The Piles of Books

If you’re like me, you like to read books that will add to your personal and professional value.

Books are like candy — dopamine hits that offer affordable hope, insight, knowledge and oftentimes, distraction from what we should be doing. Once the books arrive, we have every good intention of digging into them and reaping the benefits. However, the reality for most of my clients is threefold:

• Books pile up unopened. It looks overwhelming.
• They start a book, get bored or don’t finish.
• They forget what they read minutes or hours later.

Here’s what I do:

1. I prioritize what I need to learn and select purchases carefully. I read a few book samples online. I don’t trust most reviews. Does it, early on, provide the information I’m seeking? What’s the format – short pithy chapters or long narratives?
2. When available, I get book summaries instead of full books. These are thinner versions that focus on the key take-aways.
3. In a large notebook, I have a section for each non-fiction book I read. As I read, I note key points and make associations with what I already know and think of ways to apply the new information. Once a week, I skim through my notebook to keep the information fresh.

                                   Need more help integrating and consolidating new information? Contact me at                                                                          Rebecca@MindfulCommunication.com