How to Read a Business Book

How do you read 2-3 business books a week?

Okay, I'll admit, I don't read every page. But I at least know what the book is about after skimming and scanning, thanks to a few tricks I've picked up.

One out of five or six books I buy gets a thorough reading, complete with yellow marker and turned down pages. Some I even put tiny post it notes all over with a comment sticking out of the page for easy finding.

Here are my tricks for scanning a book quickly and still get something out of it:
(please don't tell me this is obvious, I know it is; it's just a friendly reminder!)

1. Read the introduction first. This will tell you why the author wrote the book.

2. Read the first and last chapters next. The first will probably tell you what the author's going to tell you, sometimes dividing up the book into parts. The last chapter will usually summarize the main concepts you should have learned if you read the whole book.

3. Go to the section that interests you most. When skimming the first paragraphs of a new section or chapter, look for bulleted lists of points the author makes. Then look for the ones that interest you.

Here are some other scanning tips for quickly accessing what you are looking for:

1. Use the chapter list

2. Use the index

3. Use any appendices, or bibliographies.

I know this may seem elementary, you know all this. But the next time you find yourself going to sleep reading, wake yourself up by scanning for what interests you.

Hey, I'm not the only one who struggles to stay awake when reading. Here is another interesting post on How to Read a Business Book from the slacker manager blog:

Why read?
This is the bottom line, right?  If you're serious about your career, your industry and even your contacts, you can't afford to not read regularly.  After all, somebody is reading all those books that are coming out each month, and it's probably the competition for your next client or new gig.

You probably have your own system for scanning. Some people use a random approach, like just opening up to the middle, to see what's there.

What's yours? Please comment and share, I need to get through this stack here...

Patsi

Your BizBook Worm

Comments

[Hal]

Nice tips. I read about two books each week. This might get it up to 5. Thanks!