How to read
If you’re a typical doctor, you are constantly reading. The doctor business seems to select for those of us that love to read and learn. Recently, I felt that a lot of what I read wasn’t sticking–my brain was like rubber and everything just bounced off! I have been rereading Love is the Killer App, by Tim Sanders, and his chapter on knowledge was striking–yes it finally stuck to my brain!
He suggests that we should read constantly (got that down!) but not just read, but consume and digest. He says to highlight relevant sections, and write important points on the front cover. He also suggests we talk about what we read, and that the more we talk about the book, the more we will learn, and the more able we will be to share our knowledge. He suggests that we hang out at bookstores (truly one of my most favorite places!) and fill our plates with all sorts of books, searching for titles based on key words from topics we are interested in.
Sanders also instructs us to try and find the “Big Statements” of the book–those sentences that summarize and crystallize the message or lesson of the book.
My personal bent is to carry around an index card and highlighter (one that is not dried out!), and make notes on the index card and highlight the heck out of the book. Later on I file the card. I keep a bunch of blank index cards in my brief case for this. (I have to hide the cards at home because Tweenager Daughter is always taking them!)
So, don’t just read–consume voraciously and digest throughly! It’s what the doctor ordered.
Quote of the day: “If a man is called to sweep the streets, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, as Shakespeare wrote poetry, as Beethoven composed music. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause and say, ‘Here lived a great sweeper who did his job well.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tags: Jr., Learning, Love is the Killer App, Martin Luther King
