digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: To read more books without cheating, read each book cover to cover, build reading stamina by gradually extending sessions, and aim for at least an hour of reading a day by protecting the time and removing competing distractions. The speaker rejects reading only parts of books, relying on summaries, and speed reading as shortcuts, arguing that they reduce retention and enjoyment.
Key Points
- Reading only parts of a book or consuming summaries does not count as reading the whole book, according to the speaker, and speed reading techniques often correlate with weaker information retention.
- Reading is like working out: time spent reading builds the ability to focus, so start with short sessions and extend them over time.
- Attention is the main constraint, so read physical books or an e-reader like a Kindle rather than a phone, and silence devices or move them to another room.
- Keep several books going at once, usually three to five but ideally three, mixing a dense challenging book with lighter reads so you always have an option that fits your mood.
- Vary formats: physical books for desk or chair reading and a Kindle for portability, such as lunch breaks or bedtime.
- Take notes only when you need to retain information or will use it in a project, because note-taking substantially slows reading pace.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Time yourself to see how long you can read before attention drifts or enjoyment fades, then read a little longer each next session.
- Aim for a minimum of one hour of reading per day; to find the time, the speaker stopped watching TV, watches almost no movies, plays video games on a laptop about once a month, and deleted YouTube from his phone.
- Do not read on a phone or computer screen; use a physical book or an e-reader, and turn off or move away all devices while reading.
- Juggle roughly three books at once: one challenging book read at a desk with notes when needed, and one lighter novel on a Kindle for lunch breaks, between meetings, or before bed (about half an hour).
- Switch to another book when you don't feel like continuing the difficult one, then return when ready.
- Take notes only when retention or a project requires it.
- The speaker's current reading list is Moby Dick, a biography of the philosopher Hegel (part of a project on German idealism), and a historical fiction novel by Bernard Cornwell, all of which he recommends.
Bottom Line
Reading more comes down to protecting daily time and reducing distractions, not to speed or shortcuts; a few sustained, daily sessions across varied books will build the habit.
