These blog posts are short, daily ideas on reading deeply, taking notes, and applying the ideas. Each post is written by Eddy Hood with the goal of encouraging readers to pick up a book in favor of technology.
It’s 1818 and you’ve just been born into slavery. Your father, though it can’t be proved, is the wealthy Maryland slave owner who slept with your black mother. At twelve-months-old, you’re separated from her, and must fend for yourself. As you grow up, you’re shackled, whipped, and told to work. It’s illegal to educate you,Continue reading Your #1 Responsibility Starts Here
It’s possible to read a book without getting distracted. No matter your background, educational level, or outlook on life – you do have the ability to focus for more than 8 seconds. If you haven’t read a book in a while, doing so will feel like a chore. That’s normal. Even now, reading this post,Continue reading The Untrained Reading Brain
Warning. Some of these reasons are more fulfilling than others. That being said, each one of the motivations on this list have influenced my reading. Leave me a comment in this format: (4 – 5 – 19) telling me the top three reasons you want to read more books – and be honest! There areContinue reading 20 Reasons to Read a Book
There’s some great conversation happening today in my private Reading Community. We’re talking about how to set up a personal reading strategy and the question was, “Should we stick to specific genres or should we skip around?” I think it starts with knowing what you want to accomplish. For me, if I’m reading about aContinue reading Designing a Reading Strategy
If you spend 30 minutes reading today, depending on the material, you’ll read about 15 to 30 pages of a book. Let’s assume 15 because I teach the importance of reading slowly. At the end of the month, you’ll have read 450 pages. That’s a lot. And that’s the trick to reading many books. AllContinue reading 30 Minutes of Reading Adds Up
We create unnecessary suffering for ourselves. In this passage from Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic, notice the philosopher’s specific use of the word torment. “Accordingly, some things torment us more than they ought; some torment us before they ought; and some torment us when they ought not to torment us at all. We are inContinue reading A Stoic Way of Thinking
I live four-and-a-half hours away from Moab, Utah. It’s a place known for incredible hikes, Jeep trails, and whitewater rafting. If you go on a hike there, you’re bound to see stacks of rocks called cairns. Hikers (who have gone before you) balanced rocks as trailside markers to keep you on the path – otherwiseContinue reading Stacks of Books
I’ve read James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, a few times now. It’s one of those texts that I never dared make extensive notes on because there are too many valuable ideas — it would take ages to get done. Well, I’ve recently rebuilt my PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) System, and in doing so, realized itContinue reading Get the Best Ideas From Atomic Habits
If you’re struggling to build a reading habit, it’s because you’re ignoring the Goldilocks Rule. “The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right” (Clear 231). Applied to our reading goals, this meansContinue reading The Goldilocks Rule (of Reading)
Join a book club if you want to become a better reader. It doesn’t have to be mine, but it should focus on books you find interesting, and it should support open and equal conversation. It must be easy to access, meetings should be recorded for later viewing, and the group should have good ratings.Continue reading The #1 Best Way to Become a Better Reader (In My Opinion)