Maximizing Your Study of Personal Growth

I've written recently about my desire to slow down and let change happen.  Part of that post contained the following text:

Absorbing and regurgitating self-help books at lightening speed is like taking a sip from a fire hose.

I do truly believe that enlightenment can be found in books, but unless it is applied in a practical nature, it is going to be fleeting, at best.

So, I've been journaling on what the most effective methods would be for getting the most out of my reading experience and decided that I would share some of my thoughts on the subject.

Read Less, But Read Regularly

Now, if you don't read at all, "Read Less" is not very helpful advice.  But if you are a voracious reader like myself, you may find stepping back a bit to be helpful to your ability to retain more information.

I am trying to scale things back by 50% (not just in reading, but life in general).  Over the last five years, I've averaged about thirty self-help books a year, with a couple of novels mixed in.  I am probably on the low side of many readers out there.  I also had a nasty habit of reading several books at once due to my varied interests.

I am making a goal one self-help book a month.  And it becomes a To Do item with a due date.

The other important point here is to make it a regularly scheduled part of your day to read.  It can be as little as fifteen minutes, but probably should not be more than an hour if you have other important tasks that need to get done.

This being November 1st, I am dedicating this month to Do Less, Achieve More by Chin-Ning Chu.  I will provide my notes on this book sometime early in December, provided the book passes the next step.

Don't Waste Your Time on Books that Don't Interest You

There's a reason why the number one rule for writers is to hook the reader immediately.  If you find yourself thirty to forty pages into a book and you're not sure why your reading this, then put it down and go onto something else.  Life is too short to waste your time on books that aren't interesting.

Sure, we've all run into an instance where we've broken this rule and been rewarded with a truly great read in the end.  I remember one particular summer after college where I persevered through Atlas Shrugged despite how dry it was early on, but it also so happened to be a time in my life when I was out of work and had plenty of time to blow.

Use your own judgement here, as with everything, but there are so many thousands of great books out there that you don't need to waste your time through something that may end up being sub-standard.

The corollary to this is that you should spend some time finding an interest first and therefore be in tune with what you want to learn.

Take Notes

Some folks like to write notes in the margins of the book.  All the power to you, to each their own, yada yada yada.

I'm partial to my Moleskine journal, specific to the purpose of writing down the best stuff that I learn.  I've always said that my journals are the most valuable books I own.

I suggest you don't just take notes like you would as a student for a test.  Write down your thoughts and feelings about the material that you're reviewing.

This is as critical a piece to the learning process as is the actual reading of the books.  That means you should take a few minutes, after each block of time reading to do this task.  I actually prefer to take the notes as I read.

Really get into this, noting how the material can help you achieve your dreams and goals.  If you're unable to find the value of the material than you should go back to Step 2 and really consider whether the book is worth your time.

Put It to The Test

Okay, now that you've put this much work in, don't let it die a slow death in the recesses of a dusty, withering (or is it weathering?) journal.  Take three to four weeks to put the material to use in your own life.  Better yet, make the whole month your trial as you read the book.

Document your life experiment as you go.

Treat your life as an experiment.  Even when you think you've got it, don't just relax into your comfort zone.  We are here to grow, to learn and to share.

Share Your Experiences

Yeah, this really is the final test.  You've learned it, you've applied it, now try and teach it.  The best way to show you've learned something and flatter an author is to write about your experiences.  If you blog, write an article about it, or write a review on Amazon…something more personal than "I really liked this book."  You can even mentor someone else with your new found skills.

Yes, this is a lot more work than blitzing through one book after another, but it's also more effective and you may find that you won't yearn for the next great secret in the pages of another book (I too, am guilty as charged).

I've decided to make my book reading experience more valuable to me and hopefully to my readers.  I will be putting these steps into practice each month and share it as a more personal, hands-on type of book review.  Like everything here at Scribe For The Tribe, the triplets set the schedule (Noah is in charge for November…which means no schedule) but I will try to get them in once a month.

On an unrelated note, November is National Novel Writer's Month where writers from all over the place come together and throw out the inner critic to whip together 50,000 or more words in thirty days to make a first draft of a novel.  I've participated in this for each of the last five years, but due to the three new babies, I've taken a pass at it this year.  It's great fun (if you consider pounding out an average of 1667 words a day fun) so do check in out at NaNoWriMo.