Skimming Books is a Game Changer, Now I Can Read Way More
Reading is one of my favorite ways to learn.
I used to be obsessed with finishing books, but nowadays I’m much more flexible. It’s easier to learn from a book when you don’t pressure yourself to read the whole thing.
The Art of Skimming Books
The benefits of skimming are pretty obvious: A lot of books are way too long. Whenever a book is 500+ pages, I am skeptical.
Most non-fiction books don’t need more than 250 pages to get the point across. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of good knowledge embedded in books that are long and tedious.
Skimming through the boring parts and skipping the least relevant chapters is a great way to read. It means you give yourself permission to read the way you want to, as opposed to the way the author insists of you.
I’m speaking specifically about non-fiction here. Most non-fiction books can be viewed as “choose your own adventure.”
Why I Switched to Skimming
I used to feel a compulsion to finish any book I started. The idea of skipping paragraphs, let alone chapters, would give me a headache. I knew I would miss something important.
As I get older, I notice more patterns between books. Sometimes I get 10 pages into a book and know that I don’t want to read it any more. There is no point in slogging through 500 more pages at that point.
If you give up on books that you don't like, skimming is the next logical step. Maybe you know that there is a chapter in the middle of the book that looks good - but the book itself is dull. It just makes sense to skip to the good part.
My idea of needing to finish every book is gone, replaced by the sense that books are buffets of knowledge.
The Opposite of Reading in School
A lot of peoples’ only experience with books comes from school. This is a dreadful introduction to reading.
In adult life, beyond school, reading is much better. You only have to read the books that interest you, not whatever is “important” by a teacher’s opinion. There are no dumb quizzes or essays to write.
You can just read. And it is a wonderful feeling, a habit that can be learned. Reading has enriched my life a lot.
Books for Better Creativity
The best benefit of reading a lot is that it enhances my creativity. This applies to my music as well as my daily posts on steem. When a lot of information goes into your brain, you have a natural reaction of wanting to react to that info.
Now I have even more incentives to read, since I do a regular series on Steemit called Books for Better Creativity. I take notes and offer my thoughts on books that can enrich the creative mind. Any excuse to read more books is good with me.
Final Thoughts
Reading is rad. Do you feel like you could read more, but it’s hard to find the time? A lot of people feel that way.
Try going to a coffeeshop with a book - and leave your phone at home. That is a great scenario in which to read.
What books have you been reading recently? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
I'm just getting into James Howard Kunstler's Too Much Magic. Don't ostracize me fellow Steemians, but it's about how technology and wishful thinking will not allow us to sustain the unsustainable way of life that humans have created. So much of what we do now depends on cheap energy, but those resources are quickly being depleted and we are likely to see some huge changes in our lifetimes.
It is all so fascinating to me. I am so interested in the digital world and cryptocurrency, but I can't fight this nagging feeling that it is all going to go away at some point and we will be living much simpler lives that are more connected to our immediate physical surroundings. It's such a huge experiment. I hear so many people say, "the only way to stop Bitcoin/crypto is to shut down the internet," and then that is the end of the discussion on their end because of course that could never happen.
But couldn't it? Couldn't a solar flare/EMP wipe out our electrical grid? Don't you think governments are keeping a close eye on happenings in the cryptosphere? We've seen a tremendous amount of buzz around the space and recent activity by the Chinese government and comments from elite bankers show that they are paying close attention. Even the IMF has mentioned creating some sort of money based on the blockchain. The space is certainly changing.
So anyway, that's what I'm reading! Never content to feel like I have even a sliver of it figured out. I certainly get a little obsessive and righteous at times around what I believe, but I think that I always give myself the freedom to dig into alternative ideas and question my beliefs.
Thanks Matt! Reading IS rad and I too feel more creative and inquisitive when I am getting stimulated by good reading material.
Kunstler is a hoot. He's like that grumpy, pessimistic uncle that always enlivens dinner parties even though what he's saying is so damn grouchy.
I love his views on depressing architecture. You should definitely check out his eyesore of the month site.
He's also a decent novelist. I've been meaning to get around to World Made By Hand, which dramatizes his ideas and concerns.
Funny how we used to hear a lot about "peak oil" ten years ago. No one's talking about that any more. I'm genuinely curious why.
Great comment. I was actually just looking at some eyesores of the past few months! I kind of forgot about Kunstler for awhile and am happy to have rediscovered him.
I don't know why there's not more discussion about peak oil, but my sense is that it's just a symptom of a broader societal dysfunction that is not allowing us to have the meaningful dialogues that we really ought to be having. I mean, nobody can seem to turn their eyes away from the political train wreck that is government in the US.
Meanwhile, here we are, probably a decade past peak oil and you have to wonder how long the charade will keep up, as it becomes less and less profitable and more and more energy intensive to extract what oil remains.
The more that "regular news" starts to resemble a circus, the more I wonder what's really going on that they don't want us thinking about...
So grateful for Steemit for some real alternative news and information
We're just one solar flare away from months of power grid disruption, as far as I understand it... no idea if we'd have any advance warning for such an event either.
That does seem like the big fault of cryptocurrency, in the long run - how confident can we be that there won't be a disruption of the internet. The whole experiment is so new, it's impossible to know what comes next. At the very least we can be optimistic and hope for the best, test these new systems, and see what happens. Worst case, we are back where we started but with far more experience.
Earthquakes, solar flares, tsunamis, hurricanes...
It's really a miracle that things are working as well as they are.
Yes, certainly hoping for the best. But where do you think the worst case scenario resets us to, when you say, "back where we started"?
I think a massive power grid disruption would cause complete chaos. Look at how dependent we have become on the electrical grid and the internet. Who would even fix it if something happened? Look at Puerto Rico these days, a US territory that's been basically dark for three weeks now. It's a wild ride, for sure.
You are probably right, total chaos. Lots of people will die, most don't have any supplies. In first world countries, if there's no easy access to food and water, people will just start dying.
Isn't it crazy to think how delicate it all is? Appreciate your work, brotherman!
i'm glad you made the distinction between skimming fiction and non-fiction; i imagine you can skip over plenty of non-fiction text without missing too much of the point, but we fiction writers tend to be pretty intentional about what we put on the page. it's a pretty wide chasm of difference between the two.
Ya I would not use this tactic for fiction. It would not work unless maybe you were reading some really pulpy stuff.
exactly right. I read fiction to escape. I immerse myself in an alternate reality. I LIKE long works of fiction....series are even better.
theres a sweet spot - a series is great but when I'm on book 20 of something I start to get a little impatient haha
depends on the author.
The first book in the Dune Series was the best...after that it got worse and worse.
Same thing with Christopher Stasheff's reluctant wizard series....the last few were boring.
Robert Heinlein was always a treat...as were many others..
Back in the sixties I took a speed reading course.
it was not unusual for the graduates of that course to be able to read a thousand plus words per minute with about eighty percent comprehension (non technical of course...math is hard).
The technique was actually a form of 'skimming' as you said.
It's MUCH easier today on a computer monitor. Of course it requires the ability to concentrate....sadly lacking today it would seem.
Do you enjoy speed reading? I've delved into those techniques a little but I find that it greatly reduces the joy of reading - and if anything I prefer reading nice and slow, to really think about what I am learning. But I do hear a lot of other people talk about speed reading...
nope...when I'm speed reading "skimming' I'm not doing it for enjoyment. It's a technique I use for discovery. When I find something interesting I read it slow.
Like I said...I read works of fiction for enjoyment...and I read them slow...and an re read them many time..
Mackey Chambler is one of my favorite authors.
When he writes a new book I buy it as soon as I hear about it..then I binge read it...then I read it again..skipping the 'slow parts' to get to the 'good parts'....then I usually re read it again...several times...
I re read all of my favorite books...slow, while drinking beer and eating popcorn...from time to time.
Cool, I'll keep that in mind for the future. Might be good for me to learn some more speed reading techniques for when I'm doing research.
Practice, practice, practice....and focus.
I can skim thru half a dozen transcripts in the same time it would take to listen to ONE speech...and get more out of it.
Note: there's an app for that (several actually) such as.
Spreed - speed read the web
When I'm 'in the zone'...fast and furious...looking for information.
I get
REALLY PISSED OFF
at anything that deliberately slows me down.
in your face popups in particular...
pop ups are true evil... especially when they keep popping up over and over.
yup...I'm also getting RILLY annoyed at Search Engine Optimization...also known as "bait and switch'.
Aren't you afraid you'd miss out on the finer details?
I don't know, sometimes I wonder if I should skim myself. Cause like, I take forever to read a book. But then, I get afraid I'd miss the whole experience.
i used to be, but now I am happy to skip around if the book is too long / unfocused. It hasnt been an issue.
I do however, stop reading entirely if I find the book shitty.
I agree. When I read non-fictions I sometimes skim a few pages at a time. It didn't affect the point I get from books, but nonetheless I felt guilty doing so. But like you said it can be a way of reading books. :)
don't feel guilty any longer!! skim with confidence!!
Skimming is definitely a game-changer as you said, especially if you can't seem to find the time to read. It has saved me a lot of times from wasting my time in boring books, plus you get the chance to move on to another book pretty quickly.
I'm currently reading "The Brain That Heals Itself" by Norman Doidge and it's a must-read! It's fascinating, and though you could skim through the chapters, you really don't want to, it has you hooked to a point you can't wait to read the whole thing.
Great post!
great post
I never considered skimming before, but it does make some sense. 🤔 Thanks for sharing.
I’ve noticed that I’ve been doing that more of late also.
Now that I’ve read this, it feels like I have ‘permission’ to do this more.
I completely agree...I think...im not too sure...i kind of skimmed it.... 😂