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56 Comments
- AnteChronos, on 10/10/2007, -3/+26"the goal of reading books is getting actionable ideas."
I disagree. I gained no "actionable ideas" from The Lord of the Rings, but I certainly don't view the time I spent reading it as having been wasted. Reading for the sake of entertainment is *not* a waste of time. I kind of feel sorry for people who only approach everything with a "what useful results can I get out of it?" attitude. - AnteChronos, on 10/10/2007, -2/+21"reading a book should be done with a purpose in mind"
Does no one read for pleasure anymore? Sometime I read just for the sake of reading. I have no plans to take any action afterward. Is that so uncommon these days? - Bricks, on 10/10/2007, -1/+15If you inhale all the paper dye and ink fumes, you'll absorb the materials much faster
- wetmetalthong, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12These steps are for a reference book, not for Lord of the Rings.
- animus, on 10/10/2007, -4/+13as I read this, all I could think is:
shut the ***** up
shut the ***** up
shut the ***** up
shut the ***** up
shut the ***** up - dustysquareback, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9Buried as lame without even reading the article.
"The point of reading books is...."
Wait a minute. ***** you, pal! I don't need some psuedo-intellectual blogger telling me "why" I should read books, and I SURE as hell don't need him telling me what I should do about it afterwards.
NOTE: Just read the "article". Complete *****. - spukeesan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7Gah... is anyone else getting tired of these "personal growth" blogs and articles? Frankly I prefer not to conform my life around other peoples' rigid guidelines... If you're too busy to read a book that may not "significantly improve your life to the greatest possible extent" then perhaps you need to let a few things go and simplify your life, instead of further complicating it with another n-step list.
- 3drage, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6This is garbage. Who wants to spend all that time cataloging a book, when you are doing it for pleasure? There's a point where over analyzing what you are reading becomes a chore and a burden, and this guy's blog makes a running leap past that point. Just enjoy books how you want to enjoy them.
- Supadude, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Too much work. I think ill just watch TV instead.
- spudnic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Yeah, my first thought after reading the description was this is more like 'how to read ***** self-help books', the kind that middle management tosspots read.
Clicked the link, and yup, that kind of site.
'Top 100 Foods to Improve Your Productivity' ha. - Verdanic, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Yea, it's pretty uncommon. =/
- xiaomonkey, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5How do you feel about watching television purely for the sake of entertainment? Just saying....
- C0lMustard, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Catch Prases like Actionable, Good stuff and "Personal Growth" make me want to punch a kitten... preferably one attached to the speakers face.
- Spanktacular, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Why would that be a problem? It's this weird American society, first founded by Puritans who thought all deeds should only be for the glory of god, that we think entertainment is a waste of time and attention.
- mkameli, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Um, did you even read the first sentence of the article? "Reading a (nonfiction) book is one thing, but getting the most out of it is another thing." You are arguing against a straw man.
- CDoug03, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6╔╗╔═╦╗
║╚╣║║╚╗
╚═╩═╩═╝ - zirconx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Man, you guys are really good at expressing a dissenting opinion without coming off like a bunch of *****.
/sarcasm
This is for non-fiction, not LOR. And it sounds like a fine idea. I sometimes take notes while reading a programming book, to help me remember what I've read. This guy has some ideas for taking it a step further. Thats all. Geeze! - mkameli, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I feel like none of the other commentators read the article. This isn't about works of fiction. And yeah, while the author is a bit of a typical GTD freak, there are some good points to be garnered. I tend not to take notes on the majority of reference/self-development books I read, but when I do, even if it's just writing in the margins or highlighting, I retain a lot more of the info and am more likely to put it into practice.
- Spikedmilk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3...what?
Unless that was an attempt at sarcasm, which you failed at, you have somehow gotten all of your facts wrong.
1. Star Wars started out as a movie
2. It's spelled Spielberg, i before the e
3. Spielberg had nothing to do with Star Wars
I'm sure you were thinking of Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson, but you're still a ***** idiot. - vsaint, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I wish this article was "How to get silverfish out of your books" *quiver*
- Mothrog, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"A book map maps the structure of the entire book. Normally you can just use the table of contents as the book map, but don’t use a very detailed table of contents."
Oh good god. This is hilarious. Are there really anal retentive ***** that sit there and come up with this *****, write about it, and then convince other ***** that it's a wonderful idea? I know self help ***** is generally ***** retarded, but this douche nozzle takes the cake. Can Digg just go ahead and create a self help category so I don't have to see this inane ***** anymore, you know, like they did for Apple? I need to see this crap like I need to see the millionth Apple fan boy wanking over the latest iPhone *****. - TheGeek27, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Then the title should be "How to Get the Most Out of Your Reference Books"
- ISIfunded911, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I agree. Too many people (and their blogs and their books) have the pretense to tune us and our lives as if we were machines, or programmable computers.
There used to be a time when people read the classics (novels, poetry, philosophy from the past 3000 years), and the masterpieces of those geniuses inspired and changed their readers, but mainly unconsciously I think. Many people grew up humanly reading Dickens or Mark Twain or Alexandre Dumas or Dostoïevsky...but reading books like "how to make friends and influence people" instead, I believe that people would not become more human but more shallow; their lives might become more efficient...and be meaningless. All that also reminds me of Nietzsche, who recommended that people should read him very slowly, not fast and efficiently, and should only read geniuses. That also makes me think about the opposition between fast food and slow food, an apparently efficient and practical rush versus a culture. Fast food kills people. Slow food can really be life changing. - C0lMustard, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4This is more self help *****... Dugg down
- TheBritishGuy1, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2art for art's sake is a beautiful thing, but is slowly falling by the wayside.
- yujie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Recycle it
- constantskeptic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I usually get the most out of my books by using them as paperweights and objects to throw at my wife in a pinch.... *sigh*
- aukxsona, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2this could be titled "how to study for college"
- YvesKlein, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Read a book! Read a book! READ A ***** BOOK!
- deadagain, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Buried for "actionable". Douche.
- bdbr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"In the real world, you don’t have time to read."
WTF? Do you just work, eat, and sleep? Most of us would have plenty of time if we just turn off the TV. - MoonDogAFO, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So then, if I read a biography of Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, I should "make an action plan"? How about when I read "The World Without Us"? Surely an action plan would benefit me for when humanity is wiped from the Earth? Hell, there is always a good action plan available from the Eisenhower bio "Ike"! Face it - this applies to self-help books, or more technical publications.
Plus, I don't think I am in the market for self-help tips from an IT lecturer and full-time student from living in Singapore. FTA: "...I also like organizational activities such as student union... "
Or, perhaps, I just need that morning caffeine jolt.... - novask, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If you really want to remember a book for any reason just follow the fool proof highschool/college ideology. Read book, then write a 5-10 page essay on the book. By the time you're done, you will remember at least 70% of the book for years to come.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2The article states 'nonfiction', but even then, it is wrong.
Sometimes I read nonfiction books to gain knowledge about a subject i know nothing about. There does not have to be an 'actionable idea' from it. Sometimes, it is just good to learn stuff, you know...
I have got nothing I could ever 'action' from 'A Brief history of Time'. but I read it, and enjoyed it, even if some of it made no sense to me, or seemed just plain wrong... - bdbr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Probably the only books this applies to is self-development books. History and biography books are non-fiction, but you don't necessarily read them to get "actionable ideas". Enlightenment and hyper-achievement aren't necessarily compatible.
- kenpod, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1if you knew how to read you would have noticed that he/she is talking about non-fiction books. lord of the rings is a fiction book you dumb ass.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2and who the hell has a 'master next action list'?
this guy needs help, but not the kind you get from a book
buried for being a pile of crap - anarchytv, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Donate all but those reference books you use over and over again, to a prison library. On your shelf the bulk of your books get read once, maybe twice max, and collect dust. Donated to a prison, they will be reread thousands of times, until they virtually fall apart and are held together by clear packing tape. In the real world, you don’t have time to read. In a prison, you have nothing but time to read. Don't be selfish with knowlege. In the real world, you've got Books a Million and Barnes & Noble & the library with the latest in greatest, which is where you're going to be doing all your reading anyway.
- mstrebe, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Here's a better idea:
1) Pick up a book on a whim
2) Read it. If, at any point during the reading, you decide it's a total waste of time, put it down and don't pick it up again.
3) Rely on your brain to bring any knowledge gained to the forefront whenever you need it. That's the purpose of your brain, and how it optimizes away stupid processes like this from wasting even more of your time than the reading did. - spudnic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2you should try this article from the same site:
http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/08/30/11-sure-fire-ways-to-have-a-calm-and-peaceful-mind/
11 Sure-Fire Ways to Have a Calm and Peaceful Mind
Tip 1: Reduce your use of rational thinking
(No, really, that actually is the first tip) - jennamalia, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1FTFA: "Reading a (nonfiction) book is one thing, but getting the most out of it is another thing."
- whatthefu, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Even when reading ***** literature you don't need to "put it into action." Seriously, what a crock of *****. I read more literary stuff for both fun and to expand my intelligence/reading comprehension among other things. Books change my life on their own merit, they don't need some stupid ***** steps applied by me to do so. If you find you need these steps, you may very well be reading poorly done books.
- FiP0, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I think this is how to get the most use for (old) books
http://www.diylife.com/2007/07/31/floating-bookshelves/ - hierophantus, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Because learning, getting a degree, a good job, and good money never attracts the opposite sex...
- chrills, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Interesting , be sure to visit my blog at http://how-to-write-a-bio.blogspot.com for some information regarding Biographies
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1funny enough, I just read and forgot this article... hmm
- nick80, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Agree! 'Ideas'; into action
Nick here - JigsawX, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0My dog thinks books are delicious.I think
- simpleranger, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0tl;dnr
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Show 51 - 57 of 57 discussions
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