It might pay off in the long run - but what did you do in the hour since you watched this? Were you utilizing the Jered's tips as you hit the books or catching up on youtube? :p
I'm a 27 year old dude who has never read (just played video games) and what fixed it for me was getting a Kindle. No distractions, no app notifications, just pure book. Because I never read there's lots of words I don't know, but I can hover over them on Kindle and get quick dictionary meanings which has been helping tremendously for me. Reading Bram Stoker's original "Dracula" right now!
My take is that much of the value you get from "reading the book" doesn't actually come from "reading" per se, but rather from the "pausing and thinking" that occurs between those of reading. It's like listening to piano pieces, where you appreciate both the musical notes and the silences in between. You may speed through the music as fast as you wish, but it won't be the same.
@@ZachRHuffAgreed. His own definition of productivity, "productivity is using your time in a way that's intentional, effective, and enjoyable" is fantastic. He has his things he values, those aren't the same thing I value but I can still hold to his definition of productivity and gain a lot from it. I think too many people go too far condemning the productivity movement and just waste their time (ie life). We only have so much time on this world we should be mindful and intentional with that time. If for you that is playing video games that's fine so long as you are actually choosing to do that instead of defaulting into that behavior or using it as a distraction from doing what you want to do but are afraid to fail at doing. In short his definition and attitude is great and he's a great source to mine for tips that work for you but no one should be trying to be him or emulate him exactly unless your goals and interests are the same as his then maybe following his advice closer is a good idea.
I agree, reading book summaries and only sections of a book doesn’t count as reading. There are lots of big RUclipsrs who advocate for only reading parts of a book. Great advice, Jared; thank you.
I wonder how many people do that in order to say they haven't missed out, and then neglect to mention that's what reading is for them. I think there are times when skim reading is a good skill or knowing the gist of a book helps to be slightly informed - I just hope they aren't reviewing the book based on that.
I agree with what you are saying. This year I started reading more and my goal is to read 13 books. I have completed 5 already. I have been reading multiple books. None of them are related. It works for me and I am enjoying it which is the point.
My Reading Advice: I have ADHD by the way. I read 10 pages a day at minimum. 30 pages at maximum. I read 5 pages in the span of 30 minutes, take a break, whether it be 1 hour or wait till the evening if you like, then come back to your book 📖 and read another 5 pages within a 30 minute timespan. I've been doing this for a couple of months and it's less stressful, unless you procrastinate 🙃 which I do. I don't read multiple books at a time. It will mess me up.
I have ADHD too, I found the aspect about speedreading to be very relatable. I often find myself just scanning over the words instead of reading them and have to jump back a few pages and read more deliberately. I also found having multiple books on the go was quite beneficial to stop me getting quickly bored, but everyone reads different!
I forgot to tell you guys, if you're reading a big book with parts or volumes, then read one volume after that take break and read a short story collection, 300 page novel, or a novella, come back to that big novel. Hope you get it.
Note-taking is time-consuming, but it helps me retain and think critically about the information I've read. I have been trying to be more concise and succinct with my note-taking though.
A different perspective but personally, I tried to focus on reading less and being more selective with what I read. I would do these GoodReads challenges where I would try and read 100 books a year, only to look back and realize 90% of those books were a waste of my attention but I chose them because I knew I would get through them. Reading something like Plato/Aristotle/Kant seemed like a bad bet to maximize reading quantity. Once I became more selective, I moved on to advice like reading at least one hour a day. Better to be reading quality than quantity. I still read about 60-70 books last year anyway.
I think this aligns well with my general view. If you focus on the numbers, you won’t read well, you won’t read the difficult but valuable books, and you won’t enjoy it as much.
@@DanLyndon I would argue on that. Why spend time untangling character's relations to get one or two notions? When you can have a 800-page volume crammed with notions and only them :) Of course, I am half-joking here, but I myself made transition to philosophical works, when I grew tired of Dostoyevsky And in my opinion nothing shows you, what life is about, but life itself. If one wants to know life, he should live, not read
Jared, I have to thank you. It’s your videos that got me reading again and to also start the habit of journaling. I understand that these are not solely the reasons for the improvement of my mental health, but it’s these habits that have turned me into a far more perceptive and thoughtful person. I regularly have gotten people comment on how much more articulate with my thoughts i am. I’m coming up on my first year of consistent journaling and it’s been so satisfying to see those pages fill. 🙏🙏
Great Advice. When I first started to challenge myself to read more books I definitely struggled to keep my attention on the book I was reading, I had to start leaving my phone out of reach until I got into the habit of reading. Now I force myself to read at least 1 page a night, even if I don't feel like reading, 1 page is not a daunting task, and it almost always gets me in the mood and I end up reading for the full hour. I think its important to let yourself know that you can quit a book you aren't enjoying as well, I don't count them on my books read lists, but knowing that if I'm not enjoying it I can just quit it does make picking up the book to begin with less daunting.
Don't believe some content creators (not Jared but others) who claim to read 500 books a year. I choose 2 books per month and read 10 pages in the morning of one and 10 pages of the other in the evening. This allows me to read (at minimum) 2, 300-page books per month, 24 in a year, 125 in 5 years. In some months I can read 3 or 4, but overall this is a realistic goal that works well for busy people who want to read.
Thank you very much for this video. For many years I was under the impression that I had to use speed reading tactics and all that to be a better and a productive reader. However I've been very much suspicious of the speed reading stuff recently since that never made me enjoy reading; worse yet, I couldn't retain much info. After seeing your video on becoming a better reader and reading normally for a few days, I understood the actual fun of reading good books. My reading speed has also increased slightly along with my comprehension. I also highly appreciate the suggestion of reading multiple books at once, since Im someone with slight attention issues, switching between different 2-4 books would help my brain stay fresh. Once again, I thank you for your work. May you and your family be well.
Definitely reading multiple books at the same time. For a lot of non-fiction books, I like to read a full chapter at a time, because usually a chapter contains a single idea or theme. When I’m on the bus or taking a break in work, I can’t be sure I’ll be able to get a chapter done, so I read a page turner.
Thank you for focusing on reading well rather than speed reading and book summaries. We’ve gotten ourselves into an efficiency culture and it’s made reading less fulfilling. Well done, Jared.
Book clubs can help with accountability and support. Picking a theme or topic area can help refine discussion. There are more benefits than just reading as well.
This is such a good video. I think people (me) typically go into a book after not reading for a while thinking, “I’m gonna read this entire thing and start reading for 2 hours every day.” This is a much more realistic way of doing things. Thank you for this!
Great video as always. I’ve found myself developing these same habits on my own after deciding to read more again. Having a lighter book for lunch breaks has been a game changer.
For reading fast, I'd heartily recommend having the audiobook as well. You'll retain a lot more when you've got both sight and audio and you'll be able to read easily on higher speeds while retaining a lot of information. Currently 3x speed is my comfort zone. Going much faster than that and it starts getting too much.
Recently discovered your channel and really enjoy it. Especially the point about building the “muscle” of reading. Was making me think of how overtraining applies as well. I’m getting back into regular reading after a few years of very little reading - after I finished my PhD (reading like 1000 pages a week for years) I just couldn’t get my mind to re-engage in books unless it was for work. I was still learning things in that time in but in different formats. I’ve just started to enjoy it again in the last 6 months or so. As much as I was frustratED, looking back I needed that rest from prolonged over-engagement. Thinking about rebuilding my reading as retraining an atrophied skill is quite helpful!
I reverted to Catholicism not long ago. And now I'm obsessed with books about Catholicism and philosophy. I guess that is the point of reading books. Read what you are passionate about.
Hey Jared, great video as always! Could you make a video elaborating on the very last point "takes notes sparingly"? This is something I think about a lot. I take extensive notes on philosophy at least and some type of notes on a lot of what I read. After I finish the book I consolidate and type them onto Obsidian. I'm undoubtedly got a lot of value out of this - it increases my retention at the time, helps me have new ideas and connect to other texts, and gives me something to come back to. However, as you mentioned, this takes a lot of time and effort and sometimes it can feel like too much work or too tedious. I'm trying to balance some note taking because I know how good it is with also trying to make it more parsimonious so I don't get bogged down in it. Could you talk about what books you would take notes on more extensively, and sort of "bare minimum" value type notes? Thanks.
I echo this. I really enjoy taking notes and collecting quotes from non fiction and serious literature. That said it adds up and does slow me down. But I think there is a cost and benefit to that because you synthesize and connect various things together. I guess it depends on how much do you want to get from a text and how important is it to you?
I like to read along with an audiobook. I have ADHD and I read slow and often get distracted. However by accident discovered that if am reading a book and I follow along with the audiobook it keeps me engaged and reading at a good pace so I am able to finish quicker than if I was just reading on my own.
this is legitimately the single most helpful video on yt on reading more. We just have to admit that our attention spans are untrained and we have to put in the work to counteract that.
"You might not think you have an hour to read but since your watching a video on You Tube I think you probably do" Such a solid burn and actually very motivating for me :)
Aside from trying to find some key information in a book you don't intend on finishing, what is the actual point of speed reading? It takes away from the joy of reading a book.
This is a lot of good advice in such a short video. I also have several books on the go at one time. One trick there is I keep it to only one fiction book (story), and any other can be technical, historical, philosophy sort of non-fiction. You did give it a mention, but I think it's important to emphasize that having a comfortable chair or place to read is going to make a big difference.
I think a lot really depends what we mean by “book”. A lot of the RUclips advice out there is for people reading non-fiction self-help or pop science books which are easier to dip in and out of, or that have something useful to say but also contain a lot of waffle. That’s quite different to reading novels and philosophical works that are densely written and where every word counts, which require even more concentration and focus (and why I subscribe to both your channel and Ali Abdaal’s 😁). Thank you for the great tips as always
You have to read more than one book at a time. This is counter-intuitive to most people so they don't give it a try. My sweet spot is 4-6 books. I usually designate one for work, one for the weekends, one non-fiction, one nighttime, etc. I've increased my average of just around 20/year to 40-60/year using this method.
I can tell by the experience of an ADD person that speed-reading is the way to go: I cannot concentrate on anything longer than a second before my attention turns to somewhere else. My head is a storm. I loved reading as a child but it became more and more difficult to me during the years since I was 15 years old. I read a page in an hour and remembered nothing. Soon I just browsed non-fiction and stopped reading fiction altogether. This destroyed my joy of reading and learning for over a decade and damaged my university studies, and it deepened my depression. Then I learnt how to speed-read. It was a way to force me to stay in the text and read mindfully. It helped me to acquire the substance beyond the Wall of Text. I began to comprehend, remember, learn, and get immersed more. I began to speed-read in 2019, and I have since read probably more than ever before that, and that is what I do most of my time. I wish I had learnt it sooner. I am quite confident that I recall the stuff that I read a year ago better than someone who reads 'normally'. I hate it when people misrepresent speed-reading as mindless skimming. It is insulting to us who have concentration difficulties.
I think I need to try this thing of having many options to read at once. The last years of school forced me to hurry in the library, so usually picked an uninteresting book to simply write a summary that was a little longer than an usual summary with almost never a chance of pointing out things that made me think or stuff I liked/disliked about them. My class was basically reading for the sake of saying we read without it being a lie. We didn't read for enjoyment and not even for learning from analyzing. The maximum of analysis we did was "write a part of the book that shows traits of romantic literature/write about the psychological traits of the character". We could at least get a question like "what questions does the book Frankenstein raises on the ethical of manipulation of life?" My teacher complained if a student said something bad about a book even if the student's critic fits the questions raised by a later literary movements we studied. Reading was neither fun or something I learned from and I simply lost the love for books. I'm trying to recover it.
I'd love to hear your reaction to the book "How to talk about books you haven't read" by Pierre Bayard, specifically with respect to ideas presented in this video. Generally I have always been a stringent completionist with books, but Bayard presents a strong epistemological case for skimming being okay because our differences as humans cause us to effectively read a different book even when its the same title. He even makes an argument that skimming books allows one to get a better look at the shape of the literary lanscape. I have found that with very concrete nonfiction (like much of what Ali Abdaal reads), skimming strategically in the latter portions of the book (at which point you've already grasped the main point(s)) feels pretty alright. For the vast majority of what you recommend, though, completionism makes a lot more sense. In any case, Jared, I have immensely enjoyed your book recommendations and they have produced something of a reading renaissance for me. In the last months I have thoroughly enjoyed these recs from you: Mortimer Adler, Matthew Crawford, Wendell Berry.
As an avid reader, you are absolutely right! Reading summeries miss the whole planet of taking your own perspective on a book. Great content! Thank you
Moby Dick was assigned in four different courses for my undergrad....I read it three of those four times. But, after multiple reads, I really enjoy it. It subtly crept into the candy category. It became more engaging and I realized that it's a very funny book throughout much of it. I've read it two more times since undergrad. It's a good'un.
i have a rather specific video request; what is your setup for reading AT NIGHT specifically? i have a hard time reading at night because i don't have an appropriate setup. thanks for the great videos always xx
Do you read a lot during the day or are you trying to establish a general reading habit and are choosing evening/ night as the best time? I’m asking because I think it’s a weird quirk that when people try to get into reading, they often decide to do it at night. There’s no other habit that we recommend waiting until you are tired to try and start. If you aren’t already reading during the day, I’d recommend building the habit early in the day first.
@@leannichleirigh2607 i only read during the day! usually mornings when i'm not busy. i'd like to read before bed but without the proper setup i end up just hurting my vision or i'd have to have the lights on which is not appropriate for just before going to sleep lol
@@leannichleirigh2607 Nah, I think the point of reading in the evening is to help your brain wind down, so then you become tired and decide to go to bed.
One thing I’ve found very helpful which might be a bit strange is that I listen to the audiobook of what I’m reading while I’m reading it. I put the audiobook on at X2 and follow along with the physical book. Just so I don’t buy the book twice I usually just find the audiobook on RUclips (the audio quality isn’t that important since it’s only support really). I find this makes it easier for me to read for some reason and I get through things easier, quicker and with less strain. Does anyone else do this?
Glad that you have pointed out two bad but frequently given advice on reading books: reading parts of a book or book summaries. That never has helped me understand any topic in depth. And, I don't see the value in speedreading. If reading 2 or 3 times faster is a tradeoff for understanding the material properly, of what use is that technique?
This is good advice! It’s sincere and honest, and reading isn’t about the numbers. Any advice though how to navigate through books that aren’t good, or perhaps not what you thought it was supposed to be (aka disappointment)? Should we just drop the book or finish reading it anyways? Also, watched your vid on losing your job. You make great videos! I’m sure you will blow up this year!
I'm a PhD student in history whose 2024 will be entirely devoted to reading around 200 books for the comprehensive exam. I am simultaneously excited and a bit scared of this experience. Thank you for the video, that was really helpful!
I had to stop speedreading because I was cheating. I still read quickly at times, but it's nothing like my old habits. And it took a good philosophy book that I cared about, Emil Cioran's Trouble with Being Born, to stop and actually treat a book like a fine meal. To digest a book, especially someone who cares so much about each word like Cioran, you cannot cheat or go fast. And so many philosophy books from existentialism/pessimism are not kind to speedreaders by the way: Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus and Peter Wessel Zeppfe will make zero sense (or worse, you'll misunderstand!) if you skip or quickly go through anything they wrote. Thank you Jared!
1:53 You could share your plan with CB2 they’ll create a design of your liking for free (we did 3 rooms with them for free). They share with you the 3D representation of your actual room.
6:55 When I get the felling to stop reading, I just read more. That's how I finished Animal Farm, AFTER 1 YEAR OF PROCRASTINATION. Now, I’m reading Arsène Lupin Maurice Leblanc. Recommend
What would have been lowkey meta is if your ad was for blinkist... I think Ray Bradbury would have something to say about that... Feel like that is a growing trend in the Booktube space.
I agree, if you want to really absorb a book, don't speed read. I have speed read books before, only to find I needed to go back and properly read them because I didn't really absorb what was being read.
Step One: Read more books. You can do whatever you put your mind to, watching RUclips videos about how to do something isn't the same as just doing the thing. We're talking about literally just reading, not building an investment portfolio.
A few I can recall: Erasmus' In Praise of Folly, the Penguin Classics edition of the King James Bible and their collection on Ancient Rhetoric, Mishima's Confessions of a Mask.
One tip I have for reading on a screen is to download twilight or a similar app and make the filter as orange/red as possible with you still being able to see the text clearly. It makes hours of screen time cause nowhere near as much eye strain. Fuck blue light
Sinopse if you don't want to waste time watching the all video and avoid ads: 1. Take time to read, 2. Read during more time, 3. Avoid distractions. Final note: don't take notes unless you really need to.
Can I ask. How do YOU read? Like just with your eyes? Do you use a finger or pen to guide your eyes along or any methods like that? (Kind of a speed reading technique but depends on your use).
i read for my commute. and in airports. i find it hard to find the time to read otherwise. i feel restless when i can do anything i want... so i end up doing nothing. my commute is captive time.. so reading is just about the only thing i can do there.
I was going to say "when do I do it", them I realized I was watching RUclips lol. Then you said the same. Yeah, I have the time, I'm just finding excuses like people who don't want to do work out
I try to find techniques that let me retain more from each book. Have tried audio books while exercising, driving. However, Have found no substitute to pencil/paper and noting all pages through indenting and diagramming the information by idea maps paragraph by paragraph. The added processes are time consuming but no other method has so far granted the same level of retention to long term memory . Finding a quicker way to retain more would mean alot to me.
In high school I read Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" because I thought the title was funny. It inspired me to expand my reading into the classics and learn what are the great books in western history. I now regret never having studied classical Greek and that I only had one year of Latin. Of course none of this helped at all in getting a good job! That's another type of study.
The problem I have is I start to read a 600 page book, and 10% of the way I go "I could read 3 200 page books in the time span it gets me to read this", so I'm constantly jumping through different books and only finishing a few of them
Reading before bed is a great way to end the day and prepare for sleep. However reading from a kindle still gets the blue light in your eyes which delays sleep.
You're a certainty, Jared! I was worried this was a video about fast reading or things like that, but this video is about simple quality time advice. Quality over quantity is always the best way to live and enjoy things!
I've managed to get back in the habit of reading, but now my thesis is getting in the way of this habit. I read so much scientific literature, that my brain just kind of burns out, and I can't bring myself to read more, even if it's for fun.
I took a break from reading for fun while working on my dissertation. Sometimes circumstances change and that affects how much we’re able to read for a time.
Thanks to Milanote for sponsoring this video! Sign up for free and start your next creative project: milanote.com/jared
How many books did you read last year?
@@justineady4251 76
@@_jared impressive sir! carry on💪👏
Me (who was supposed to read books now) watching a video on how to read more books instead of reading more books that I was supposed to read.
It might pay off in the long run - but what did you do in the hour since you watched this? Were you utilizing the Jered's tips as you hit the books or catching up on youtube? :p
Story of my life 😂
Relatable
Same 😂
Me too!
I'm a 27 year old dude who has never read (just played video games) and what fixed it for me was getting a Kindle. No distractions, no app notifications, just pure book. Because I never read there's lots of words I don't know, but I can hover over them on Kindle and get quick dictionary meanings which has been helping tremendously for me. Reading Bram Stoker's original "Dracula" right now!
Such a great book! I finished it recently and I have to say that it had some of the most beautiful passages I’ve ever read. I hope you enjoy it😁
Isn't Kindle full of ads & stuff? I read lots of negative reviews about how ebooks got worse and worse.
ebooks are way too expensive though.
@handshakes76 Classics - like Dracula - can be available for free.
My take is that much of the value you get from "reading the book" doesn't actually come from "reading" per se, but rather from the "pausing and thinking" that occurs between those of reading. It's like listening to piano pieces, where you appreciate both the musical notes and the silences in between. You may speed through the music as fast as you wish, but it won't be the same.
I love how you mentioned “bad reading advice” and showed a clip from Ali Abdaal. Completely agree by the way.
I appreciate some of Ali’s advice, but the focus on hyper productivity to gain financial wealth isn’t my thing.
@@ZachRHuffAgreed. His own definition of productivity, "productivity is using your time in a way that's intentional, effective, and enjoyable" is fantastic. He has his things he values, those aren't the same thing I value but I can still hold to his definition of productivity and gain a lot from it. I think too many people go too far condemning the productivity movement and just waste their time (ie life). We only have so much time on this world we should be mindful and intentional with that time. If for you that is playing video games that's fine so long as you are actually choosing to do that instead of defaulting into that behavior or using it as a distraction from doing what you want to do but are afraid to fail at doing. In short his definition and attitude is great and he's a great source to mine for tips that work for you but no one should be trying to be him or emulate him exactly unless your goals and interests are the same as his then maybe following his advice closer is a good idea.
Yeah that dude comes across as a douche to me for some reason
I agree, reading book summaries and only sections of a book doesn’t count as reading. There are lots of big RUclipsrs who advocate for only reading parts of a book. Great advice, Jared; thank you.
I wonder how many people do that in order to say they haven't missed out, and then neglect to mention that's what reading is for them. I think there are times when skim reading is a good skill or knowing the gist of a book helps to be slightly informed - I just hope they aren't reviewing the book based on that.
Yeah and that's why its important to know the concept like "Strategic Information Consumptuon" (Don't read the sections if it doesn't interest you)
I agree with what you are saying. This year I started reading more and my goal is to read 13 books. I have completed 5 already. I have been reading multiple books. None of them are related. It works for me and I am enjoying it which is the point.
My Reading Advice: I have ADHD by the way. I read 10 pages a day at minimum. 30 pages at maximum. I read 5 pages in the span of 30 minutes, take a break, whether it be 1 hour or wait till the evening if you like, then come back to your book 📖 and read another 5 pages within a 30 minute timespan. I've been doing this for a couple of months and it's less stressful, unless you procrastinate 🙃 which I do. I don't read multiple books at a time. It will mess me up.
I have ADHD too, I found the aspect about speedreading to be very relatable. I often find myself just scanning over the words instead of reading them and have to jump back a few pages and read more deliberately. I also found having multiple books on the go was quite beneficial to stop me getting quickly bored, but everyone reads different!
Jeez we have almost the same exact reading habits. That was scarily accurate to read lol.
I forgot to tell you guys, if you're reading a big book with parts or volumes, then read one volume after that take break and read a short story collection, 300 page novel, or a novella, come back to that big novel. Hope you get it.
Note-taking is time-consuming, but it helps me retain and think critically about the information I've read. I have been trying to be more concise and succinct with my note-taking though.
A different perspective but personally, I tried to focus on reading less and being more selective with what I read. I would do these GoodReads challenges where I would try and read 100 books a year, only to look back and realize 90% of those books were a waste of my attention but I chose them because I knew I would get through them. Reading something like Plato/Aristotle/Kant seemed like a bad bet to maximize reading quantity. Once I became more selective, I moved on to advice like reading at least one hour a day. Better to be reading quality than quantity. I still read about 60-70 books last year anyway.
I think this aligns well with my general view. If you focus on the numbers, you won’t read well, you won’t read the difficult but valuable books, and you won’t enjoy it as much.
@@DanLyndon I would argue on that. Why spend time untangling character's relations to get one or two notions? When you can have a 800-page volume crammed with notions and only them :) Of course, I am half-joking here, but I myself made transition to philosophical works, when I grew tired of Dostoyevsky
And in my opinion nothing shows you, what life is about, but life itself. If one wants to know life, he should live, not read
Jared, I have to thank you. It’s your videos that got me reading again and to also start the habit of journaling. I understand that these are not solely the reasons for the improvement of my mental health, but it’s these habits that have turned me into a far more perceptive and thoughtful person. I regularly have gotten people comment on how much more articulate with my thoughts i am. I’m coming up on my first year of consistent journaling and it’s been so satisfying to see those pages fill. 🙏🙏
I appreciate this advice. It's simple and honest. No cheats. Good advice. Thanks
Great Advice. When I first started to challenge myself to read more books I definitely struggled to keep my attention on the book I was reading, I had to start leaving my phone out of reach until I got into the habit of reading. Now I force myself to read at least 1 page a night, even if I don't feel like reading, 1 page is not a daunting task, and it almost always gets me in the mood and I end up reading for the full hour.
I think its important to let yourself know that you can quit a book you aren't enjoying as well, I don't count them on my books read lists, but knowing that if I'm not enjoying it I can just quit it does make picking up the book to begin with less daunting.
Don't believe some content creators (not Jared but others) who claim to read 500 books a year. I choose 2 books per month and read 10 pages in the morning of one and 10 pages of the other in the evening. This allows me to read (at minimum) 2, 300-page books per month, 24 in a year, 125 in 5 years. In some months I can read 3 or 4, but overall this is a realistic goal that works well for busy people who want to read.
This is a great suggestion.
I was looking for smth like this .
Thank you very much for this video. For many years I was under the impression that I had to use speed reading tactics and all that to be a better and a productive reader. However I've been very much suspicious of the speed reading stuff recently since that never made me enjoy reading; worse yet, I couldn't retain much info. After seeing your video on becoming a better reader and reading normally for a few days, I understood the actual fun of reading good books. My reading speed has also increased slightly along with my comprehension. I also highly appreciate the suggestion of reading multiple books at once, since Im someone with slight attention issues, switching between different 2-4 books would help my brain stay fresh.
Once again, I thank you for your work. May you and your family be well.
Definitely reading multiple books at the same time. For a lot of non-fiction books, I like to read a full chapter at a time, because usually a chapter contains a single idea or theme. When I’m on the bus or taking a break in work, I can’t be sure I’ll be able to get a chapter done, so I read a page turner.
Thank you for focusing on reading well rather than speed reading and book summaries. We’ve gotten ourselves into an efficiency culture and it’s made reading less fulfilling. Well done, Jared.
I’ve found that breaking up my reading in a day (like 4 different 15-minute sessions) helps me to fit it in when days are chaotic and messy.
I've found myself doing this too. Especially in-between working sessions. It's a great way to break these up without resorting to smartphone usage
Book clubs can help with accountability and support. Picking a theme or topic area can help refine discussion. There are more benefits than just reading as well.
This is such a good video. I think people (me) typically go into a book after not reading for a while thinking, “I’m gonna read this entire thing and start reading for 2 hours every day.” This is a much more realistic way of doing things. Thank you for this!
Great video as always. I’ve found myself developing these same habits on my own after deciding to read more again. Having a lighter book for lunch breaks has been a game changer.
Honestly, pretty solid advice! Great video
5:33 I also read 3 books, but I generally keeo it as one physical book, one ebook, and one audiobook since I generally use each in a different context
For reading fast, I'd heartily recommend having the audiobook as well. You'll retain a lot more when you've got both sight and audio and you'll be able to read easily on higher speeds while retaining a lot of information. Currently 3x speed is my comfort zone. Going much faster than that and it starts getting too much.
Recently discovered your channel and really enjoy it. Especially the point about building the “muscle” of reading. Was making me think of how overtraining applies as well. I’m getting back into regular reading after a few years of very little reading - after I finished my PhD (reading like 1000 pages a week for years) I just couldn’t get my mind to re-engage in books unless it was for work. I was still learning things in that time in but in different formats. I’ve just started to enjoy it again in the last 6 months or so. As much as I was frustratED, looking back I needed that rest from prolonged over-engagement. Thinking about rebuilding my reading as retraining an atrophied skill is quite helpful!
Great tips. And actually practical ones. Great video!!
I reverted to Catholicism not long ago. And now I'm obsessed with books about Catholicism and philosophy. I guess that is the point of reading books. Read what you are passionate about.
Hey Jared, great video as always! Could you make a video elaborating on the very last point "takes notes sparingly"? This is something I think about a lot. I take extensive notes on philosophy at least and some type of notes on a lot of what I read. After I finish the book I consolidate and type them onto Obsidian. I'm undoubtedly got a lot of value out of this - it increases my retention at the time, helps me have new ideas and connect to other texts, and gives me something to come back to. However, as you mentioned, this takes a lot of time and effort and sometimes it can feel like too much work or too tedious. I'm trying to balance some note taking because I know how good it is with also trying to make it more parsimonious so I don't get bogged down in it. Could you talk about what books you would take notes on more extensively, and sort of "bare minimum" value type notes? Thanks.
I echo this. I really enjoy taking notes and collecting quotes from non fiction and serious literature. That said it adds up and does slow me down. But I think there is a cost and benefit to that because you synthesize and connect various things together. I guess it depends on how much do you want to get from a text and how important is it to you?
I like to read along with an audiobook. I have ADHD and I read slow and often get distracted. However by accident discovered that if am reading a book and I follow along with the audiobook it keeps me engaged and reading at a good pace so I am able to finish quicker than if I was just reading on my own.
this is legitimately the single most helpful video on yt on reading more. We just have to admit that our attention spans are untrained and we have to put in the work to counteract that.
Right on, Jared. Reading is a specialized skill and that skill can be developed; so, get reading everyone. 🙂
Hugely off topic but I love how your glasses fit your face excellently 😊
"You might not think you have an hour to read but since your watching a video on You Tube I think you probably do" Such a solid burn and actually very motivating for me :)
Speed-reading advice has always annoyed me. Very glad to hear you say that its necessary to spend more time reading if you want to read more.
Aside from trying to find some key information in a book you don't intend on finishing, what is the actual point of speed reading? It takes away from the joy of reading a book.
This is a lot of good advice in such a short video. I also have several books on the go at one time. One trick there is I keep it to only one fiction book (story), and any other can be technical, historical, philosophy sort of non-fiction.
You did give it a mention, but I think it's important to emphasize that having a comfortable chair or place to read is going to make a big difference.
I think a lot really depends what we mean by “book”. A lot of the RUclips advice out there is for people reading non-fiction self-help or pop science books which are easier to dip in and out of, or that have something useful to say but also contain a lot of waffle. That’s quite different to reading novels and philosophical works that are densely written and where every word counts, which require even more concentration and focus (and why I subscribe to both your channel and Ali Abdaal’s 😁). Thank you for the great tips as always
On that note: Cornwells Warlord Chronicles is so awesome. Finished Excalibur yesterday and … well. Cried alot.
You have to read more than one book at a time. This is counter-intuitive to most people so they don't give it a try. My sweet spot is 4-6 books. I usually designate one for work, one for the weekends, one non-fiction, one nighttime, etc. I've increased my average of just around 20/year to 40-60/year using this method.
I can tell by the experience of an ADD person that speed-reading is the way to go: I cannot concentrate on anything longer than a second before my attention turns to somewhere else. My head is a storm. I loved reading as a child but it became more and more difficult to me during the years since I was 15 years old. I read a page in an hour and remembered nothing. Soon I just browsed non-fiction and stopped reading fiction altogether. This destroyed my joy of reading and learning for over a decade and damaged my university studies, and it deepened my depression.
Then I learnt how to speed-read. It was a way to force me to stay in the text and read mindfully. It helped me to acquire the substance beyond the Wall of Text. I began to comprehend, remember, learn, and get immersed more. I began to speed-read in 2019, and I have since read probably more than ever before that, and that is what I do most of my time. I wish I had learnt it sooner.
I am quite confident that I recall the stuff that I read a year ago better than someone who reads 'normally'. I hate it when people misrepresent speed-reading as mindless skimming. It is insulting to us who have concentration difficulties.
Btw, I'll put that Hegel book on my reaading list.
I think I need to try this thing of having many options to read at once. The last years of school forced me to hurry in the library, so usually picked an uninteresting book to simply write a summary that was a little longer than an usual summary with almost never a chance of pointing out things that made me think or stuff I liked/disliked about them. My class was basically reading for the sake of saying we read without it being a lie. We didn't read for enjoyment and not even for learning from analyzing. The maximum of analysis we did was "write a part of the book that shows traits of romantic literature/write about the psychological traits of the character". We could at least get a question like "what questions does the book Frankenstein raises on the ethical of manipulation of life?" My teacher complained if a student said something bad about a book even if the student's critic fits the questions raised by a later literary movements we studied. Reading was neither fun or something I learned from and I simply lost the love for books. I'm trying to recover it.
I'd love to hear your reaction to the book "How to talk about books you haven't read" by Pierre Bayard, specifically with respect to ideas presented in this video. Generally I have always been a stringent completionist with books, but Bayard presents a strong epistemological case for skimming being okay because our differences as humans cause us to effectively read a different book even when its the same title. He even makes an argument that skimming books allows one to get a better look at the shape of the literary lanscape.
I have found that with very concrete nonfiction (like much of what Ali Abdaal reads), skimming strategically in the latter portions of the book (at which point you've already grasped the main point(s)) feels pretty alright. For the vast majority of what you recommend, though, completionism makes a lot more sense.
In any case, Jared, I have immensely enjoyed your book recommendations and they have produced something of a reading renaissance for me. In the last months I have thoroughly enjoyed these recs from you: Mortimer Adler, Matthew Crawford, Wendell Berry.
Best way to read more books is to delete RUclips app
Underrated comment. Need more people like this.
Or throwing your phone off the cliff
💯
love the gym and diet analogies!
Hey Jared!
Thank You for the helpful tips and ideas. Have a good day☀️😁
As an avid reader, you are absolutely right!
Reading summeries miss the whole planet of taking your own perspective on a book. Great content! Thank you
Moby Dick was assigned in four different courses for my undergrad....I read it three of those four times. But, after multiple reads, I really enjoy it. It subtly crept into the candy category. It became more engaging and I realized that it's a very funny book throughout much of it. I've read it two more times since undergrad. It's a good'un.
i have a rather specific video request; what is your setup for reading AT NIGHT specifically? i have a hard time reading at night because i don't have an appropriate setup. thanks for the great videos always xx
Do you read a lot during the day or are you trying to establish a general reading habit and are choosing evening/ night as the best time? I’m asking because I think it’s a weird quirk that when people try to get into reading, they often decide to do it at night. There’s no other habit that we recommend waiting until you are tired to try and start. If you aren’t already reading during the day, I’d recommend building the habit early in the day first.
@@leannichleirigh2607 i only read during the day! usually mornings when i'm not busy. i'd like to read before bed but without the proper setup i end up just hurting my vision or i'd have to have the lights on which is not appropriate for just before going to sleep lol
@@leannichleirigh2607 Nah, I think the point of reading in the evening is to help your brain wind down, so then you become tired and decide to go to bed.
Personally, to me regular meditation practice has helped enormously with concentration, which helped me read and understand books better.
One thing I’ve found very helpful which might be a bit strange is that I listen to the audiobook of what I’m reading while I’m reading it. I put the audiobook on at X2 and follow along with the physical book. Just so I don’t buy the book twice I usually just find the audiobook on RUclips (the audio quality isn’t that important since it’s only support really). I find this makes it easier for me to read for some reason and I get through things easier, quicker and with less strain. Does anyone else do this?
Glad that you have pointed out two bad but frequently given advice on reading books: reading parts of a book or book summaries. That never has helped me understand any topic in depth. And, I don't see the value in speedreading. If reading 2 or 3 times faster is a tradeoff for understanding the material properly, of what use is that technique?
This is good advice! It’s sincere and honest, and reading isn’t about the numbers. Any advice though how to navigate through books that aren’t good, or perhaps not what you thought it was supposed to be (aka disappointment)? Should we just drop the book or finish reading it anyways? Also, watched your vid on losing your job. You make great videos! I’m sure you will blow up this year!
the Pomodoro technique is great for reading
I'm a PhD student in history whose 2024 will be entirely devoted to reading around 200 books for the comprehensive exam. I am simultaneously excited and a bit scared of this experience. Thank you for the video, that was really helpful!
Wow, that’s a lot of reading! Best of luck with your PhD program; it’s a big accomplishment.
I had to stop speedreading because I was cheating. I still read quickly at times, but it's nothing like my old habits. And it took a good philosophy book that I cared about, Emil Cioran's Trouble with Being Born, to stop and actually treat a book like a fine meal. To digest a book, especially someone who cares so much about each word like Cioran, you cannot cheat or go fast. And so many philosophy books from existentialism/pessimism are not kind to speedreaders by the way: Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus and Peter Wessel Zeppfe will make zero sense (or worse, you'll misunderstand!) if you skip or quickly go through anything they wrote. Thank you Jared!
thank you, this video was very helpful 😊
1:53 You could share your plan with CB2 they’ll create a design of your liking for free (we did 3 rooms with them for free). They share with you the 3D representation of your actual room.
@mikesbookbarn brought me here. Happy Reading! 😎📚👍
6:55 When I get the felling to stop reading, I just read more. That's how I finished Animal Farm, AFTER 1 YEAR OF PROCRASTINATION. Now, I’m reading Arsène Lupin Maurice Leblanc. Recommend
I do not speed read its not my goal. I like to savor what is happening in the book. Think about ideas or feelings the author has given me.
Thank you! I needed this! It is great to see someone actually giving feasible advice.
What would have been lowkey meta is if your ad was for blinkist... I think Ray Bradbury would have something to say about that... Feel like that is a growing trend in the Booktube space.
Loved the subtle Ali Abdaal slander lol
I agree, if you want to really absorb a book, don't speed read. I have speed read books before, only to find I needed to go back and properly read them because I didn't really absorb what was being read.
Hello Jared. Nice tips. What do you think about audio books?
Step One: Read more books. You can do whatever you put your mind to, watching RUclips videos about how to do something isn't the same as just doing the thing. We're talking about literally just reading, not building an investment portfolio.
What were the other books featured in this video off to the sides? @5:40 for example…
A few I can recall: Erasmus' In Praise of Folly, the Penguin Classics edition of the King James Bible and their collection on Ancient Rhetoric, Mishima's Confessions of a Mask.
One tip I have for reading on a screen is to download twilight or a similar app and make the filter as orange/red as possible with you still being able to see the text clearly. It makes hours of screen time cause nowhere near as much eye strain. Fuck blue light
I'd reccomend you start at something a bit more manageable like 10-15 minutes and then work your way up to an hour
What makes books necessarily better for learning than other forms of media?
Great information 👏🏻🧿
Sinopse if you don't want to waste time watching the all video and avoid ads: 1. Take time to read, 2. Read during more time, 3. Avoid distractions. Final note: don't take notes unless you really need to.
very fast but clear english
from japan
Can I ask. How do YOU read? Like just with your eyes? Do you use a finger or pen to guide your eyes along or any methods like that? (Kind of a speed reading technique but depends on your use).
Putting in that Discord Notif sound at 3:54 is just cruel 😩... yes I checked my Discord.
This was god advice as usual 🤝
i read for my commute. and in airports.
i find it hard to find the time to read otherwise. i feel restless when i can do anything i want... so i end up doing nothing.
my commute is captive time.. so reading is just about the only thing i can do there.
I was going to say "when do I do it", them I realized I was watching RUclips lol. Then you said the same. Yeah, I have the time, I'm just finding excuses like people who don't want to do work out
Thank you man fr.
How do you context switch when reading multiple books? I usually find that very difficult.
When somebody asked Derrida if he read all the hundreds of books in his study he said he only read three of them but he read those ones very carefully
Fantastic tips.
My sister would skim books and then say she read them. She "read" Ulysses by James Joyce this way just to give an example.
get a kinlde and read before bed. helped me a ton.
the best video I have found on this topic thank you
I've just started my reading routine, I'm trying to be a good reader
I admire your intelligence.
Thanks for the advices
Does anyone else just watch a bunch of videos about reading books instead of actually reading books....
I try to find techniques that let me retain more from each book. Have tried audio books while exercising, driving. However, Have found no substitute to pencil/paper and noting all pages through indenting and diagramming the information by idea maps paragraph by paragraph. The added processes are time consuming but no other method has so far granted the same level of retention to long term memory . Finding a quicker way to retain more would mean alot to me.
In high school I read Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" because I thought the title was funny. It inspired me to expand my reading into the classics and learn what are the great books in western history. I now regret never having studied classical Greek and that I only had one year of Latin. Of course none of this helped at all in getting a good job! That's another type of study.
@_jared could you post the link to your video on taking notes? I did not see it in the list of links...? Thanks for this!
Done!
What about listening to audiobooks?
Your goal should never be to read more books it should always be to read books more thoroughly.
The problem I have is I start to read a 600 page book, and 10% of the way I go "I could read 3 200 page books in the time span it gets me to read this", so I'm constantly jumping through different books and only finishing a few of them
random questions but what camera do you use?
Yes but does this only apply to fiction? Reading non fiction requires purposely including breaks to digest the info deeper than reading a story
Reading before bed is a great way to end the day and prepare for sleep. However reading from a kindle still gets the blue light in your eyes which delays sleep.
Hey, what's the book that keeps showing in the top left corner of the screen? The one on the cover of the video
You're a certainty, Jared! I was worried this was a video about fast reading or things like that, but this video is about simple quality time advice.
Quality over quantity is always the best way to live and enjoy things!
Yes , for me who not like reading book, this is so accurate lmaoo
I've managed to get back in the habit of reading, but now my thesis is getting in the way of this habit. I read so much scientific literature, that my brain just kind of burns out, and I can't bring myself to read more, even if it's for fun.
I took a break from reading for fun while working on my dissertation. Sometimes circumstances change and that affects how much we’re able to read for a time.
thanks bro
I recently did the math for how many more book I will read in my life: only 2550 ... really disheartening