Bill Gates On How To Read A Book

Interesting title right?
I mean after all, what could Bill Gates possibly teach you about reading a book. I thought the same thing until I watched this video and it was enlightening.

After watching the video, I started to think about the way I read books. I’ve read many books that I never finished for several reasons but mainly because I just didn’t like the book itself. I think many people buy books but just looking at the cover and assuming that the topic is what they are interested in. But what I think happens is people start to read the book and then either don’t like the direction it’s going or just don’t agree with the authors perspective of the topic. So Bill Gates makes sure the book he chooses is one that he is going to finish. Now I will think more about the book I’m about to read before I actually start it. After all, a book is going to occupy a lot of your time over the course of 2-4 weeks which makes it essential that you are spending that time wisely. Now that I think about it I’ve wasted a lot of time reading bad books.

How many times have you read a book and you feel like your mind starts to wander? I’m not going to lie it’s happened to me but rather than stop I kept on reading hoping that I would retain some of the info I was reading. One tip Gates mentions is that he takes tons of notes in the margins of the book. This is something I have never done. I don’t like writing inside a book I always feel like it ruined the book, so If there were something that jumped out I would stick a post-it note on the page. The problem with that, of course, is that post-it notes fall off in time. That’s one thing I’m going to start doing it highlighting and taking notes right on the pages of the book. In many peoples minds, the more books they read, the smarter they will become that could be true if you are retaining what you are learning but the better scenario is read less but retains more. Mark up that book like a madman and reread what you don’t understand or are not 100% clear on.

How often do you read? A lot of people read at night in bed for a few minutes. I don’t believe that to be the best time. You are usually tired and using reading as a means to fall asleep, this is not the best situation to learn in. Bill Gates does not say that but what he does say is you need at least one hour a day to read. I totally agree with that and find that I get the most out of a book when I’m into for an extended period of time. I often pick up my book when I’m out back for a minute or two walking the dog or stopped at a traffic light. These are actually bad times to read because the time is too short and not enough to get into the messaging of the story.

Even though I’m an Apple guy (wink wink jab jab), I’ll take the advice of Bill Gates any day of the week. And if one of the most successful men in the world reads self-help books one hour per night, then I’ll follow in his footsteps.