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BFW: Conquer Your Pile of Unread Books
Dear Reader,
Hey there, fellow bookworms! It’s Brain Food Wednesday, issue 196.
Life is busy. And it’s difficult for many to find the time to invest hours reading a nonfiction book. You know it’s important to read regularly, but you’re unsure how to make it work with a packed schedule. You’ve attended conferences and bought books. And you’ve bought books based on recommendations. They’re gathering dust on a shelf. What if I told you it’s possible to conquer your pile of unread books?
All you have to do is to change your definition of what it means to read a book. As a child, you were taught to read a book sequentially, sounding out the words. You read every word on the page and in the book. As you grew older, no one told you there was a better way to read. So you think, to do justice with the unread books on your bookshelf, you need to devote hours to read each one.
Leadership Reading
The 80/20 Rule applies to reading. You can read 20 percent of a book and understand 80 percent of it. You need to know which 20 percent to read. Educator Russell Stauffer found that on the average page of a nonfiction book, only four to 11 percent of the text carries meaning. That’s about one sentence. The rest is context and examples. Does the average person need that much context and so many examples?
That’s worth thinking about, isn’t it?
So what is leadership reading? In a nutshell, leadership reading is reading to learn what you need to know. You read nonfiction books strategically instead of sequentially. What’s your purpose for reading each nonfiction book? What do you hope to get from the book? Or, after reading the nonfiction book, what do you hope to do that you cannot do now? Which books can help you achieve your life’s mission?
Leaders search books for answers to questions. To read for leadership requires you to think like a leader. They read to find truth and apply it to their lives.
It Starts With Your Goals
What are you trying to achieve personally and professionally? The books you read should help you achieve those goals. Active reading helps you to become a leadership reader. Readers are protégés and authors are mentors. Approach every book you want to read with focused and targeted questions. Use books to your advantage to achieve:
- Personal goals.
- Solve actual problems.
- Answer pressing questions.
Questions can be specific to a book. What is more valuable is when questions address important challenges you are currently facing in life, career, family, and business. Are there questions or problems you’re grappling with in the workplace?
Choosing Books to Read from Your Pile of Unread Books
If you’re like most professionals, you have a ton of nonfiction books waiting for you to read them. I imagine just thinking about unread books stresses you out. Now that you know there’s a better way to conquer your pile of unread books, it’s important to have a system to prioritize the order in which you’ll read them. With a system in place, you may discover that you don’t want to read some of those unread books.
I recommend you use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize your reading list. It helps you decide how to manage your time effectively by categorizing your books into four quadrants:
Urgent and Important (Do First):
These are high-priority tasks that require immediate attention. In reading books, this quadrant might include books that are essential for your work and need to be read urgently. These books should help you achieve your short-term goals.
Not Urgent but Important (Schedule):
These tasks are important for long-term goals but don’t require immediate action.
For reading books, this could include books that are valuable for personal or professional development but can be read over a more extended period. These also include books to help you achieve long-term goals.
Urgent but Not Important (Delegate):
These tasks are time-sensitive but don’t contribute significantly to your long-term goals. To read books, this quadrant might represent books that have a deadline or book club reading but aren’t directly related to your most critical objectives. You could consider delegating these to someone else if possible.
Not Urgent and Not Important (Eliminate):
These are tasks that neither require immediate attention nor contribute significantly to your goals. In reading books, this quadrant could include books that aren’t adding value to your life or are purely for leisure. You might decide to eliminate or postpone reading these books. I love reading for pleasure, so I wouldn’t eliminate these books. It’s up to you.
The Leadership Reading Process
- Prepare Your Mind: This includes writing a one-sentence purpose for reading the book, creating questions you want the book to answer, and performing exercises, so you’re in a relaxed yet alert state. You use both sides of the brain.
- Preview the Book: This is an initial exploration of the book. This involves understanding the structure of a book, identifying the key themes and topics, and evaluating the relevance of each chapter to your reading goals. You do this by reading the Preface, Foreword, and Introduction. Then you review the Table of Contents and the Index. Pay attention to chapters and sections that align with your purpose and answer your questions.
- Read the Book: Read the chapters and sections of the nonfiction book that align with your purpose and answer your questions. As you read the book, note important information that addresses why you’re reading the book.
- Apply the Ideas: Once you find what you’re looking for in the book, apply the information to real-world situations.
Conquer Your Pile of Unread Books
You have everything you need to conquer your pile of unread books. The Eisenhower Matrix teaches you how to prioritize your unread books. So you can conquer your pile of unread books by first reading the books that are urgent and important.
You’ve learned that you don’t have to read a nonfiction book cover to cover. Therefore, read with intention, reading strategically, focusing on the information that matters the most to you. Don’t be afraid to get rid of books that don’t serve any purpose to you.
I’m hosting a workshop, Unlock Your Hidden Genius Power with Leadership Reading! Why not join me if you want to learn more about leadership reading.
If you found this article and newsletter informative, please:
Register for Unlock Your Hidden Genius Power with Leadership Reading to learn leadership reading strategies!
Until Next Week,
Avil Beckford, Founder, The Invisible Mentor & Art of Learning Leadership Academy
theinvisiblementor.com artoflearningleadershipacademy.com
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