Books work—good books anyway—, but most of us aren’t taught how to read well. The next time you want to get something from a book do some new things with it.

Books work—good books anyway—, but most of us aren’t taught how to read well. The next time you want to get something from a book do some new things with it. 1. Skim it first. 2. Find some interesting entries in the index if it has one and jump there to check it out. 3. Ask questions while you read. Write them down the book. 4. Reread the book (spaced repetition). It will go faster because you e built a structure with your notes the first time. 5. Don’t waste time on bad books. A good analogy is pitching. The pitcher is the writer, the ball is the knowledge and you are the catcher. Nothing works if the pitcher can’t throw or if the catcher can’t catch. Likewise if there’s no ball to throw. So it is you’ll get nothing out of the book if the writer can’t deliver or has nothing to say. But a well crafted book stuffed with knowledge won’t to any good if you receive it.