charlieDEAN’S Blog

I’ve wanted to do this post for a while now, so here it is…

11 Tips to Becoming a Better Reader

1. read at the time of day you’re most alert whenever possible
2. mix it up — don’t read the same genre all the time.  I like to tell people that reading is like eating — you don’t eat the same food all the time, you shouldn’t read the same stuff all the time
3. if a book is bad, QUIT — nobody is keeping score, you don’t get points for finishing a book that you’re not excited about.
4. keep a notepad close by — whenever I’m reading, other stuff comes into my mind and it’s distracting — so I keep a notepad next to me and jot stuff down, so I won’t forget about it, and then I put it out of my mind
5. music off — or at least really quiet — It’s really just about impossible to have good comprehensive of a book when there are other distractions
6. reading is like excersizing — the more you do it, the stronger you get – you’ll read faster, comprehend more, etc.
7. read stuff you like.  People (including myself) will always be telling you “you should read this,” — it’s okay to listen to them, but don’t read a book just because someone tells you to — find something that you’re interested in
8. mark up your books — I write in every non-fiction book I read — it helps you remember things, plus later on, when you go back to that book looking for that quote, it’s easier to find
9. set up accountability — find people to read a book with you, to discuss.  I still do this with books that I think might be challenging — it forces me to stay disciplined and to get it done by a certain time.
10. take a book everywhere you go — you never know when you might get 15 minutes to read — I always have a book in my bag with me
11. have a plan — I’m not too anal here, but I always have a general sense of where I’m going next.  I have a shelf in my office of “books on-deck” — currently there are 8, and I anticipate there being 3 or 4 more there by week’s end.  I know people that plan out their year — I just can’t do that — It’s too structured for me.e