Thursday, May 29, 2008

Are YOU a Productive Reader?

That's the question posed by Dustin Wax on Stepcase Lifehack's Productivity blog a few days ago.

He offers some interesting thoughts, including a few that are targeted to reading business books.

Here are a few of his tips that are my favorites:
  1. Use an index card as your bookmark. That way you always have something to write on while you’re reading. Go ahead and stick a few post-its to the back for marking significant passages, too.
  2. Keep a reading journal. When you finish a book, write down a quick summary of the book, any quotes you highlighted or flagged, and what you learned from it. Or keep a collection of chapter-by-chapter notes — maybe on a blog or wiki...
  3. Take a moment. People want to read fast, to get it done...The reality is, reading takes time, and learning takes even more. If you only have 20 minutes to read, read for 15 and spend 5 minutes thinking on what you’ve read. If you’re not pressed for time, take long breaks between chapters, even between sections, to reflect.
  4. Make a list. Always carry a list of books you want to read or topics you want to read up on. You never know when the opportunity might arise...
I've already been doing some of these, but I plan to start using an index card as my bookmark right away. Great idea!

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

The index card also comes in handy if you're reading one of your own books and want to underline passages.