Simple Tips To Get More Out Of Reading

The subject of reading has been on my mind a lot lately as we near the end of the year. I love to read and believe the books we read play a large role in who we become. One good book or one great sentence can change a life. As a result, I invest a great deal of time and thinking to developing my reading habits.  Today I want to offer a few reading tips you may find beneficial. I hope it will be helpful to you.

Sir Frances Bacon said that, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and few to be chewed and digested." I couldn't agree with him more. Not every book deserves the level of attention I'm going to share with you. It's reserved for that select few books worthy of chewing and digesting.

I love the feel of a physical book in my hand. There is something about the feel of the paper, the weight in your hands and the smell of the pages that makes me come alive. Although not my exclusive practice I choose to read physical copies over electronic copies most of the time.

Read with pen in hand.

We start with one of the most fundamental elements of getting the most out of a good book. Mark it up by writing in the margins, underlining or highlighting your favorite parts and returning to them often. Mark those especially important sentences, arguments or thoughts in the margin and take note of that with which you disagree. Grab the book and wrestle it until it relinquishes its secrets. This transforms your reading from that of a casual observer to an engaged participant.

Some people are shy about writing in books, but I can think of no greater compliment to the author that to deem one of their sentences worthy of underlining.  And no greater tribute to their intellect than to track their thoughts after them page by page. Work hard to understand the book and interact with the authors arguments.

Take notes.

Write down ideas, thoughts, quotes and reflections as you read. One great way to do this is to keep a running note in your favorite note app. You may also find it helpful to keep an executive summary of the book on the blank pages at the beginning and end of the book. Track important arguments and thoughts. Ask questions of the author and return to them as you find the answers. These pages are perfect for creating a summary or outline and become an archive of learning. 

How To Select Fantastic Books To Read

Hopefully you've set a specific goal for reading in 2016, but what exactly will you read? Have you picked your book catagories and put together a reading list? Many of us are stumped when it comes to deciding what to read. We know we want to increase our level of reading but we have trouble deciding exactly what books we need to read. 

 That's why I want to devote some time to helping you develop a map for your 2016 reading journey by sharing with you the process I used for picking which books to read in 2016.

Pick Some Categories

My first step was to select a few categories to read in. This helps narrow my focus from everything in the world, to just 5 specific categories of reading. No matter how much I would enjoy it, I can't read every book and therefore have to distingquish what I will read and how I will read it. Narrowing my reading to 5 major categories helps me focus my time and energies in the right directions. My five categories for 2016 are leadership / personal growth, network marketing, spiritual growth, biographies and fiction.    

Ask Yourself Questions

One of the best things you could do is spend some time creating a system for selecting books. Personally, I use a series of questions to help me block out the hype and noise and determine what books are truly worth my time.    

1. What do I want to learn in the next year?
I have an appietite for learning. I am obsessed with it and so each year begins with a hunger to grow, learn more and become more. Asking myself what I want to learn in the next year helps me create a list of books that helps me develop my mind. 

Among the things I desire to learn in the next year are how to ask good questions, develop better relationships, write well and learn more effectively. 

2. What have others suggested?
Someone is always reccomending a book we should read. Whether it is a friend over coffee, or a podcast we listen to, we have no shortage of recommended reads. And we would be silly not to take the sincere reccomendations of others into account when we are putting together our reading lists. 

I personally keep a log of book reccomendations throughout the year. If I hear it come up in a conversation or I hear it on a podcast I write it down. If the same book is mentioned by multiple sources or the title deeply resonates with me I put a star next to it. This way I always have a pipeline of books to choose from. 

3. What classics do I need to read?
There are certain books everyone simply must read, but sadly haven't gotten around to. To my own shame, my list of classics that I haven't read is just about as long as that of recommended reads.

4. What do you need to read? 
Depending on my annual goals there may be specific books I need to read. These books may be industry specific or pertain to various projects.     

5. Who do you want to be and what books will get you there? 
For every book that finds it's way into my hands there is a specific purpose in mind. Some may be for developing habits, learning new information or reaching goals but no matter the immediate goal each book has an overarching goal, to shape who I am. Character development is the primary goal of my reading. Each book plays a part in helping me become the man I am supposed to be. 

7 Ways You Can Create Increased Time For Reading

Want to read more but just can't seem to find the time? You're not alone. There are millions out there just like you. They have great intentions to do a great many things but amid the ever increasing responsibilities and tasks of life can't find the time to get'er done. 

What I'm going to share with you today are a few handy little ways you can change all that, no matter what it is you can't find time to do. Since my personal struggle and that of many of my friends is finding time to read however, we will use reading as our backdrop. 

1. Set goals

Reading is just like anything else in life, it isn't going to just happen. Not only do you need to make reading a goal, but you have to break it down into smaller daily goals as well. So if you purpose to "read more" in 2016, you'll have to start by defining exactly what "more" is for you. But more than that, it is extremely helpful to set a goal to read a particular number of pages each day. This daily goal will help you see progress towards your overall reading goal and define exactly what you must do each day to take steps towards accomplishing it. 

If you set a goal of 10 pages per day, you'll end up reading 3650 pages in 2016. This small daily effort in pursuit of your goal, will get you there in the end. 

2. Turn off the TV

This one won't make me popular but it needs to be said, we waste too much time sitting in front of the TV. A 2014 study found that the average American age 15 or older spends roughly 2.8 hours per day watching television. Imagine if we invested that much time on reading next year. My wife and I do this from time to time for what we call reading nights and love it. After dinner we pull out our books, snuggle up on the couch and spend the evening reading.

Instead of watching The Voice or the next episode of your favorite show on Netflix, pull out a book and read for 30 minutes. I promise it will change your life. 

3. Redeem potentially wasted time

The average American commutes 28 minutes or more to and from work each day. That's potentially over five hours of wasted time each week. That might be fine if the wasted time ended there, but sadly it doesn't. How much time do you spend doing household chores such as cooking, cleaning, laundry or lawncare each week? Add those hours to the time you spend commuting each day and that's a lot of wasted time! The great thing is, it doesn't have to be. Why not redeem back this time by using it to accomplish your reading goals and learn? 

Download an audio book and let it feed your mind while doing these activites. I've personally been using this method whenever I'm in the car, mowing the lawn or helping around the house and find it an absolutely fantastic way to recapture this time. 

4. Learn to say no

As I've confessed previously, it's hard for me to say "no" when a new request comes in. But if I don't discipline myself and learn to say no, I quickly become over committed and allow an ever growing schedule to crowd out the things that are most important to me. Isn't it funny how when things get crazy the first things we drop are the things that keep our heads screwed on straight? 

Niether of us can do it all. We just aren't built for it and the more we try the more problems it causes for us. Healthy boundries are good for more important reasons than finding time to read but in learning to say no and manage your calander, you'll find that you actually have more time for the things that are most important to you. 

5. Get up earlier

 This won't be popular but it is a sure fire way to create more time to read in your schedule. Getting up even 15 minutes earlier will give you ample time to turn a few pages before heading out the door to work. 
 
 Give it a test run and see how it goes. 

6. Use your lunch break

Audio is great and I am thankful for it, but I personally prefer to do the majority of my reading with a physical book in my hand. Which means that I have to leverage the little nooks and crannies of my day to accomplish my daily reading goals. One of my favorite times to read is over my lunch break. It gives me an extra hour of reading time each day and is a key to my reading success. 

Take your lunch to work or pick up something quick and use it as a great opportunity to knock out a few pages.    

7. Involve others

It is amazing what telling someone else what you are going to do impacts your follow through. If I'm the only one who knows I was planning to do something it becomes much easier to fudge and put it off. But when we invite other people into our world and share our goals with them, we don't want to let them down and our likelyhood of following through increases dramatically. 

Share what you are reading with other people in your life and perhaps invite them to come along for the ride. 

6 Remarkable Reads That Helped Me Grow in 2015

I love to read and consume books. They are a love of mine and have been for years. Whether you read a hard copy book in your hand, digital copy on your iPad or simply listen on Audible, books are the cornerstone to learning.

Books have the potential to change lives and make great gifts for most anyone in your life. As I put together my reading plan for 2016, I took a few moments to look back over what I read over the last twelve months, and I'd like to commend the six that had the biggest impact on me this past year, to you or someone you know.

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnege - This was perhaps the most impactful book I read in 2015. It challenged how I thought about conversations and interactions, encouraged me to readdress many of my poorly formed habits and overall changed how I look at potentially difficult conversations. After applying the principles in the book to my personal life, I have seen tremendous positive impact just from every day interactions. Few books live up to the hype, but this one certainly does.

If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn - Few topics are as ever present in the news and conversation of life as the questions of evil and suffering in this world. While many have attempted to pen a response, few have succeeded to the extent of Randy Alcorn's If God Is Good. Here Randy delves deep into the subject by sharing compelling stories, raising provocative questions to help you think through this profound topic and find hope. This book had a profound impact on my theology of evil and suffering, expanded my the depth of my biblical understanding on the topic and helped me find rest in the sovereign arms of God. 

H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. By Brad Lomenick - I enjoyed reading this book with my friend Scott Kedersha and discussing the 20 habits all leaders need to become more effective in their roles. Whether you are leading an organization or just starting your career this book will be of great benefit to you. I was especially impacted by the concept of habit development, which has served to inspire me to take a closer look at the habits I am intentionally cultivating and those I am unintentionally allowing to form. For more on Brad Lomenick's H3 Leadership, see my review here.

Killing Floor by Lee Child - Not long ago, I would have said that I didn't like fiction writing and found it to be a waste of time. Then I found Lee Child, whose bigger than life characters and stories have fueled my return to the fiction isle of my local book store. If you're looking for a good action packed novel with a good guy bigger and meaner than the bad guys, Jack Reacher is your guy. I actually enjoyed Killing Floor so much that I read all 30 of the Jack Reacher novels this past year. 

30 Days to Understanding Your Bible by Max Anders - We read this book as part of our men's bible study this fall, and I am so glad we did. This book gives you an understanding of God's word in 30 days that will benefit you for years to come. In this short interactive book you will learn the major themes of the Old and New Testaments and the major doctrines that comprise Christianity. This is absolutely great reference guide to walk through, that helped me get a firm grip on parts of the Bible that have tripped me up for years. Putting things in perspective is immensely helpful and this great resource from Max Anders will help you do just that.

4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss - Seldom to books pack the punch this one does. Each day Tim's book would encourage and excite me to take action and consider what I valued and want out of life. In this hefty little book Tim provides the perfect blend of savvy advice, action steps and resources to help you achieve true freedom in your work. Whether you are self-employed or work a regular 9-5 gig you will find something of immense value to take away.

Please note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Should you complete a purchase using a link from this post, at no extra cost to you I would receive a small commission on the sale. 

The Fall Lifestyle

It is the start of another crisp fall day. The birds are chirpping and flying around our backyard as the sun rises and awakens the world to another beautiful day. This week has been so lovely. Crisp cool days and warm cozy nights curled up on the couch with my wife. More than any other season I find that fall lends itself to slowing down to live and think deeply. It is such a rich time of year.

We so seldom slow down long enough to catch our breath most days but something about the cool air and warm fire invite us to rest, to read a good book, to journal and write. Life has such a sweeter rythum to it at times like this. We smile, laugh and enjoy those who mean the most to us.

Why don't we make this the regular pattern of our days? Are we that caught up in doing and having more that we can't find the time to simply be rather than do? Perhaps we do too much. Call it what you want but we must all suffer from a fear of missing out to some degree to neglect that which is so critical to our own mental, physical and relational health.

Something needs to change, and you know it too. We have to build this rythum into all four seasons and not just 30 days in December. So how do we do it? Here are a few steps each of us can take towards living the entire year in the healthy rythums the Fall season often brings: 

Say "no".

I don't know about you but saying no hurts. I feel bad about it. It is  sometimes the hardest thing for me to say. I want to say yes to everything but in doing so I say no to everything. I can't do it all and you can't either. We both need to grow in our ability to say no. Not so we do nothing but so that we can focus in the truly important things.

 Put down the phone.

Fewer things kill conversation and the ability to connect with another person like a phone. It is a constant disctraction we carry around with us everywhere we go. It has been called the new cigarette, and they just might be right. Anytime there is a lull in the conversation or awkward moment when we don't know what do to, we pull out our phones. It has become the socially acceptable thing to do and it is killing our ability to connect with real, live, humans in the same room with us and turning us into weird creatures void of social skills. I know this because I'm addicted to twitter. I follow some great people and love reading what they share and it has killed more than one evening with my wife. Let's partner together and purpose to put down our phones and engage the people around us in conversation. 

Pick up a good book.

In reading good books you are reading smart people's thoughts after them. That is to say, you are interacting with the best stuff good minds have to offer. Not only will you learn from the content but it will stimulate your mind in new ways. Deep thinkers read. You can't develop a habit of deep thinking without reading. 

Start journaling.

Writing helps us process what we learn. Remember in school when your teachers encouraged you to take notes and write things down? That wasn't just because they wanted you to stop disturbing the class, it was because the physical process of writing something down helps write it on your brain. Let's use this to our advantage and write down and process our thoughts and feelings. I have been working to develop this habit for a little over a month now and have found it to be immensly valuable. For more on my journey with journaling click here and here. 

Get out of town.

Many times the holiday season affords us the opportunity to travel. So many of our favorite memories are a direct result of holiday travel. Good things happen when we physically pull away from our normal rythums and surroundings. Make it your habit to at the very least withdraw on a quarterly basis. Go camping or hiking. Do something that gets you out of your normal rut and allows you time to think, reflect and enjoy life. Do this just once and you'll understand why withdrawing on a regular basis is good for the soul. 

Gather around the table.

Few things are as relaxing and enjoyable as a sit down meal with those you love and value most. The conversation and laughter are food for the soul. We do this with great regularity durring the holiday season. Why not continue this habit all year long? Call up your friends and loved ones and gather around the table. Take it slow, enjoy the meal and laugh often.   

Many of these activities have one thing in common, the practice of unplugging from the world out there in order to focus on true, deep, meaningful connections. Wether that connection is with a good book or those you love its too important to relegate to 30 days in the Fall. Join me in not allowing all the good and positive aspects of this time of year to remain trapped in one page of the calander. Let's develop these habits and enjoy life.