How to read more: Simple three-step system
deanyeong.com
deanyeong.com
What I've found works is setting up my environment so that reading is easy and natural. The absolute most effective thing for me has been banning my laptop and tablet from my bedroom, and setting up my phone to charge on the opposite side of the room. I keep a book or my e-reader on the side of my bed and generally need some unwinding time before sleep so I end up reading before bed.
The other massive for me is audiobooks. I know everyone has their own opinion on whether this counts as reading, but as far as I'm strongly on the pro-side. I spend a significant portion of my day -- when I'm walking, driving, chores, exercise -- listening to either podcasts or audiobooks. I've read a lot more books than I would have otherwise, and it definitely reinforces the visual/normal/book reading habit as well. I particularly like whispersync when its available, and I can switch back and forth between reading on my kindle and listening on my phone.
Is it possible to multi-task while listening to audiobooks? I'm not sure if my focus on coding would suffer, or keeping up with the book.
My fav multitasking activity right now is to watch those "average" TV shows (such as most shows in existence) on a second monitor while I work. Sure I miss some scenes and dialog due to focusing on my work, but generally I keep up. Sometimes need to rewind if I missed something crucial.
If it's a really good reader then the performance become a key part of the enjoyment, much like a great actor can really enhance the play or movie they're in.
If it's not a great or interesting performance then I just use the audiobook app to speed up the playback to the point where I find a good balance between speed and intelligibility.
Walking, riding, driving, working out, washing dishes, doing laundry - these are tasks not at all harmed by listening to something while you do them, and indeed people have so alleviated their monotony since the commercialization of radio.
A task like programming is something else entirely, in terms of cognitive complexity, and attempting to partake simultaneously of something that requires attention to follow means one or the other probably isn't going to get done very well.
In a more programmer related parlance, you can't perform the most rigorous part of driving concurrently with paying attention to an audiobook, but you -can- task switch pretty easily. The driving is pre-emptive.
Except for the fact that you're operating a two-ton death machine.
Walking is much more interesting.
http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/narrators/john-lee/
Listening to these audiobooks at anything other than 1x diminishes the result.
By the way, you can always listen to books while doing some simple chores like cleaning the house or walking the dog, right.
Multi-tasking is a fallacy. It's not possible to do anything that requires a reasonable amount of concentration with mindfulness and quality if you're also trying to do something else at the same time. To try multi-task is to short change yourself of truly deep and engaging experiences.
That is, I don't schedule time on the guitar. I make time for it.
The difference to me is some things are required, and some are priorities. Some are, of course, both.
For me, I don't usually listen to audiobooks. But hey, that's reading too as long as you gain insights from the books.
You can either subscribe to an audiobook streaming service, or use Hoopla for free access through your local library.
But I do listen to book summaries such as Philosopher's Notes and Blinkist.
You mention that you don't use speed-reading techniques. Is this because you find them ineffective, taxing, or unenjoyable? My understanding (based on working in literacy tech) is that many speed-reading techniques — esp those taught in study skills classes — are more akin to skimming than what educators call "close reading". On the other hand, there are tools like Spritz [1], Spreeder [2], and BeeLine Reader [3] (of which I am the creator) that are aimed at increasing reading speed, but which are very different from classical speed-reading techniques.
Since you're interested in reading, I'd be interested in your take on why you aren't using classical speed-reading techniques, and if you find the tech tools to be objectionable/not worthwhile for the same reasons.
By biggest concern about speed-reading is about knowledge retention. Yes, I may be able to read 100 books in a year, but the question is, how much can I remember and apply in real life?
I don't bother too much with reading fast because I want to have to the time to let the ideas and insights sink in before I hop on to the next book.
Regarding my preference on the reading device: For me, paper first, then anything else with the right size (I hate reading on my phone.)
1. So many popular non-fiction books these days resolve around a single idea, which would fit in a blog post. But then, they're expanded with a lot of fluff. Personal stories, other stories, anecdotes, the author's motivation to do whatever. I tend to search for "$BOOKNAME summary" before even buying most books.
For example, recently I "read" 'On Intelligence'. It has many good ratings, but man, it is unnecessarily repetitive. You can easily only read chapter 6 and nothing else. Or only read the popular highlights from the Kindle edition and be done with it.
2. Reading all that stuff is still mostly entertainment. It might feel like learning something new, but 99% of it is forgotten anyways. Reading with the purpose of improving oneself requires action – to actually implement the given advice or knowledge. Obviously, you can't implement the advice from 50 books in a year. So why bother at all with all those books?
I read less, but try to be more serious about the content.
That being said, an option to buy the TL;DR version and the expanded one should actually open up many more options for most publishers (a la most online ebooks and courses with multiple tiers).
It even has 'On Intelligence' in its listing.
Yes, there is no point to rush, because you're RIGHT. I believe in implementation and taking action too.
I enjoy reading blogs on the web and social media on HN and Reddit, but I find I generally get more from books on computer science, philosophy, spirituality, science fiction, cooking, etc.
EDIT: I would like to add that I also feel fine starting a book and not finishing it. This is especially true with technical books when I realize that only some of the covered topics are interesting/useful to me. This allows me to be exposed to more ideas.
Whenever I would normally scroll endlessly through Facebook/Twitter/insta/HN I pick up one of my current books for reading. This includes time on the toilet, time waiting in queues or on public transport, solo meals, winding down in bed, relaxing in the sun after a hard day at work.
https://www.amazon.com/Mark-My-Time-Digital-Bookmark-Neon-Bl...
It seems silly but it does help. It is true that you could use your phone, your Echo, or whatever, but this one has something to it.
Remember when you wondered "has self-optimization gone to far?".
Yeah, this is the answer.
Low technology ftw.
It surprised me how much reading I got done if I carried a book and read when I'd otherwise be scrolling through Facebook.
Some people just like books about improving themselves in some way - Personally I read mostly Sci-fi books, but I wouldn't say it's particularly indicative of anything beyond enjoying That Sort of Thing.
Haven't really explored fiction and novel yet.
Love physics too, but mostly consume that in video format.
People who like to exercise, they exercise. No reason to create "routines" for exercise.
People who like to cook, they cook. No reason to develop "recipe" and "meal plan" to cook.