After college, I began reading non-fiction books on a regular basis. I wanted to learn anything and everything about happiness and success in life. I worked hard and earned a steady income, so I had the money to purchase book after book. Since I owned the books, I figured I could highlight and mark them up as I desired. Books then became like "work books" to me, and I began using them to their fullest potential.
After decades of devoted reading, following is the advice I offer to others for getting the most out of a book:
A well populated book shelf is like a medicine cabinet for the mind. As problems arise in life or inspiration is needed, a quick look to the book shelf can be just what the doctor ordered. I encourage you to start populating your personal book shelf today, no matter what your age or condition. Your life will be much richer and happier as a result.
After decades of devoted reading, following is the advice I offer to others for getting the most out of a book:
- Keep a pen in hand while reading
- Underline, circle, or otherwise mark important concepts
- If an entire paragraph is important, mark a vertical line next to it
- Write notes in the margins
- Keep a note card or paper in the book to identify key pages, concepts, etc. The notecard will serve as a quick guide when you refer back to the book in the future.
- Once you complete the book, immediately thumb back through it and review your marked passages and notes
- After some time has passed, if the book is important to you, go back and review it again. This habit is crucial for really absorbing and incorporating the knowledge into your life. And as an added bonus, I always find a new nugget of information that I missed before, each and every I refer back to a book.
- Share what you learned from the book with friends and colleagues. Verbally summarizing key concepts will help you memorize and incorporate them into your life.
- Keep your books in a special place where you will see them on a regular basis. I am often reminded of a key concept just by seeing the spine of a book on my shelf.
- When it comes to magazine articles or other writings that catch your attention, tear out pages, make a photocopy, or jot down a quick summary on a notecard. Keep such items in a folder with your books for easy reference
A well populated book shelf is like a medicine cabinet for the mind. As problems arise in life or inspiration is needed, a quick look to the book shelf can be just what the doctor ordered. I encourage you to start populating your personal book shelf today, no matter what your age or condition. Your life will be much richer and happier as a result.