How to internalize what you read?
Before you start reading a book, you will have a basic idea of what the book is about. This allows you to ask yourself 3 simple questions before you start to read. They are:
– What do I already know?
– What more do I want to know?
– I wonder if…
The answers to these questions will give you a foundation to build on and something which you’re looking to get out of the book. This means you’re not just reading without an objective, but instead you’re actively looking to learn something from the book.
As you’re reading, you need to take small and intermittent pauses to ensure that what you’re reading is sticking. Ask yourself the following questions as you’re reading.
– Does this make sense?
– How does this information connect to what I already know?
– What does the writer say about…?
– What does the writer mean about…?
– I still need to know more about…?
By asking yourself these questions as you read, you are constantly evaluating whats being said.
TAKE A LONGER PAUSE AFTER A DIFFICULT SECTION
Pause and think about what was discussed
Build yourself a short summary of what you read
Discuss what you read with someone
The best way to take notes during reading is:
– Look for the main ideas and focus on those
– Use words you understand
– Make the notes as brief as possible
– Use simple headings and sub headings to organize your notes
– Constantly review, add and revise as necessary while you continue to read
Now that the book is done, you need to think about the important ideas in the book.
– What was the most important thing you remember about the book?
– What was the main message of the book?
– What do the ideas in this book relate to?
– What could be the biases of this book?
– What did this book leave out?
The last question will give you the opportunity to do some research and find another book to continue your learning, make connections, and continue to read more effectively.
Reread the book. Your perspective will be different because every moment is different from the last. We (our politics, personality, pleasures, etc) change constantly. Some people love a book one minute and hate it when rereading years later. Rereading is almost like having a conversation with your old self.
Read with others.
Read commentaries on the book if they are available. Commentaries of the text or biographies of the author can help you gain context and greater understanding of the implications of the book. Reading autobiographies and other essays by the author is a great choice too.
Read other books by the same author. This can help to get a perspective of the whole person and the many of the shortcomings and triumphs that authors typically reveal about themselves (and their world) through their literature.
Think about why you want to internalize this book. All books are not meant to be internalized. Some books are transitory, some are meant for pure laughter, and some are meant to be scoffed at and perhaps burned. Why do you want to get to the core of this book? Will you like what you find? Does liking what you find matter
If you really want to see the author in full force, don't expect anything from the author. If you are reading something humorous, expect it not to be. If it is legal jargon, expect it to be mellifluous.
Don't rush. This is the one I can't stand. Everyone wants to read faster because there is so much to read. More information, I wish my brain could process faster, etc, etc. Be patient or else you may lose central themes of the author.
How do you keep the inner drive that a good speech or good training gives you? The simple answer is this. You don’t.
People expect immediate change after a learning event, be it a book, a movie or a personal skills training. WRONG!
The path between the learning event and the direct results passes – if ever! – through something called INTERNALIZING.
During the training/reading/watching, pass the knowledge through your own filter. Ask yourself “Is this good for me? Is this applicable to my situation?”
Do an exercise with it. Write something down. Trainings usually have this kind of exercise embedded in them. Write down your conclusions in the form “I can start doing X different and have better results.” The writing down part should be the translation to action of the value you take out of the learning event.
Start doing what you wrote down. Do it every day after the learning event. Don’t cut slack here.
This is where most learning fails. And the secret to preventing it is PERSISTENCE.