find the right book and start reading.

For my heart, I love reading biographies. With great passion I immerse myself in the life story of a famous person and I come to my senses only when the book is finished.

Of particular admiration is the biography of Steve Jobs, which I mentioned earlier, as well as the autobiography of Henry Ford. Everyone should read it: this is a real treasure of the most useful information and inspiration.

How books affect business and life

Reading books is good for business and communication with people. The outlook is expanding. There are more topics for interesting conversations. I also got into the habit of meeting new people and taking an interest in the five books that have influenced their lives the most. I recommend that you use this trick - it's a simple way to build a great library.

The knowledge I have learned from books pushes my business forward, and there is no shortage of ideas. The thinking has developed: if there is a problem, there is a solution. Books help to find an answer to almost any question. The main thing is not to be lazy and read every day.

Living Books vs Digital

A few years ago, I would have categorically advocated living books. I adore them with all my heart and have a huge library. The library in Bali is also slowly expanding.

However, constant travel has begun to limit the number of books I can keep close at hand. In addition, publishers are quicker to send digital copies. I was already desperate, but two years ago I discovered iBooks. IBooks is very convenient for reading books. Apple has done everything to maximize the feeling of a real book, from flipping pages to advanced display settings - adjusting font size, page color, etc.

It is very important for me to highlight interesting points in the book with a marker and take notes. iBooks lets you do both. Moreover, it is very convenient to copy quotes. iBooks will even automatically add the copyright of which book it was made from. All notes and bookmarks are synced across all Apple devices, be they MacBook, iPhone or iPad. Moreover, the program even remembers the place in the book where you left off. That is, you can start reading the book on the iPhone, continue on the iPad, and finish on the laptop.

Total: now I read and consistently buy paper books, but do not forget to dilute them with digital ones. On the road, it is more comfortable to read with an iPad, at home - real ones. But this is only thanks to iBooks, the rest of the readers did not inspire me. One thing: all the functions I wrote about above work if your book is in EPUB format. With PDF, the feature set is limited, so for books in PDF I use the GoodReader app.

Ritual

My favorite time to read is morning. Books are one of the reasons why I started getting up at five or six o'clock in the morning.

I'm not sure if I could have read so much if I got up as before, at nine or later.

I wake up, put myself in order, pray, go out, brew delicious tea and sit comfortably for reading - this is the whole script. Increasingly, I have my iPad next to me, where I take notes, and when a stream of ideas opens up, I put the book down and quickly jot down everything that comes to mind.

In the evenings I read more fiction and biographies, in the morning I read business literature.

Reading books is an integral part of my life. Sometimes I worry that the books might bore me. I can't even imagine what I will do if such a day comes. Maybe I'll write a book? Although one does not interfere with the other, on the contrary.

To paraphrase one well-known quote, I will say: increase the diagonal of your bookcase, not your TV.