What do you do when reading books?

JordanRedfort · 2018-07-31T23:56:46+00:00

• Reading and listening to an audiobook simultaneously is something I’d highly recommend.

• Pause and rewind whenever there’s something you don’t understand.

• Underline what you find interesting for future reference.

• Type everything you’ve underlined out in a Google Doc or copy it from the PDF if you have it. Separate each book within a single document. That way in the future, you can find search for a specific topic and come up with dozens of results.

• Learn how to speed read. Don’t read every word out loud in your head, if you think what you’re reading is a build-up to something more important, skim through it.

• Persevere; when you start a book, a chapter or even a sub-chapter, finish it for the sake of finishing it.

• Read summaries and discussions once you’re done to keep the ideas fresh. Try your best to apply what you’ve learnt before it withers away. This is the key takeaway if you’re reading self-development books; otherwise you become a theory junky.

• Don’t spend more than you need to. If the book isn’t a new release and is fairly popular, there’s a good chance you can find a used copy of the book you’re looking for at a fraction of the price of the original. Borrow it from a library or a friend if you can.

CaptDeadlift · 2018-08-01T01:12:13+00:00

Listen to an audiobook while editing videos or playing some shit or read before bed an ebook.

Rock some Joe Rogan podcast while lifting sometimes.

linkster396 · 2018-08-01T00:39:06+00:00

I keep an index card as my bookmark for physical books that I populate with the core messages of the book in bullet form. This helps you think about the contents of the book and reshape them into for your own perspective.

GayLubeOil · 2018-08-01T01:46:25+00:00

I have a rhodia notebook, a Visconti fountain pen and Noodlers Turquoise ink. It makes note taking a luxurious experience.

We_Are_Legion · 2018-08-01T04:41:24+00:00

I usually read audiobooks due to lack of free time.

But when I read the book itself, I highlight a lot and sometimes, if its really good, I take notes.

I bought a graphics tablet (they're really not expensive) and use it on Microsoft OneNote.

redisthetruth · 2018-08-01T05:43:49+00:00

Nowadays I mostly just want one or two ideas I can contemplate from whatever I’m reading. I don’t take too many notes any more unless I’m planning on writing something up.

Being able to quickly glance over an article, non fiction book and get a feel for the main thesis or few core concepts has become my natural state of reading. Sometimes I’ll read details if I’m really interested but scanning first is good to see if the writing is worth a closer look. So much to read and our time is limited. Best to focus only on the best and most enjoyable writing.

ChancePerformer · 2018-08-01T19:29:09+00:00

I skip parts that are irrelevant to me.

Don't expect to learn much from any book I read: maybe one or two new thoughts, and most importantly, references to other materials worth reading.

[deleted] · 2018-07-31T23:49:19+00:00

I mostly read books on my phone or tablet. I have a simple notes file for each book I read in OneNote, but you could just as easily use a text file. I copy/paste any quote along with a page number and my thoughts on it as it stands out.

Title	What do you do when reading books?
Author	Insendi
Upvotes	7
Comments	11
Date	July 31, 2018 11:33 PM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/93jnjf/what_do_you_do_when_reading_books/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/what-do-you-do-when-reading-books.129072 https://theredarchive.com/post/129072

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