What are the basic rules to enhance reading skill?
You only need 4 simples rules to enhance your reading.
I’ve read thousands of books and written many book reviews. I write ten full-length blog posts a week based on what I read, so I know my shit.
These rules come from various experts I’ve learned from.
Stop finishing books
Entrepreneur Naval Ravikant says we feel guilty when we don’t finish books.
Don’t be.
The number of books you get to read in your lifetime is pretty small. Don’t waste your life on crappy books.
My motto is this: if I’ve read a few pages then I’ve got my money’s worth.
The start of a book is the best bit
So my rule is to focus on reading the start of a non-fiction book because that’s where the author will attempt to hook me and give me the gold.
The rest of a book is filler.
Think of book chapters as blog posts
Blog posts are easy to throw away or not finish.
That’s all a book is. I just wrote a book and each chapter came from my most successful blog posts. Not all chapters of my book are relevant to all people. That’s okay.
Go to the table of contents and read the chapters that appeal to you.
Do this instead of reading average books
Re-read the books you love. Every time you read a book you’ve loved before there will be a new lesson or detail you missed previously.
Good books that improve your life normally do so in multiple ways. Let the magic happen more than once. It gives you a great ROI on your $20 too.
Decide on the purpose of your reading. The reason why you’re reading has an impact on how you read. For instance, reading a novel for a class can be different than reading a novel for pleasure, since you’ll be expected to understand and remember the text rather than just enjoy the experience of reading it. Ask yourself: What am I reading for?
- If you’re reading to gain information (for instance, to meet work or school requirements), you’ll probably want to try extensive techniques.
- If you’re reading to practice pronunciation, learn vocabulary, or study grammar, you’ll probably want to try intensive techniques.
Takeaway
Most books will never change your life.
You can’t read a lot of books in your lifetime. So forgive yourself. Stop finishing books. Be ruthless.
If you get 1–2 pieces of information from a book that help you, then it has been worth it.
