How to read a book (hint: it's okay to leave them unfinished)

Happy world book day ! :) ͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­ Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more [How to read a book (hint: it's okay to leave them unfinished)]( Happy world book day ! :) Apr 24   [READ IN APP](   At any given point in time, I am reading minimum 2 books. Since yesterday was World Book Day, let me take this as an opportunity to share how I read/take notes from books. [Spider-Man leaning on concrete brick while reading book]( Here is what I do at the start: - Set goals: Determine what you hope to gain from the book and how it aligns with your personal or professional growth. Here is how do do it: Take a quick look at the reviews or author’s recent podcast interviews will give you a good idea in terms of what to expect from the book. [Upgrade to paid]( - Skim through the book: Preview the table of contents, introduction, and conclusion to get a sense of the book's structure and main ideas. - Create a reading schedule: Allocate specific times for reading to maintain consistency and progress (for e.g. I tend to keep the longer reads towards my sleep schedule (helps 💤 faster). 2 things to remember when starting a (non-fiction) book - 70% of books are better off as a blogpost or even a set of email newsletters (I just made the number, but I hope you get the point). Plug: this is where subscribing to this newsletter helps :) - Most non-fiction books tend to repeat 3-4 ideas across the book. If you think you have gotten a good grasp of the topic in the first few chapters, feel free to skim and skip the rest. [Share]( It’s just FINE! You don’t need to finish everything you start. But if you are leaving most of the books unfinished, just revisit your choices and your reading technique. --------------------------------------------------------------- How do I take notes? I don’t. I have automated the process. Here is the secret 🤫... Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to Big Ideas on personal growth, trends and tech | NextBigWhat to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. [Start trial]( A subscription gets you: Access to all posts (and archives) More than 45% discount on annual plan Access to new experimental features and ideas   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2024 Zakti Techmedia Private Limited 677, HSR Layout, Bangalore-560102 [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()