I have learned that I have a multi-modal learning style and prefer to learn through either of 3 of the 4 primary ways people learn: reading, visual and kinesthetic (this does make me not the best audio learner). Personally, I love reading but more and more I come across many people who don’t appreciate reading like I do. Culturally, use of technology may have began to change how many learn as a society. The purpose of this writing is not to take a stance on if this is bad or good it does mean more and more, regular reading can become a lost art.
I was in conversation with a leader who is just a couple years younger than me who stated his initial challenge in “focusing” on a book in front of him. The fast pace of stimuli that technology allows leads to an increase in this challenge. I don’t think it’s even an age-related dynamic as much as it is increased reliance on technology for all ages. I know leaders much older than me who also experience this same challenge.
Regardless of why, if you are someone who doesn’t especially like to read or if you know someone who doesn’t here is a way to get better.
One of the most helpful discoveries I have made is how much can be read in disciplined blocks to time each day. You can start with just 20 minutes a day. Suppose you read slowly, say about 250 words a minute. This means in twenty minutes you can read about five thousand words an average book has about 400 words per page. So you could read about 12.5 pages in 20 minutes. Suppose you discipline yourself to read a certain author or topic twenty minutes a day for six days a week, for a year. That would be 312 times 12.5 pages for a total of 3900 pages. Assume an average book is 250 pages long. This means you could read fifteen books like this in one year. Or you could mix it up and read some longer books and still hit close to 10 books read in a year.
For those who love to read, what habits and practices have you put into place to read more?
Reblogged this on Praying for the millennials.
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I am part of the Millennials that actually remembers to love ACTUAL books! Reading has always been great fun for me, and it isn’t that hard to read a good book. It’s actually finding a good book that agrees with my theology. 🙂
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Hi Fily! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Great to hear you share a love for reading ACTUAL books! I don’t think the challenge is a generational challenge as much as it could be just less time spent doing so. I see leaders older than me who have the same challenge just simply because they stopped reading. I agree with the difficulty of finding books that agree with theology.
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Good post. I used to be an avid reader, but then that was mostly when I was into fiction, suspense books. Now, I only read books that help me in my Christian walk, doctrine. I am currently reading 4 books at one time, not counting the Bible, The Potter’s Freedom, Knowing God, Understanding Biblical Theology and one more on parents of adults that I cannot think of title. For me, I use my mornings after my Bible reading to read.
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Totally agree with your advice to make reading a discipline. Great suggestions to get people making it a priority again. Thanks!😀
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Hi….thanks for this. I just finally deactivated my Twitter account because I found it carried me far away from my love of reading, and that it drew me into a busy, headspinning and distracting world. Have loved reading since I was a child, way before digital media 🙂 and so that’s back to where I’m going.An additional advantage is all the more free time I have to read. Still love to hold a book in my hand, but finally bought a Kindle on which I have duplicates of some of my hardcopy study books, and that has been a real blessing also. Blessings to all.
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I have always loved reading. When “e-books” first appeared, I scoffed at the idea of reading on a computer, but then tablets and smart phones became popular, and I’ve found that I love reading on my Kindle just as much — if not more — than holding a book in my hands. At night, I can read from my tablet while my husband sleeps without disturbing him. In odd moments — anywhere I am — I can quickly read a page or two. One thing that I want to point out, though, is that for many individuals the problem isn’t reading itself. It’s comprehension and retention. For those who don’t read a lot, these are important skills to develop. It may mean taking a little more time, making notes while reading, or sometimes reviewing material a second time. This is especially true with complex subjects.
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