So, here are some tips on how to read it correctly. It's not about reading technique at all. Correct in this case - this is with maximum benefit from what you read. Naturally, first of all, these tips relate to reading non-fiction literature - books on self-development, by profession, educational and scientific literature etc. That is, those, from the reading of which some very specific benefit is expected: knowledge, skills, competencies. However, these "rules" can be successfully applied to fiction literature. After all, fiction, especially classical literature, is designed not so much to entertain the reader as to give him some kind of new experience. Our advice will help you get the most out of this experience.

1. Read regularly

Make it a rule for yourself to devote at least an hour a day to reading and do not deviate from this rule for anything. If it is impossible to carve out such a period of time in your daily routine, break this time into two 30-minute segments, or even three 20-minute segments. Making time for reading before bed is not too much good idea in terms of productivity. During the day, your brain gets tired and saturated with information, it will be difficult for it, especially if you are not reading fiction.

2. Read with a notebook at hand

The ability to write down the necessary thoughts from the book, or your own thoughts that arise in the course of reading, significantly increase the efficiency of reading. From these records, you can then easily restore in memory key points books, you can use them when books are not at hand. Even just writing out quotes from fiction book be of great benefit. Some even advise to make up the "skeleton" or "synopsis" of the book in this way, but these are already details.

3. Read Thoughtfully

"Read correctly"does not mean" read quickly ", rather the opposite. Never chase the speed of reading. The benefits of books" are determined not by the amount of read, but by the amount of understood. " to find out the meanings of unfamiliar words and terms (fortunately, now it is very simple). Pay attention to the context. If the author refers to an unfamiliar theory or research, at least in general outline what is the essence of a theory or research. This, by the way, will help you with the next step.

4. Constantly look for books

It would seem, what to look for - there are so many of them. But most of these books are useless to you, they are just rubbish. In order not to fill your head with garbage, you need to responsibly approach the choice of literature for reading. Be sure to have a read-to-read list. Stay tuned for new products in your area of ​​interest, read. Determine the next book ahead of time. In short, plan your reading process.

5. Read different books

Sometimes it is very useful to read several books in a row on the same topic, compare them with each other, look at the problem with different sides... But you shouldn't dwell on the same thing. After books on self-development, read science fiction, after business literature - Russian classics, etc. Some even advise to do it at the same time - to read one book "for the benefit", and another, fiction, for pleasure.

6. Go to electronic books

Paper books are great, and I don’t urge you to give them up. But the reality is that reading e-books from a tablet, and even more so, is much more convenient. The e-book market is developing and more and more new editions are available in electronic format. If you really want to read a lot and usefully, then e-books are an almost inevitable choice.

7. Draw conclusions about what you read

After you have turned the last page, it would be good to formulate your thoughts about what you read - to draw some conclusions for yourself. What you understand, what you agree / disagree with, what you can use. Even after reading a fiction book, it can be helpful to structure your thoughts. If you followed the second point, then it will be quite simple to do this. It is good practice to write reviews and read reviews.

Stay tuned for new products

Every month a huge number of literary novelties are released, many of which you want to read right away. I recommend that you study the novelties and select for yourself the books you like. Thus, there is an incentive to read more and more productively.

Schedule time to read

We are planning meetings with friends and work colleagues. We calculate in advance the time we can devote to cleaning or going to the cinema. So why not plan the times we will spend reading?

I have a recurring task in my calendar - "read a book". It is duplicated in the morning and in the evening, because in the morning I like to read business literature, and in the evening - fiction. I recommend doing the same for you - schedule a task in your calendar that lasts 15-30 minutes. Turn off all gadgets, sit in a comfortable chair and devote this time only to reading.

Keep your book close at hand

Despite the fact that I have scheduled periods of time for reading, the book always stays with me. The fact is that during the day each of us has small intervals that can be supplemented with a book.

For example, taking the subway or waiting in line at the store - a great opportunity read a couple of pages of an exciting book.

Reread notes from books

Every seasoned reader highlights in the book important points that you can implement in your life. I do the same - I save the notes I like on my phone, and after reading it, I go over these quotes and tips to process and decide which ideas I can use right now.

I also set myself a notification in the calendar and approximately every 2-3 months I flip through the saved notes from the books I read again. This way, I am always mindful of the content and also can immerse myself in the excerpts. And I almost always find for myself useful ideas which at first I decided to throw aside.

Share books and experiences

When the book is read, and the knowledge is applied in life - it's time, and also to advise the book for reading. You can talk about your favorite book on your personal blog or in social networks... Do not forget to attach your history of application of knowledge - this is the best way to underline its usefulness.

By the way, sometimes you may not like the book, this is a completely normal situation. In this case, I try to remember or find a person to whom this book can be useful. Or I just give it to bookcrossing so that a person can find it himself.

Innokenty Nesterenko has prepared for the site a selection of useful and interesting books that can be read during your summer vacation. At the end of the material there is a reading system for those who do not have enough time to study books.

Summer - great time when it is easier to find time for reading: to sit with a book in the park or on the beach, where your loved ones dragged you. At the same time, you are unlikely to want to wade through practical guide on analytics. On vacation, it is more pleasant to read about self-development or how everything works.

I hope my selection of books to expand your horizons will help you with this. I have already written about some of them, some are new. At the end of the article - a couple of words on how to organize a reading system.

Self-development and self-knowledge

Thinking traps. Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The star duet of the Khiz brothers - one advertiser, the second a psychologist - gives out hits of psychological science pop one after another. In this engaging and helpful book, they analyze typical mistakes and the stupidity that people do when making decisions - in a sense, this is a collection of anecdotes. Naturally, the authors also offer solutions to problems - they teach how not to fall into the traps of perception, how to make decisions faster and not regret the choice.

I also recommend their other books - Made to Stick (about ideas that captivate people, in English) and "Heart of Change" (Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard).

“Strategy for success. How to get rid of imposed stereotypes and find your way. " Richard Schell

A book about personal success, structured as a series of guiding questions. It has an important difference from the "coaching" books about success - the author is not trying to prove or sell you anything. He just talks to you about the fact that everyone has their own success. The fate of Schell himself is interesting. He searched for himself for a long time: he interrupted himself from one temporary job to another, traveled for pennies to different countries of the world in an attempt to escape from himself, and so on. Only at a very mature age did he come to a teaching career. In general, he has a story to tell.

Mastery: Keys to Success.George Leonard

A short but deep book on the topic of craftsmanship. The author, a retired military pilot and aikido instructor, talks about how to master complex skills. He criticizes the epidemic of "quick fixes", saying that in reality the path to mastery is through long periods of "plateaus" when you train, but you do not see a clear return. The transition to the next stage occurs in a jump, followed by a new, even longer plateau. Conclusion - you need to distract from the results and love the process. Further, step by step, the path to mastery is painted.

Personal productivity

"Genius Mode" (Daily Rituals). Mason Curry

Once again, I recommend this entertaining selection of mini biographies. famous people: writers, artists, architects from the point of view of how their working day was arranged. The main point is clear from the first pages: to create something significant, you need to stick to a daily schedule (while some creators used amphetamines at night, but also regularly). The book helps you to look at your day from the outside and start fighting inefficiency.

"The embodiment of ideas."Scott Belsky

The Behance founder talks about personal and team productivity, including workflow organization.

"Essentialism. The path to simplicity ”. Greg McKeon

A book about personal and team productivity. the main idea- do less, but better - is considered from different angles (planning, day structure, teamwork, etc.). The author does not give detailed recipes for how to implement the approach, but offers a lot guidelines and examples. Average between motivational and instrumental book.

Entertainment books about business

"Startup for $ 100".Chris Guilbeaux

Hilarious business pop about starting a small business with pocket money. The author, himself a small businessman and a seasoned traveler, sifted through fifteen hundred success stories and described 50 of the most amusing cases. There are various info-business, successful private practice, and cafes with cleaning companies. If you are thinking of opening something, but are worried about the start-up capital, then this is a good kick in the right direction... The book is very light, this is both its plus and minus - it goes with a bang, but does not contain deep details or economic calculations. In general, be inspired in the summer, and in the fall, go to the Megapurve courses for specifics.

Yes, and please don’t open digital agencies, don’t waste your youth in vain. There are many more rewarding activities.

"Rework. Business without prejudice "

A startup manifesto from the creators of Basecamp, a popular project management system for small businesses. They tell by their own example where exactly you need to shove business plans, how to start without investment, where to get customers and how to develop a product.

Of course, this is not a cookbook - you can't do business with it. Rather, it casts doubt on various long-standing myths that “everything is bought, divided and very serious”, provoking the aspiring entrepreneur to experiment. Very perky, good motivational reading. It is instructive and as an example of creating a market with the help of a book - naturally, grateful startups set themselves Basecamp.

"Remote. Office is not required "

Another lively text of the same 37 Signals aka Basecamp, this time on the topic of remote work. All the myths that do not allow the implementation of telecommuting and flexible working hours in companies have been analyzed in detail - supposedly working outside the office allows employees to kick the bucket, harms the team spirit, paralyzes the exchange of knowledge, and so on.

In the end, of course, Jason Freed and his associates show how wonderful it is to organize everything without an office. The topic is holivar, something is relevant only for the development of software and related areas, but the view of the "remote workers" is presented here as succinctly and succinctly as possible. I especially recommend the book to managers of grocery companies (in service companies everything is much more complicated).

Memoirs about work

"How to write books."Stephen King

King's autobiography will be interesting both to fans of his books and to all those who are curious about how the writer's head works. The life story is complemented by valuable craft advice. By the way, King sausages every day with more than a thousand words without weekends and holidays - everyone would like it.

"Craft". Sergey Dovlatov

Another writer's memoir about craft - but this is a completely different writer. A short tragicomic thing, like all Dovlatov's books. We are so accustomed to Dovlatov's “theatrical realism” that you can hardly believe in the authenticity of the events. It looks like it was.

"Notes of a District Surgeon". Dmitry Pravdin

Doctors are traditionally some of the best memoirists: smart people who watch life and death every day will always find a theme for the story. All the more so if the case is taking place in Russia. In the 90s. On Far East... In a small town. Tin, from which even the characters of Game of Thrones would have hiccuped, is complemented by comic and lyrical stories. A sincere text about Russia as it is.

Nauchpop

Freakonomics and Superfriconomics. Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner

A mini-series of two informative books about how society works. The authors - economist Stephen Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner - have put together a collection of unusual stories that are shared with readers. This is the economy of prostitution, from street to elite, and comparisons of pools with firearms (pools are more dangerous), and the principle of the work of a gang of drug dealers (one-to-one MLM marketing), and entertaining statistics about the dynamics of the popularity of names from generation to generation. Perfect summer reading.

“Religions of the World. Experience of the beyond. " E. A. Torchinov

You have heard the truism that Buddhism is more philosophy than religion, but hardly ever thought about what Christianity or Islam is fundamentally different from Buddhism. The answer to the question lies in this not the simplest, but fascinating book written by an outstanding Russian orientalist. This is a generalizing comparative review of all world religions.

On sale does not come across, the network is everywhere.

Wait But Why blog. Tim Urban

A wonderful blog by a New York neurotic who has single-handedly pitted himself against sites like Buzzfeed, Upworthy or the current version of Adme, where dozens of selections like "The 20 Most Unusual Cities" and "15 Portraits of Stars Without Makeup" appear daily. Tim Urban decided to write smart and very, very long articles for those 10% of the audience who do not need fun, but fascinating essays on the complex. Once every couple of weeks, he issues pearls that collect traffic no worse than naked stars. In form it is a blog, but in essence it is a book in development.

"From Jerusalem to Rome: In the Footsteps of St. Paul."Henry Morton

Henry Morton, the witty journalist of the 30s, would be a fashionable travel blogger today. He has written three dozen entertaining books on different countries starting with native England. I recommend "From Jerusalem to Rome" to those who managed to get to the Mediterranean in the summer. In this book, the author travels through Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Syria (I hope you will not go to Syria) in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. This is where Morton's 80-year-old travel notes intersect, which in themselves have become historical evidence, and fascinating extracts from biblical history.

Legal versions are tight, it is easy to find on the net.

P.S. How to organize a reading system

Last time I promised to write about my reading system, which allows me to master a decent amount of articles and books, both professional and fiction, while simultaneously developing the agency and creating a marketing guide.

The most important thing here, of course, is to find time. This is where many stumble. With the exception of reading on vacation, you probably don't have an hour or two a day before retirement to replenish your knowledge. Complaining about life with the words “I would have read, but there’s no time” is useless - there will always be no time. Thank goodness reading is not programming, copywriting, design, language learning, or even sports. It does not require dedicated periods of time when your head is working at maximum concentration. On the contrary, it is a universal pause filler.

Unlike the impracticable advice “to spend 15 minutes a day on ...”, you can really read 15 minutes a day - on the road, in line, between meetings, when you need to distract yourself from work, or even if the electricity is cut off. The main reserve is the road to the office and back. For me, let's say, it's about 2 hours a day, and most of this time I read (still writing, but that's a different story). For this, I specially ride the subway. Of course, the text from the sheet is absorbed faster, but if you ride a car or bike, listen to audiobooks - the essence is the same. Use the time you already have. Yes, spend a little less on social media - but the loss is small.

Next, you need to learn how to instantly dive into the text, as soon as you have an extra 5 minutes. Naturally, if you think every time what to read, you will not be able to use these 5 minutes. Your reading system should do just that. In general, this is pure GTD: lists and next steps. The specific set of tools may vary. This is how it works for me.

1. No paper books. Do not be fooled - you will not carry them with you, you will be too lazy to get them, you will be left without reading if the book runs out, business books in English are expensive, etc. Leave paper for children's stories and gift books. For business - only readers and a smartphone.
2. Everything interesting first appears in English, then, if you're lucky, in Russian. Reading is easier than speaking, so don't waste your time. Do you want to leave Balashikha? Learn languages!
3. I use my smartphone's RSS feed to find articles. The tool is old school, but still indispensable for professional purposes. I use gReader, many people like Feedly. If I have time, I read the articles right there, but more often I pick it up for the future using the Pocket app.
4. The second source of articles is Facebook, VKontakte and other sharing centers. Articles from here are sent to Pocket in the same way.
5. Books are searched in a wide variety of places. These are reviews like this, peer recommendations, and more. The most useful business book sources for me are:
   1. Top categories and personalized Dropbox recommendations, so as not to search for torrents on the dead Internet on the train. Anything is suitable for maintaining lists - your favorite planner, Evernote, Goodreads or a similar service, at worst a store wishlist if you only read legal books.
   2. Reading a lot from the phone is hard on the eyes. It may be different for you, but it's easier for me to read with the Kindle, putting the horse font so that the letters are visible even where it shakes - in the subway, minibus or somewhere else.
   3. Therefore, I use Pocket on my smartphone only as a gateway, only occasionally reading something from there, if the Kindle is not at hand. And so I have set up the Crofflr service, which daily makes an automatic digest of all articles in Pocket and sends them to me on Kindle. For those who are not in the know - each Kindle automatically comes with its own email for delivery of materials, so that the reader is synchronized in the background. Digests on Crofflr cost a pretty penny, but you only pay once.
   4. If you've read something really useful, take a short summary - just a bunch of quotes, a couple of lines of review, whatever. It will be much easier for you to remember what and where you saw interesting. Evernote is ideal for these tasks. For example, all of my review books are excerpts from my Evernote.
   5. Fly in the ointment: Continuous reading also causes problems. First, as with games, you start bluffing your phone or reader at meetings and family dinners. You should pull yourself back: this is no longer filling in pauses, but harm to work and relationships. Second, try not to let entertaining articles and politics into your system, otherwise you will be incredibly effective at chewing on emptiness. It is not easy to get rid of such information "blockages", I know from myself.

   Your system can be much simpler - as long as you keep a reading list and keep a stock of materials handy to fill out useful information any random pauses. Good luck.

1. When you really want, you will always find opportunities

The numbers for each may turn out to be different, but the main thing is different. Fast is slow without interruption. Just read every day.

2. So what about desire, especially "for real"?

Change the way you approach the book. For me, this is not a source of knowledge or entertainment. A book is a tool. Create a reading urge. Formulate the problems that you would like to solve and the states that you would like to experience.

Fiction helps trigger desired states, non-fiction triggers thought processes that transform problems into solutions and meanings.

3. Frame the reading with preparation and comprehension of the reading.

Spend 5-10 minutes getting ready to read. Write down the questions to which you would like to get answers, indicate the problem in the solution of which you would like to advance.

After you finish reading, try to formulate the meaning of what you read in at least 2-3 sentences.

If it's fiction, listen to your feelings. What values ​​do they touch on? For me, reading fiction is an exploration of my values.

4. Read quickly

Bypassing the assessment different techniques speed reading, I will outline the main thing for me. It is important to concentrate when reading. Limitations help me. How many minutes am I supposed to read? How many pages do I plan to work on?

I always have a sheet of paper next to a book. It is written on it topical issues that relate to the topic of the book or are simply relevant to me in this moment... On the same sheet, I write down thoughts and ideas that come from reading.

Perhaps your memory is much better than mine. It's easier for me to break away from reading and write down the thought that has come. I was convinced many times that after a couple of minutes, when you finish reading a paragraph or a page, I cannot remember what I wanted to mark.

6. Have a list of books you would like to read

I have a waiting shelf. The sight of books lining up to read is great motivation.

The presence of pre-formulated questions, preliminary study (reading the table of contents, flipping through the book) allow you to highlight the necessary pieces of text.

8. Link and combine

I make lists of books by topic, by project, and collect my own combinations. This creates a voluminous vision of life, a greed for reading, as building connections between disparate phenomena.

After reading the first book by Merab Mamardashvili, I took up Proust, then I returned to the works of the philosopher. From him he passed to Pyatigorsk. From Pyatigorsky to the books of Evgeny Torchinov. I read the book by Yuri Mamleev "The Fate of Being Beyond Hinduism and Buddhism." Only then his prose. Through him he returned to Marquez, Cortazara.

9. Share your own book discoveries

Reading is an activity that requires your attention and effort. The meaning of any conscious activity is change. Share your experience of applying the knowledge you read. Share your reading experience. Feedback will motivate you to make sense of what you read.

This is especially beneficial for those with children. Your children are unlikely to love reading if they rarely see you with a book, if reading is rarely mentioned in your conversations with children.

10. Surround yourself with books

On trips, while waiting for flights and flights, I like to watch people. How they use the drop-down free time slots. How many people read? What are they reading? How?

Today, quality literature is published in a variety of easy-to-carry formats.

There are smartphones and tablets.

There are audiobooks.

Reading is not only a way of obtaining information. This is a training of our thinking and perception of the world.

1. Get yourself a favorite reading place. For different texts, you can choose different places: for example, read professional literature at the table, and fiction - in an armchair or sofa.

2. Relax and calm down: unnecessary body movements are distracting. Also, do not combine reading with food and drink.

3. The text should be well lit. It is advisable to use for this additional source Sveta. If you are right-handed - install the lamp on the left, if you are left-handed - then on the right.

4. Place the book at a distance of 35-40 cm from the eyes. It is best to keep it tilted so that all lines are equidistant. It is good to use a book holder or other support. If you are holding a book in your hands, try to relax them as much as possible.

5. Prefer paper books electronic devices despite the fact that it is so out of date. The resolution of the text printed on paper is several times higher.

6. Avoid reading on the go. During the movement, the vibration from the transport is transmitted to the book, and the eyes get more tired. If you feel sorry for wasting time in traffic jams, give preference to audiobooks.

7. Read in silence: unnecessary sounds inevitably take away some of your attention, since the human brain is not designed for multitasking.

8. Train yourself to read in the same, most comfortable posture. Modern scientists recommend sitting at a 135-degree angle with your back resting on a support, opening chest and putting your feet on the floor. The best place to stay is comfortable chair rather than on a hard chair and use pillows and bolsters if necessary. The main thing is that it doesn't look like this.

Pay attention that the neck does not stretch forward while reading. The pose should be symmetrical: no distortions to the right or left.

9. Take logical breaks at least once an hour. Get up, pour yourself a glass of water, eat a fruit, do eye exercises, ponder what you read.

Make lists of books you would like to read. Collect the recommendations of friends, celebrities you respect, write out references from books, songs, films.

Spend a fixed amount per month on books. This investment is guaranteed to pay off, because it is aimed at your development.

Share books with your friends. It makes no sense to keep something that you do not plan to return to a second time.

Alternate styles: after business literature it is pleasant to "feast on" fiction, after psychology - to read poetry.

Read with a pencil. The passing recording of the thoughts, ideas, facts, events that interest you greatly improves the quality of the assimilation of the material. If you don't have a notebook at hand, you can leave notes in the margins and mark fragments in the text.

Reread your notes - it inspires you to read even more and helps you understand which book will be relevant now.

Set aside special time for reading. Ideally, it would be nice to find an hour or two a day. It is difficult for a busy person to carve them out entirely, so divide this time into small sections. For example, read for 20 minutes after lunch and dinner and at least half an hour before bed.