Thread by @warikoo

I read 40 books a year and retain 100% of what I read.

It took me 2 decades to perfect my reading system for consistency & memory.

The Warikoo Reading Framework:

To read 40 books, you need to read 12,000 pages.

To read 12,000 pages, you need to read 35 pages a day.

To read 35 pages a day, you need 60 minutes.

To do that, you need a reading system in place.

My system has 8 core principles:

- 4 for reading more
- 4 for remembering everything

First, let's explore how you can read more.

Principle 1 - Read what you love until you love reading.

I read only non-fiction because I love being able to apply insights from it in my life.

You have to figure out what genre of books excites you.

Don't pick up a book because you 'should' be reading it. You 'should' be doing a lot of things. 'Should' is never a good enough reason.

Pick a book only when you feel like you 'must' read it or you 'want' to read it.

Principle 2 - Let the right books find you

I was 22 when I watched The Shawshank Redemption for the first time. It was beautiful and inspirational.

If I'd watched it at 16, it wouldn't have impacted me the same way.

It was MEANT FOR the 22-year-old version of me.

The same applies to books. The right book will find you at the right time if you just follow your curiosity.

The most life-changing books I've read didn't come from others' recommendations. They came by following my own genuine curiosity.

Principle 3 - Don't read, just skim

Most non-fiction books should just be just a blogpost.

Instead of perusing the entire book to find a few pages worth of insights, skim through the pages and go deeper when you find something insightful.

When I pick a new book, I skim through it on Kindle and highlight it's key points.

Then I convert these highlighted points into a pdf.

For every book, I have a super crisp highlighted version that I can refer back to.

Principle 4 - Don't fixate on finishing books.

Do you feel guilty for not finishing a YouTube video? You freely skim, find what you need and shut the video.

Treat books the same way. Don't focus on finishing unless it grips you.

If you lose interest while skimming, it's not because you're a bad reader, it's because it's not the right book for you.

Just like it may not be the right YouTube video or movie for you. Skip it and find something you like.

You read more by

1. Reading what you love until you love reading
2. Letting the right books find you
3. Not reading but skimming
4. Not fixating on finishing the books

If you follow these principles, reading a book will be fun, not work. Just like YouTube is.

But how do you actually retain all the things you need?

Here's my 4-step process on how to remember what you read like your first name:

1. Apply the insights

For each highlight pdf, I make a note about how can I apply it in my life.

Examining insights from a book in the context of your life, makes the learning actionable and memorable.

For a month, I apply the lessons to improve parts of life

- Build a better daily routine
- Make better content
- Experiment with something new with my startup

2. Post-Action Reflection

After a month of action, I reflect on whether these lessons really helped me.

When a book makes an obvious impact on my life. I buy a physical copy & add it to my physical library.

Otherwise, I move on to the next one.

But either way, I retain the lessons.

3. Assembling the pieces

While reading, I maintain a flowchart of how the dialogue in the book proceeds.

As you read, you need to say "Okay, this is Principle 1 of 'How to Read More' which is the first of 8 principles in this thread."

'Okay, after tips on "How to Read More Books", now I'm reading "How to Retain More"'

This feels dumb, but it gives each page and section its place in the structure of the book.

If you do this, you'll remember the entire book as a logically flowing chain of ideas.

And finally,

4. The Re-Read list

Book that changed my life + were enjoyable to read make it to my re-read list.

Spaced Repetition helps me refresh the concepts periodically and store it in my long-term memory.

https://twitter.com/warikoo/status/1587690429075505152?s=20

To read 40 books -
1. Read what you love until you love reading
2. Let the right books find you
3. Don't read, just skim
4. Don't fixate on finishing books

To retain 100% of what you read -
1. Apply the insights
2. Post-Action Reflection
3. Assembling the pieces
4. Re-Read List

If my reading content helps you, follow me on @warikoo for more such threads every week.

Quote Retweet the first tweet with your favorite book and I'll pick a winner who will get their book delivered to their doorstep.

https://twitter.com/warikoo/status/1634079150280704000