How (and Why) to Read Less

Let's start reading less, but better.

Dear friends,

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The last few months have been a hectic time, and my schedule has gone out the window. Now that I am getting my routine back to normal, it means that I am able to commit to regular writing.

I will be releasing an essay here every two weeks, and I will be aiming to release a video on my newly created youtube channel every alternate week.

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James ✌️

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To read more is a sentiment that I am sure the majority of us have wanted for ourselves at some point in our lives. Certainly, I have been guilty of setting myself an ambitious and superficial target of X amount of books a year each time January rolls around. As a kid I read a lot, and am faster than average at reading a book, but the more is more approach is one I am not convinced is serving me particularly well anymore. My intention is now to read less than I have been doing, and I think that is possibly something you should be thinking about doing too.

We have all seen the posts where someone shares a collection of self-help books stacked up like trophies. I saw one the other day, and the response was less than savoury. "If you read more than one self-help book, you are doing it wrong" was one of the responses that caught my eye. Generally I disagree, but there is a point there. At what point do you go from consumer of information to practitioner?

Finishing one book and then moving straight on to the other is not the most efficient progression. What about taking time to digest the lessons learned? To action the advice? To challenge yourself on whether you are holding yourself to the standard set by the book. I know for sure this is not something I have done super efficiently in the past and it is something I am intentionally getting better at.

Take the book I am reading now, for instance. "Four Thousand Weeks" by Oliver Burkeman. This is a book I have read before and picked up because I genuinely wanted to get better at time management, but fell foul to my need for reading speed rather than intentionality.

When I read it before, I digested the words on the pages and it resonated with me. I even made some notes in the margins and followed those up by writing them up in my digital notes and jotting my thoughts about the information within as the read more advocates will tell you to do. But then nothing, I moved onto the next book and started the process all over again.

Taking notes on a book is great, yet it is a behaviour that tricked me into thinking I was properly digesting the contents of the book. Did my life/routine/attitude change after reading it and finishing my notes? No it didn't, and it should have done. I bought that book to make a change in my life and it didn't improve anything because I didn't take the time to action the teachings.

It's not realistic to think that we are able to change our behaviours with every book we pick up, and that would be incredibly tiring if that was what we were seeking to do, but especially when we read a non-fiction self-help tome that has been written to have impact on those who are thumbing through the pages expecting change should be a given. It is the least we should expect right?

Here are some techniques/tactics that I like to ensure I am getting the most out of reading:

Pick books that are relevant to you now.

This may sound obvious, but reading books that are pertinent to issues, problems or thoughts that are present is a great way to get more value from reading less. Maybe you are struggling with time management (such as myself) and want to learn some techniques or ideas about how to get better at it. Maybe you are particularly interested in a topic and want to dive deeper. Be selective and intentional with your reading list, and the value that these books will bring will be significantly more potent.

Take marginalia and notes.

Writing thoughts in the pages of your book is not something new. I like to ask myself questions in the margins that I can later come back to and revisit. Marginalia gives you the opportunity to have a conversation with the book, and to be able to re-reflect on these interactions whenever you feel like it. If you aren't taking notes when you read, you are missing out on a lot of opportunity to get more from your books.

Set yourself goals for the book - what do you want to achieve after reading it?

When starting reading a book, I will ask myself what I want to get from it. What am I discontent with in my life that I am hoping this book will solve? Being intentional with what you want the book to help you achieve will really help you get the most out of your time investment. This is something I regularly revisit in my journal and think/write about.

Don't be afraid to revisit books you have already read.

The benefit of marginalia and notes is that you are left with a paper trail of thinking that is evergreen - you can come back to a book you read years ago, and have a snapshot of your mind and the reality you were present in at the time. There is something beautiful about revisiting leadership books I read when transitioning to leadership roles five years ago - it really gives you a perspective on your own journey. But also, some of the information a book contains might not have been relevant to your former self, but is more valuable to you when you read through a second or third time. I have read my favourite books maybe four or five times, and I get something new from them each time.