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The Invisible Mentor Weekly Newsletter: Brain Food Wednesdays Number 86: How to Read Multiple Books at the Same Time
Dear Reader,
Many people tend to have several books on the go. Usually I read one book at a time, else I complete none of them. However, there is one situation where it makes sense to read multiple books at a time. Not sure if you’ve heard of this concept before, but it’s reading syntopically. This means you usually read three to five books in relation to each other.
Syntopic reading is important, especially when you need to quickly understand the fundamentals of a topic or subject. Perhaps a new project was reassigned to you, and you don’t have the level of knowledge you need to successfully work on it. Or you may be thinking of building your personal brand, and you need to expand your expertise, so you can build a foundation on which you can later build. Syntopic reading can help you.
On a different note, while scrolling through Instagram Reels, I saw a video for a Rainbow Reading Challenge. The creator of the Reels read fiction books that had a cover the color of the rainbow. Except there were six books because she left out the color indigo.
As most of you know, I run challenges in my Facebook group, so I thought I’d do a Rainbow Reading Challenge in September. I decided that I would make the challenge more difficult by including the color indigo. And participants would only read nonfiction books that they thought were worth reading, and would add value to their lives.
Will you participate in this reading challenge? Join my Facebook group Reading Rocks: Read a Book, Discover Solutions, Change the World.
[Please Read: Introducing the Rainbow Book Cover Nonfiction Reading Challenge]
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How to Read Multiple Books at Once
In How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren write about syntopic reading. It’s reading three to five books in relation to each other. The PhotoReading course by Learning Strategies has advanced the concept. When you read books syntopically, you spend about 30 minutes on each book.
Most of you know that’s doable. I’ve written many times about reading the sections of a book that answer the questions you have. Or provide the solutions to the problems you’re facing. In this issue of Brain Reads, we’re focussing on reading multiple books on the same topic. As is the case when reading any book, write down your one-sentence purpose for why you need to read multiple books on the same topic.
The next step is to formulate the questions that you have about the topic. What do you need to know to work on the project? Or what information is necessary for you to build a foundation on the subject?
Create a table. In one column, list the questions you want answered, one question for each row. In the other columns, write the name of each book, and in each row, add the answer to each of your questions. The answers to each question may vary since different authors will provide the answers.
This is a quick and easy way to get information on one topic from multiple perspectives. Below is a video to walk you through the process of leadership reading, which is reading to learn what you need to know.
What I’m Reading
I’m enjoying the experience of reading mysteries, thrillers, and detective stories during the summer. I must have read about four of them over the weekend. It’s the lazy days of summer and it’s so hot outside. It’s the perfect time to get cozy with a few books. At some point, I’ll get to my reading list below.
Summer Reading List
- Future Mapping (read)
- Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
- The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions . . . and Created Plenty of Controversy by Leigh Gallagher
- Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton
- Levers: The Framework for Building Repeatability into Your Business by Amos Schwartzfarb
- Behind the Red Door: How Elizabeth Arden’s Legacy Inspired My Coming-of-Age Story in the Beauty Industry by Louise Claire Johnson
- Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great by Carmine Gallo
- I Got There: How a Mixed-Race Kid Overcame Racism, Poverty, and Abuse to Arrive at the American Dream by JT McCormick
- One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Phil Howard Cooke
- Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager Revised Edition: Gain the Mindset and Skillset for Getting What You Need to Succeed by Ken Blanchard and Susan Fowler (read)
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The One Problem
The One Problem podcast series I’ve been doing is slowly getting traction. In fact, I’m interviewing three people this week. I’ve done two already and one more to go. I’m finding interesting people to interview. People are sharing the interviews on social media and some of them are now reaching out to me to interview them. I think that’s news worth sharing. The videos are short, so they’re easy enough to listen to.
I can’t believe that I’ve published 26 podcast episodes already. This tells me it’s so important to take the first step. To achieve any goal, you have to act. Please help me spread the word. Please forward this newsletter to two of your contacts. Or you can share a couple of the podcasts with your contacts.
- The One Problem Interview: Reverend, Dr Cheri DiNovo
- The One Problem Interview: Hillary Sobel, Lawyer
- The One Problem: Janet Zaretsky, BS Brilliance Master
- The One Problem: Julie Foucht, Art of Feminine Marketing
- The One Problem: Evelyn Jerome Alexander, Magellan College Counseling
- The One Problem Interview with Rosalin Krieger, The Unstucker
- The One Problem Interview: Tetyana Dudnyk, Director, Technology Project Management Office
- The One Problem Interview: Maura Lustig, Transformational Coach
- The One Problem: Vicki Saunders, Founder SheEO
- Episode 17 The One Problem: Tara Hunt, Founder Truly Inc
- The One Problem Interview: Melanie Russell Talks About Partnership Agreements
- The One Problem Interview: Anthea Rossouw, Founder of Dreamcatcher
- Germain St. Denis, Consultant, Change Leadership: The One Problem Interview
- The One Problem Interview: Sandra Lisi, Leadership Coach
- The One Problem: Deena Baikowitz, Business & Career Coach
- The One Problem: Kelli Wingo, The One Problem Interview: Kelli Wingo, KMW Catalyst
- The One Problem: Patricia Roberts,Chief Operating Officer of the Gift of College
- The One Problem: The One Problem: Patti Pokorchak, Small Biz Sales Coach
- The One Problem: Adrienne Harris, Managing Partner, Portage Sales
- The One Problem: Kristy Wallace, CEO Ellevate Network
- The One Problem: Margye Solomon Talks about Aging and Relevance
- The One Problem: Deb Boulanger, Launch Lab for Women Entrepreneurs
- The One Problem: Sharon Horne Ellstrom – Stop Being Like Others, Be YOU
- The One Problem: Liz Kitchell from SheMoolah Talks Money Conversations
- The One Problem: Avil Beckford, Author of Digest 30 Books in 30 Days
- The One Problem: Interview With Kelly Daring, Author of Is Love Enough
Blog Posts to Read
Read Faster, Learn More, Use These Reading Strategies
Product Alert
7 Day Reading Makeover Challenge
This is an affordable program to get started on leadership reading. Leaders read to learn what they need to know. You’ll also learn how to synthesize information.
7 Day Reading Makeover Challenge
Until Next Week,
Avil Beckford, Founder, The Invisible Mentor!
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