Reading books is one thing, but actually living them is another thing. Many people just read a book without ever living it. But as you know, you can never get full benefit from a book if you just read it without putting it into practice.
Of course, it is easier said than done. Most of us just read a book once to get some ideas, and that’s it. But do you believe that we can completely grasp and apply the principles in a book by reading it just once? I don’t think so. Of course we can get some ideas from the book, but to effectively grasp and especially to apply them, reading it just once is definitely not enough. We need to read and reread it until the principles are internalized and applied in our daily life.
Having “Most Important Books”
While not all books deserve such rereading, there are some very good books that deserve it. These are the kind of books that will make significant difference in your life if you apply the principles in them.
Do you know of such books? I do, and I call them “most important books” (MIBs). These are the books that can greatly improve the way I think, work, or live. So I give my MIBs special attention. I believe the habit of having MIBs can significantly help us in our personal growth. There are two reasons for this:
- It helps us internalize important principles for our life, and
- It helps us apply those principles
As you may know, application is what makes the difference between 1% people who experience what a book say and the other 99% who just read it without experiencing it. If you want to be in this top 1%, having MIBs - I believe - is a good way to help you.
Applying the MIBs Concept
So how do you put this MIBs concept into practice? Here are some tips:
- Make a list of all the books which application you think can significantly improve your life. Do not limit yourself in this step. Just list whatever books that come into your mind.
- From the list that you have made, choose at most three books which can make the most significant difference to your current needs.
- Have these books handy. Put them in a place where you can easily reach and read them.
- Every now and then, when you have spare time, grab one book and read the important parts in it. It will help you a lot if you have highlighted the book before. That way you can just read your highlights, and only read the details if you think they are necessary.
- Whenever you read a part of the book, think about how to apply it to your life. Think of some concrete actions you can take. If you want to, you can put them into your to-do list.
- Do the same thing with the other (at most) two books which are also your MIBs.
- Keep a book as MIB until:
- You are satisfied with your progress in applying the principles in the book, or
- The book is no longer relevant to your current need.
- When you remove a book from your MIBs, you can choose another book by going back to step 1.
Why do I believe that this MIBs concept works? Because, for really important ideas, the key to successful application is repetition. Without repetition, it’s far too easy for those ideas to be lost in our mental attic. Having MIBs is an effective way to make sure that the important ideas will always have the place they deserve in our mind.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
17 22. February 2008, 10:45 pm o'clock |
Good idea, Rob. I haven’t done it, but I agree that having a partner will greatly increase our chance to succeed.
Comment by Rob Moshe
16 22. February 2008, 4:06 pm o'clock |
I have recently been reflecting on the same idea.
Instead of getting more new books, I have begun to re-read the books that have had the greatest impact on me.
Another powerful way to live a book is to find a friend that wants to live the same book and coach each other to follow the system. When have someone else keeping you accountable, it is far likelier for you to succeed.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
15 22. December 2007, 1:53 pm o'clock |
Welcome, Geoff! I hope we can both learn to apply the principles in the books we read. By the way, Getting Things Done is a great book to start with.
Comment by Geoff R
14 22. December 2007, 9:59 am o'clock |
This is the smartest advice I have heard in a long time.
I’m 15, and have been moving more towards self-help junkie by reading book after book, listening to audiotape after audiotape, as if it was a race to get through them all. I’m now starting to understand.
My first MIB is Getting Things done. I think I’ll also throw in Unlimited Power within the next couple weeks. Thanks for the solid tips!
Comment by Donald Latumahina
13 29. November 2007, 9:36 pm o'clock |
Prolific Programmer,
I agree with you. Being an active reader by taking notes will help us a lot in living a book. Over time we may forget some important points though, which is why I recommend rereading the book.
Comment by Prolific Programmer
12 29. November 2007, 9:56 am o'clock |
I find that taking notes on the important books helps me to “live” them, as it were. I have a binder of notes on Mr. Carnegie’s classic, for instance.
Comment by Donald Latumahina
11 18. November 2007, 12:20 pm o'clock |
Andrew,
The situation you described is a sad fact experienced by many people. Since I love books, I’m in danger of becoming a book junkie myself. That’s why I now pay more attention on applying the concepts I’ve read. Rather than just reading, I’m now eager to experience them.
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# 16. December 2007, 10:54 pm o'clock |
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#1 4. December 2007, 12:30 pm o'clock |
[...] Some books give you much more value than the others, so they deserve more time and attention. These are the few books which could significantly improve your life. While for most books it is enough to read them just once, for these important books you should reread them until you can effectively apply their lessons. I call such books most important books. [...]
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#2 18. November 2007, 4:58 pm o'clock |
[...] over at LifeOptimizer talks about How to Live your Books and Not Just Read Them. This is something I need to work [...]