Speed Reading for the Digital Age

There is so much useful information out there for anything you want to learn about. Take Surfing - I found 2,530 books on Amazon with a search, and 187 MILLION pages through Google. Obviously there is so much, you couldn't read a tenth of it. So out comes the reading wisdom:

1. Audio books during your commute makes Auto University.
2. Speed reading classes or techniques will help you cover more material.
3. The fastest way to read a book is to not read it. Be selective, and be willing to toss a mediocre book aside.
4. Use recommendations to get the right one. Amazon reviews are great for this.

All of these are useful, and all of them I use. However, I've just found a new way to cover some literary ground - online book reviews. Especially in the case of books with action plans, a certain list of main points, or a few key ideas, book reviews could give you the outline, a feeling about whether you want to read, or it could really give you the whole book! Let's look at a few examples, quickly culled from Google.com.

• Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: this one seems a little sparse, this one takes some work through their links, and this one gives you most points in under 10 minutes!
• Your Money or Your Life: this one has the key points, but is a little light on details, where this one goes into more details (lists key questions, etc.), and this one is a feel for the book with little or no actual content.
• The Celestine Prophecy: wikipedia and goodreads came across as far too brief to replace reading. Wiki seemed good for follow-up information, and goodreads only an indication on whether it would be worth your time. This review is more typical for a somewhat opinion book like this - either you like it or you don't, and cherry-pick facts to support your opinion.
• The Millionaire Mind: two good reviews, one a little more free-flowing and one more a breakdown of the book. Interestingly, the second review states that reading chapter one gives a good 'short version' of the whole book, my goal here. I wonder if he used it as an outline for his post?
  

I simply typed in 'book review' and the name of the book for each. I looked for common blog names, stayed away from sites like Amazon or stores, and learned (in the process) to avoid popular book sites like goodreads, and wikipedia.

In the course of writing this article, I now feel like I read two books and re-read another. Celestine Prophecy mostly felt like a wash, and I wouldn't recommend using this method for books that aren't presenting a system - how to save money, create a business, travel, etc. Stories, biographies, new age or religious books all lose a lot in abridgment.

So what is the best way to use this method? Find or create a list of books you want to read that can be summed up, every day pick two and search for a good review or two, then go through them or save them on your Reader of choice for later that day. In a month, you've absorbed 50+ new books, and found 2-3 must-reads to maybe buy!

If you're looking for financial reads (probably the best application of this method), find a blog that lists their top books, and work your way through the list. I kept coming back to The Simple Dollar for great reviews, so I am heading over there now to look for his list of recommendations - especially if he reviews many of them. I expected to find more from Get Rich Slowly, but was having trouble loading the page. J.D. has a great site (disclaimer - we went to school together and I wrote a book review there), and a booklist here.

As The Millionaire Mind asserts, personal development works. The more you read, and the more efficiently you use your time, the more successful you will be. Take advantage of what's on the web, and build your success faster.

Book Review - Paradox of Choice

It has been said that sometimes the fastest way to enjoy a book is to not read it. You look at the introduction, the table of contents, maybe read an interesting section or two and move on to your next book…

That’s exactly what I did with Paradox of Choice – Why More Is Less by Barry Schwarz. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting premise. It’s just not really new to me. The book is divided into four parts: When We Choose; How We Choose; Why We Suffer; and What We Can Do. The first three were pretty obvious, and further backed up by comments in the final section. And I had already had the first three sections summed up by reading I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson and Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas.

Part four confirmed my thoughts about the first three sections – and I do agree that we have too many choices in the US. And it certainly seems logical that it becomes harder to make a decision, leading to analysis paralysis, and then to buyer’s remorse when you hear someone else’s tale. So I didn’t need to be convinced, and What We Can Do was the section that really interested me.

So I was rather disappointed with what I found here. He puts forth 11 steps to lessen or cut out the suffering that too much choice can create, and I found most of them almost as negative as the problem and/or not going far enough. Let me write them in a somewhat less positive light than he did, then again in a more Aware manner afterwards:

1. Make it a rule to ignore most choices out there, as those choice probably aren’t much better than the ones you’ve already looked at. Probably…
2. Don’t limit yourself to the choices presented. Think outside the box if none of the current choices look that good. And they won’t since you’re ignoring most of them…
3. Learn to accept “good enough”.
4. Don’t try new things. Stick to what is “good enough” until enough friends tell you what you’ve been missing.
5. Don’t be willing to admit you could have chosen better.
6. Be grateful for what you have.
7. Don’t regret or relive past decisions. ( But what about, “Those who ignore the past are destined to repeat it.”)
8. Realize that your satisfaction will drop, so be ready for it.
9. Don’t expect too much.
10. Don’t talk to friends about their experiences – you’ll probably feel worse.
11. Learn to love constraints.

Ugh! Now, I worded those in a more negative way than he did, but that’s really his list, paraphrased! Is this really the best we can do? What about ‘Try all we can while we’re young, and learn what we like so we can be more discriminatory later’? Or, as promised, a more conscious, Aware list:

1. When choosing, follow your heart. If one choice seems superior, let that feeling guide you. (Perhaps test this for a while to develop your ability to sense your intuition.)
2. If no choice feels right, look for a deeper reason – either you will have to create your own choice, or you should not choose any!
3. Be satisfied with your choice. Allow it to be the best for you (in terms of value, cost, and time saved from agonizing over choices).
4. Practice an attitude of gratitude in all things – possessions, friends, your environment, etc.
5. Realize your wanting mind will create dissatisfaction. Know that this dissatisfaction exists only in your mind, and will not change based on your possessions.
6. Be delighted in your friends’ fortunes, not jealous. Share in their happiness, and you now have the happy experience without the expense!

To wrap up, the concept and lessons of the book are sound. I would definitely recommend a good skim at least. The book is certainly worthwhile for introducing its concept and putting together a new overall idea. But I have read most of the message before, and I think Barry Schwarz doesn’t go deep enough with his solution.