“The art of reading is to skip judiciously”
―Alexander Hamilton
Have you read the same way your entire life?
Picking up a book and reading it from cover to cover?
What if I told you that is not the only way to read…
In these paragraphs, I am covering how to read.
You must be thinking, “I know how to read…”
I am sure you know how to read, but not how you can read in a more effective way.
I am sharing with you an approach that revolutionized my reading practice and has made me much more efficient and interested in implementing the ideas I draw from books.
These ideas are mainly for non-fiction books - or anytime the main purpose of reading is to learn. If you are reading fiction, I would not apply these ideas as widely.
Judiciously means “with good judgment or sense.” Therefore, to master reading, you must get good a selecting what to read and more specifically, what sections of books you pay attention to.
Skip Around
You do not need to start on chapter 1. If you see a chapter title that seems interesting and applicable to your current situation, start there.
If you feel as if you already know about the section the author is touching on - skip it. If the author is repeating one of the points they have already made - skip it. If you are getting bored with a section or chapter - skip it.
The first time I heard this idea I thought it was ridiculous; “Why would I skip parts of books? I am going to miss important information in it!” Often, we don’t fully grasp every detail of a book - and I doubt you implement every section of a book into your life - therefore, you are wasting time reading a book in full. Instead, pinpoint the main ideas.
Start to try this strategy out. Skip as much, or as little as you want. Get used to being okay with not reading every single page of a book. It will feel weird at first, but it is going to help you save time on what you already understand and allow you to focus specifically on new ideas.
Find your own reading style.
Don’t Finish Books
How many times have you started a good book, read a few chapters, and felt as if the author had already made their main point and is now only reiterating it in new ways?
If you are not enjoying a book, or if it is not bringing any new insight into your life - put it down and pick up another book.
You do not have to finish a book, to be finished with a book.
In most books, the author will touch on the main point they are trying to make, many times before they conclude their novel. Do not worry about missing the intricacies. It will be more influential for you, to capture the main point and focus on how it can be applied to your life.
The War Between Fiction & Nonfiction
You are not going to read consistently if you don't enjoy it.
For me, it is very difficult to only read non-fiction books. I consistently read fiction books to keep me interested in reading. Consider reading one fiction and one non-fiction at a time (it is okay to read more than one book at once!). By starting to read books that you enjoy, you will make reading a habit - this will help move you into other forms of reading.
You can learn from fiction and be entertained by non-fiction.
I encourage you to be open-minded and try the other side of reading. If you usually read fiction, try non-fiction. If you only read non-fiction, try some fiction books.
The first part of the equation is to fall in love with reading.
Rules are supposed to be broken - If you are truly enjoying a non-fiction book, I encourage you to keep reading. The best book is the one that you can't put down.
Many readers often get caught up in the query - “how many books have I read this year?” The real question we should be asking is - “how many ideas have I explored this year?”
Therefore, dear reader, I urge you to read judiciously and explore new ideas frequently.
I learned about this style of reading from a few online figures. The largest influence for me was Naval Ravikant. If you have found this idea interesting, I recommend that you look into more of his online content.