Why I'm Reading Less in 2020 and You Should Too
Cassandra Thompson
Authentic Networking Speaker | Helping Company Teams, Leaders, and Service Providers Build Real Connections to Create More Professional Opportunities | Turning Networking from Transactions into Relationships
I’m a reader. Not like a crazy, voracious, have to brag about my extensive 100+books at the end of the year reader, but I’m definitely a solid reader. Normally I read about 2-3 non-fiction books a month- one more spiritual or faith-driven for morning quiet time (the cornerstone of my day) and one or two related to business, self-help, productivity, etc.
Now the quiet time book isn’t going away, but I’ve switched up my non-fiction reading.
I realized I had an issue. I would read, but rarely ever implement. I’d read a great book, like The Storyteller’s Secret, but then move right on to the next. There was no time to implement.
What’s the point of reading all these great books if I never do anything with them?
In fact, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning says that Level 1 learning is remembering, Level 2 is understanding, and Level 3 is applying. Fun fact, there are 6 levels total. I’m just trying to get to level 3!
I know half the time in my previous reading I didn’t even fully complete Level 1! Who fully remembers the concepts from what they read last month?
To help with this, and really get the most out of reading, I’m now rotating- one month I read, the next I implement. In January I was finishing two books- Brian Dixon’s Start with Your People and Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand.
February is implementation month so I’ve been going through my highlights and putting them on notecards to help remember them more (level 1). I’m also taking the concepts and putting them into action in my life (levels 2 & 3!). Luckily both of these books have action steps to take every chapter, but even in the future, I’ll take whatever concepts I can and put them into practice.
Not going to lie, this is hard for me. I have already been on Amazon and bought my March book. I’m ready to go! And do I have a list going of other books I want to read that I feel I should be reading right now?
Heck yes.
But they will have to wait until I can really make the most of them.
Reading for the sake of reading is great for fiction, but for my non-fiction choices, I want to get the most out of them. Squeeze the most out of that lemon so to speak.
Let me know if this is an issue for you. Would you ever consider a reading month and an implementation month? Or is there something else that works for you? I’d love to hear in the comments if you have some sort of a reading plan!
Rather watch the video? Check it out here: https://youtu.be/bFBYUiJECO8
Entrepreneurship, Robotics, Exponential Technologies BusDev/Consulting/Pinch Hitting in Negotiations
5 年Cassandra, I admire people who build mini courses around subjects that they are trying to learn. This includes actions plans to demonstrate new competencies.
ExCulture Co-founder/CEO | Biotech | MSc Chemistry
5 年I don't know about anyone else but I had the same thought with regards to business/productivity podcasts at the start of the year. I realised I was consuming multiple each week and retaining/implementing only parts of them. On the one hand, I feel like that is the right thing to do, you need to shape your own interpretation of the advice/guidance so that it fits your life. On the other hand, when I am reading those kinds of books I tend to highlight or take note of important points and I usually read through those after finishing the book which helps me retain/remember to implement the information. Often I find autobiographies more inspiring for the implementation part as opposed to books with a chapter per concept.?
Strategic Foresight for Local Government
5 年Azaan Barlas
International Speaker/Trainer/Coach- Professional Training and Development
5 年I really like this idea Cassandra. ?Read a book and the next month implement it. ?But I am not sure it will work for me as I get most of my books at the wonderful library. ?This is a solid idea for sure, ?need to think about how I could do it. ??
Freelance writer ??? Creative long-form content about life at work, communications, productivity, and more ?? Also writing my newsletter, Time Intentional ???
5 年I LOVE this (even though the idea of reading less sounds painful). I primarily read self-help & psychology, and I’ll often feel motivated and inspired while reading the book only to find I’ll forget 95% of it within a couple of weeks of finishing. I think I’ll give an implementation month a try next go around!