How to Read Better

Many people want to become better readers — but they don't know where to start. I share my thoughts on how we can improve our reading, including some practical tips.

This isn't about tricks or life hacks. Instead, I hope we can focus on building quality habits, developing a life of the mind, and treating the great books as they deserve to be treated.

[laojace]

Summary

1. Reframe your mentality. Your goal is to a better reader not a faster reader. Reading is a muscle that takes deliberate practice to develop.

2. Keep annotation and notes light. Be intentional.

3. Read it twice, especially for non fiction. The first time is fast and dirty. The second time allows you to relook at the parts with an understanding of the book as a whole.

4. Think about the personal value behind reading. Don’t just read books that are interesting. Reading is a form of moral or self formation. What you read decides the person you intend to be.

5. When reading books by great writers, don’t expect it to always be astounding.


6. Make it a habit to have ready access to the book (in your preferred format). So you find pockets in the day to read, even for 10 mins. Reading is more likely to become second nature.

[rhiyabhattacharyya]

"What you read actually decides what kind of a person you want to be". ❤️
A wonderful talk indeed!!

[victorugo]

This video is incredibly validating. As someone that reads incredibly slowly, reading no more than 5 books a year (or 10, including fiction), I always thought there was something wrong with me. I've seen people say they read 50-100 books a year and it's incredibly baffling. I tend to chew on books, letting the words on the pages stew in my mind for a while, before moving on. It's why I just can't do audiobooks, I believe they promote superficial engagement with the material; I'm aware they're better suited for books that can be engaged with shallowly, like self-help though. I'm an Engineering graduate but I've always been drawn to philosophy and literature; I think they hold incredible wisdom.

I take a lot of notes while reading but that's because I need to. My notes aren't verbatim extracts from the texts but conversations with myself. They're scattered and all over the place but they help me process what I read. I barely go back to my notes, unless I'm transferring some insights from them into my knowledge management system. Without taking heavy notes while reading, I don't think I can extract as much while reading.

I believe so much in the concept of progressive overload with regards to reading. It's why I advice people that want to start on this journey toward intellectualism to start with Mortimer Adler's book, "How to read a book" and engage with it as deeply as they can. Then move on to some of the lighter classics. One thing I'll add that doesn't get talked about a lot is the role of mindfulness in aiding your journey. People are perpetually stimulated. Our culture is driven by distraction and instant gratification now. Those that can engage deeply and longer with literature are becoming rare. I think of mindfulness like "trimming the fat" and improving the conditioning of the unhealthy mind and reading, journaling, and introspection as building the "muscular" strength of the mind. They support each other in developing a healthy mind.

[vanessaidelfonsa]

I really like read fiction, but early I started to read classical, and books in English (I'm Brazilian so it's helping me to improve it ). I'm also reading some psychology ones, about mental health and mental issues, it's been great, and I'm taking a break from the anxiety to read fast. U are really giving me good advices, thanks 😊

[mockingbirdsphysicschannel]

I think this trend of setting goal of reading 40 to 50 books is an impediment to reading books. I also struggled with reading due to being obsessed with the number. But recently I just started reading for fun. Surprisingly, I don't find it that hard to read now even with a busy schedule.

[mengyuhu]

I can't agree more on the advice of being more intentional about note-taking and annotation. I used to have my immediate thoughts written directly in the margin, thinking that I will collect them and sort them through after finishing my first read. But more often than not, when I start sorting the notes, I get so frustrated about how many notes there are and about how random/irrelevant a lot of them are, that I give up half way through the first chapter. I think I'm gradually getting better on that. Definitely helpful!

[willcarmichie]

The last class I took with my favorite professor before he retired, I really learned how to read.The class had no textbook, but a lot of selections of readings from the authors, theologians, and philosophers we were learning about. The day after he handed out the selections, he would call on people randomly to ask specific questions that I figured out were always the essential ideas of the author. By the end of the semester I was consistently identifying the specific main ideas he'd ask for. I just wish I learned how to do that earlier and not at the end of my second to last semester. Helped a lot for my capstone though, and helped me realize I want to go to seminary.

[stoicvibesonly]

I no longer set a reading goal in terms of # of books a year. Instead I set a goal of reading every day. 1 page or 100 pages. All that counts is that I did it.

[bipn_]

You're one of the people that actually help me to have confidence in myself. I have been struggling with reading shorter stories and finding basic plot structures. I don't know why but I end up getting hung up on English assignments and utter to myself, "I'm dumb." Thank you for being a blessing to me and others!

[BrandonsBookshelf]

Yes, committing to the second reading or even more is what really brings it to life! I would say that second reads of fiction can do just as much, but I understand your point.

[LizardTamer]

Some of the things that helped me start reading again:

I get really comfortable or antsy when reading, so I just started reading at the bar. It was a lot of fun and actually got out of my place. Met many great people. I'd bring a highlighter. Now I also write notes in the margins on the side in pencil. It's been an amazing journey and now I can read in most places

[dychui]

This was a really well thought out video. As a language learner I feel much of your advice applies directly to strategies involved in second language acquisition. Don’t be afraid to watch / listen to the same thing twice. Maybe even three times - more things are revealed each time you do. Also, there is value in becoming fluent in an individual’s body of work; I’ve often found one very clear podcast with one author can be the key to fluency for me. I learn how one person speaks very well and then I slowly branch out from there. I am looking forward to exploring your channel!

[Mao_tse_tung]

I love Dostoevsky I’ve read all of his work several times over. Note from underground and the adolescent are my favorites and were life changing for me. I decided to try to tackle war and peace. Got part way into book two and realized who I thought was two separate ppl were actually the same person. So decided to start over lol

[bmxt]

I also realised that slow reading is ok. It took me 6 months to finish Kant's "Critique..." a hour or two a day and I still have to reread it. In the beginning it was more like 15 minutes with three breaks, hehe.

[aw]

Thank you SO much this. I got burnout so badly that I basically couldn’t read for a year or so. I’ve since recovered but am trying to learn to read for pleasure again. It’s humbling for someone who has read all my life.

[wmjessemiller]

But I will die… and there’s too many books to read…

[bmxt]

The hard work in reading books is a concept that I've heard a lot about but started not realising, but coming to acceptance with its importance only recently, when this mental work started to pay off. The level of perceptual depth and inner peace it gives you is so much stronger than it if lazy reading. Pardon my mistakes, I'm not native speaker.

[larroc]

Currently, I am studying my PhD in Political Science in Mexico. I really liked the video. I am struggling to develop a better way to read books and academic papers. However, it is really hard to do it when teachers assign a lot of material to read. I am hoping for your next video.

[Balakay_Adkins]

I really like your approach to note taking. As someone who has been getting into philosophy lately, I’ve found my notes to be incredibly dense. I’m going to give your method a shot and see how it works for me.

[Kade_Bauman]

Can I just tell you that your style of making videos is very calming and conducive to get your audience to focus. No loud background music or distractions, just you talking. For someone like me who gets overstimulated really easily, I appreciate it!