It doesn’t matter who reads the most books. That’s not the contest. The contest is “who can build a sustainable gym that pays you really well?” I’ll never tell anyone to read fewer books. I was raised by teachers. I have hundreds of books in my Audible account and hundreds more scattered between my office and my home. When I find a book I love, I buy 20 copies and hand them out to Workshop visitors. I read a for nearly three hours every single day. And it’s not enough. I still can’t read everything. So here’s what I’ve learned: When it comes to reading business books, I encourage everyone to read more intensively, not extensively. Here are my rules for reading business books: 1. Don’t Plan to Read the Whole Book Paraphrasing Nassim Taleb, “Most books would make a great blog post.” Most business books follow a new format: one central idea, some supporting evidence, and stories of the idea being put into practice. I won’t explain why here (but I write about it more on the Two-Brain Media blog). That means it’s really easy to understand the author’s point. But it also means you don’t need to read most of the book. Read the intro and then the first few chapters. If you understand the idea, you can skip to the middle of the book—or even the end. If the first few chapters make you excited to read the rest, keep going. Every chapter should sell you on the next one. 2. Don’t Pass the Halfway Point Without Action When you hit the halfway mark in a book, pause and reflect. Ask yourself: “What action have I taken since starting this book?” If the answer is “none,” put it down. This information isn’t moving you forward. If you can clearly point to an action you’ve taken or a habit you’ve created since starting the book, keep ...
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