5 Things I learned from reading 1 book a week. (Part 1)

Oh, how the tables have turned. There was a time when I wouldn't pick up a book to save my life; way back when the only thing that mattered in the world was sports, food, and sleep. Nowadays, my focus has shifted towards reading 1 book a week! Granted, it's only been 2 months since I made this goal so I haven't much to say about the long-term results thus far. Nonetheless, I have been able to learn a few things that have given me leverage in life in a variety of ways!

Here are the 5 things I learned :)

1. Full Send!... with a purpose

It's not easy to sit down every day for a certain amount of time to read a book, especially if you're not a reader. You're busy enough as it is! But if you genuinely want to complete a book cover to cover every week, it is best to just do it and do it now! Find time in the busy schedule you have and fit it in, I promise you you'll find an open slot. Don't procrastinate, don't skip a day, don't skip a week, only to justify it later. FULL SEND! Remember, the reason you have chosen to read is to gain knowledge and better yourself as a person. If your reading just to read you're wasting your time. Please read with a purpose!

“The best investment you can make is in yourself.” - Warren Buffett

Now here's a little warning. By reading a book every week you will find an overload of information, don't get frustrated when some of it is forgotten. (We'll go over that in No. 3)

Once you have committed to reading every day make sure you stay consistent. One way to do this is by dividing the number of pages by the number of days in the week. For example, The Psychology Of Winning by Dr. Dennis Waitely has 173 pages. 173/7= 24.7 pages a day. Therefore 25 pages a day will guarantee success. If you'd like you can do what I do, bump it up to 30 pages a day in case of an unplanned event. This will help you finish quicker to reflect upon the book and even have time to prepare for the next one.

Results:

• Productive habits will naturally form - you get more things done.
• Efficiency will improve - the quality of your work increases.
• Clear thoughts - the ability to think more positively and descriptively.
• Decisiveness - You'll make better choices in a faster time. Learning on a consistent level influences your choices. All that information over a period of time is basically healthy subconscious steroids.
• Mental Growth - Learning, in time, will become easier. The reason we stretch our muscles before/after a workout is to keep them flexible and strong. That way we can call on them to perform at a high level when we need them to. What you do with your brain when you read is exactly that. You stretch your mind by learning from someone else's perspective and call upon that knowledge when you need it.

2. Love what you read

This one is no surprise. If you read what you don't like you'll end up having bad taste with reading in general. A good book will make the clock seem to speed up. You'll know if when you want to keep reading because you're at "the good part" all the time.

For me, Week 1 this year started on a Friday. Due to some serious procrastination, I had to read a full book on Sunday. So I picked up The little prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and finished all 96 pages in less than 2 hours! Granted it was a children's book... but I loved every page and that's what reading should be about!! A good book will stay in thought even when you're done reading it. It will teach you, inspire you, take you on a journey to an unseen world, not bore you, make you feel, and most importantly - it will make a difference in your life.

Results:

• A greater love for reading.
• Remembrance on what you read long after you put the book down.
• Faster comprehension in less time.
• Easier to apply.
• Easier to share with someone else.

3. Go for 2nds

A major issue that comes with reading is our inability to retain all the information we receive. We simply can't activate an eidetic memory as Sherlock Holmes does. We can, however, activate our ability to learn. I've found a better understanding of certain books in rereading them if I deemed them worthy. At first, I was frustrated not remembering what I literally just read. If there were any tables in the room you can bet I wanted to flip the unliving heck out of them! Here's the thing - Be patient with yourself. Bit by bit knowledge will come. Never say "I've read it already," instead, go for 2nds. Going for 2nds will propel your knowledge.

If you're reading 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey focus on the 1 habit you feel is most relevant for you. Once you've got it down focus on the next one. Sooner or later the rest gradually appear naturally. You can do this with any book and any principle you like. Books are there throughout your life to refer back to, try not to cram everything into one session.

They tried to do this in Batman V. Superman and look how that turned out... just sayin.

Whether you are religious or not this scripture holds powerful truth unto anybody with an honest desire to learn.

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. - 2 Nephi 28:30

Results:

• Better quality of understanding.
• Relief of stress and frustration.
• Enhanced memory.
• Greater connection between you and the book's wisdom causing you to act more upon that which you read.
• Recognition of specific flaws that impede you from bettering yourself.

4. Carry a book everywhere you go

Unfortunately, the amount we read is limited in a day. We all have work, school, chores, extracurricular activities, social gatherings, and other responsibilities that get in the way of our precious reading time. Having written that, know that my promise of you finding an open slot to read in your schedule still stands. By carrying a book with you everywhere you go you take control of those little unproductive moments. The time you have before work or during a lunch break, maybe even in the car waiting to pick up a loved one, or long trips are the perfect moments to whip out a book and start reading.

As you know distractions are everywhere. Most of us, if not all, grab our phones and mindlessly scroll through social media. It has become such a habit that we sometimes unlock our devices without even knowing what app we want to click on! We just do it... Why not learn something that could benefit you later on? I don't remember who said it and to be honest, I forgot which American figure they were talking about but I do recall hearing a story about a man who skipped meals just so that he would have enough money to buy books; he would rather feed his brain than his stomach.

Carrying books keeps you ahead of the game. Try thinking of other people who do this, if they do, chances are they are or soon will be successful people.

Results:

• Your time will be used wisely - unplanned waiting sessions become planned learning sessions.
• You become a people magnet - Others around you will notice you and will keep walking out of respect to not disturb, or they will come to you asking what you're reading. Either way, you come out on top. The ones that kept walking did so while thinking of you and your mysterious book and the ones that came up to you became closer friends.
• You'll break free from your phone addiction - during those awkward moments when you're in a silent room, rather than taking out your phone to pass the time you'll end up taking out a book to learn and have a better time later.
• Your mind will be trained to focus - In the case that you find 5 random minutes to read, your brain will automatically process information better because it knows it needs to focus in the little time that you have.
• In the long run, people will want to partake from your fountain of knowledge. Just remember YOU'RE ALWAYS THE STUDENT!

5. The results are worth the investment

Scroll up, read the results again, and tell me that's not worth it!