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  • Hey, how's it going, guys?

  • So in today's video we're gonna talk about

  • how to read more books.

  • Now, maybe you've already seen my video

  • on how to generally increase your reading speeds.

  • If you haven't, you can check it out right there.

  • But maybe you have, and maybe you've integrated

  • some of those tips into your life, which have helped you

  • get your reading speeds higher and higher,

  • maybe even up to that generally accepted cap

  • of 400 to 500 words per minute.

  • And yet, you haven't filled in the other part

  • of the equation, which is building a consistent

  • reading habit.

  • So this video is all about how to do that,

  • and I've got seven specific tips that will help you

  • become a more consistent reader.

  • So in my experience, the most important thing

  • you can do to read more consistently is to have

  • a certain number of pages you're going to read

  • every single day, and to turn it into a habit.

  • I was actually out in Colorado a couple of weeks ago

  • on a ski trip with a few friends, and we were in the Airbnb

  • one day after skiing ended, and I remember

  • my friends Matt and Ben were talking about books

  • they'd read recently, and both of them are entrepreneurs

  • so they're really busy, just like me, and yet they had

  • all this time to read all these books, and I was asking

  • like, dude, how do you guys find so much time to read

  • when you feel like you've got all these things to do?

  • And Matt told me, dude, I just wake up every morning

  • and I have my coffee, and I read 25 pages.

  • And after four days that's 100 pages, after 40 days

  • it's 1,000 pages.

  • It really adds up over time, and it works better than goals

  • like saying I'm gonna read one book a month

  • or two books a month, because then it's really easy

  • to justify pushing all your reading off later into the month

  • because you've got a lot of work to do right now.

  • Moving onto tips two and three, I'm gonna group

  • these two together because they have to do with how

  • you schedule your reading time.

  • Now, personally I know the later that it gets in the day,

  • the less likely it is for me to read.

  • My motivation starts to wane and other things start

  • to take up my attention, so I try to schedule

  • my reading time very early in the morning.

  • But, tip number three here, I do it after exercise.

  • And that's because the book I'm reading right now,

  • which is called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science

  • of Exercise and the Brain, talks a lot about how

  • exercise primes your brain for learning.

  • Exercise balances the levels of chemicals in your brain

  • known as neurotransmitters, which in turn improve

  • your ability to pay attention and prime your brain

  • to more efficiently absorb and remember new information.

  • And I take advantage of this by going to the gym

  • first thing in the morning, and then doing my reading.

  • Now tip number four is to do whatever you can

  • to make the process of reading as enjoyable as possible

  • because from what I've learned about how motivation

  • is affected by the rewards of tasks, rewards can really

  • be split into two different categories.

  • Number one, the reward you get at the end of the task,

  • whatever the result of the task is, but number two,

  • the enjoyment you get from doing the task itself.

  • So personally I go to a coffee shop and I get a latte

  • and I read while I have those things with me

  • and that makes the process much more enjoyable

  • than trying to do it at home.

  • Moving along to tip number five, now if you've chosen

  • to read after exercise, your ability to pay attention

  • and inhibit distractions is at it's peak, but you do

  • wanna cut out as many distractions as possible

  • just to give yourself the best possible chance

  • for focusing on your reading until you're done.

  • So, for me that means turning my phone onto

  • do not disturb mode, and packing it away in this bag

  • here, everything goes in this bag and it goes down

  • by my feet.

  • Everything is off the table except for the book

  • when I'm reading so it's just focused interaction

  • with the book and nothing else.

  • Now, distractions are one of the biggest things

  • that can derail your ability to get your reading done,

  • but there are certainly others, so tip number six

  • is to anticipate and remove as many barriers

  • to your success as possible.

  • For me that means making sure my bag is packed

  • every single night before I go to bed, and making sure

  • the book is in there, and also making sure I have

  • everything I need, like my book flags for making notes

  • and highlights, and my headphones just in case

  • the coffee shop is noisy.

  • Basically, I want to anticipate anything that could give

  • my brain an excuse to not read, and cut it out.

  • And, finally, tip number seven is to externalize

  • your motivation, and sort of take the choice of reading

  • out of your hands by making yourself accountable

  • to somebody else.

  • Now I do this in a couple different ways.

  • Number one is I have told my roommate Martin,

  • who reads way more books than me, that if I do not read

  • 25 pages a day every single day for at least the next

  • three months, I will pay him $100.

  • So if I skip even one day, I'm gonna lose out on a lot

  • of money.

  • And secondly, I have made a public page on my website

  • where I will be updating my progress every single day

  • in an embedded Google spreadsheet, so every day

  • I have to record how many pages I read,

  • and anybody can see that and call me out if I don't.

  • Now in last week's video we talked about why

  • it's a bad idea in general to tell people about your goals,

  • but I do think when you build accountability

  • into it, and you're talking to people about your progress,

  • rather than your big grand vision, it can actually be

  • much more motivating than if you kept it to yourself.

  • And I'd be curious to hear what your thoughts are on that.

  • Anyway, if you'd like to have a look at my progress

  • page, there'll be a link in the description down below,

  • and you can do this yourself even without being publicly

  • accountable by using a tool like Habitica or Coach.me.

  • There's lots of habit-tracking tools that can basically

  • get you the same result, but I have decided to be

  • publicly accountable about it.

  • Hopefully you enjoyed this video and found it helpful.

  • If you did, give it a like to support this channel,

  • and if you'd like to get new tips every single week

  • on being a more effective student, you can click

  • that big red subscribe button right down there.

  • I also wrote a book on how to earn better grades,

  • so if you'd like to get a free copy sent to your email

  • you can click the picture of the book.

  • And if you missed last week's video, we talked about why

  • in general it's a bad idea to tell people about your goals,

  • so check it out if you missed it.

  • You can check out the full article for this video

  • and get the link to my reading progress page

  • by clicking the orange button right there.

  • And, lastly, if you wanna connect, I'm on Instagram

  • and Twitter @TomFrankly, or you can leave

  • a comment down below.

  • Thanks for watching.

Hey, how's it going, guys?

Subtitles and vocabulary

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A2 US reading read tip number exercise accountable brain

Read More Books: 7 Tips for Building a Reading Habit - College Info Geek

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    Ken Song posted on 2018/01/18
Video vocabulary

Keywords

process

US /ˈprɑsˌɛs, ˈproˌsɛs/

UK /prə'ses/

  • verb
  • To organize and use data in a computer
  • To deal with official forms in the way required
  • To prepare by treating something in a certain way
  • To adopt a set of actions that produce a result
  • To convert by putting something through a machine
  • noun
  • A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
  • A summons or writ to appear in court or before a judicial officer.
  • A systematic series of actions directed to some end
  • Dealing with official forms in the way required
  • Set of changes that occur slowly and naturally
  • A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
  • other
  • To perform a series of operations on (data) by a computer.
  • To deal with (something) according to a particular procedure.
  • Deal with (something) according to a set procedure.
  • To perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.
  • To perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.
  • Take (something) into the mind and understand it fully.
  • other
  • Deal with (something, especially unpleasant or difficult) psychologically in order to come to terms with it.
basically

US /ˈbesɪkəli,-kli/

UK /ˈbeɪsɪkli/

  • adverb
  • Used before you explain something simply, clearly
  • Used as a filler word or discourse marker, often to indicate a summary or simplification.
  • In the most important respects; fundamentally.
  • In essence; when you consider the most important aspects of something.
  • Primarily; for the most part.
  • In a simple and straightforward manner; simply.
progress

US /ˈprɑɡˌrɛs, -rəs, ˈproˌɡrɛs/

UK /'prəʊɡres/

  • noun
  • Act of moving forward
  • verb
  • To move forward or toward a place or goal
  • other
  • To move forward or onward; advance.
  • To advance or develop towards a better state.
  • To make progress; develop or improve.
  • other
  • Advancement or development towards an improved or more advanced condition.
  • The process of improving or developing something over a period of time.
  • Advancement or improvement in development, skills, or knowledge.
  • Forward or onward movement towards a destination.
  • other
  • To cause to advance or develop.
general

US /ˈdʒɛnərəl/

UK /'dʒenrəl/

  • noun
  • A broad field of study or knowledge.
  • A high-ranking officer in the army, air force, or marine corps.
  • The public; the population at large.
  • Top ranked officer in the army
  • adjective
  • Widespread, normal or usual
  • Having the rank of general; chief or principal.
  • Not detailed or specific; vague.
  • Relating to all the people or things in a group; overall.
  • Applicable or occurring in most situations or to most people.
consistent

US /kənˈsɪstənt/

UK /kənˈsɪstənt/

  • adjective
  • In agreement; not contradictory
  • Agreeing with or being similar to another part
  • Acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate
  • In agreement or harmony; compatible.
  • Logically coherent and not self-contradictory
  • (of a set of statements or beliefs) free from contradictions.
  • (of a set of statements or beliefs) free from contradictions.
  • Acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate.
  • In agreement or not contradictory.
  • In agreement; reliable
  • Maintaining the same principles, course, or form throughout.
motivation

US /ˌmotəˈveʃən/

UK /ˌməʊtɪ'veɪʃn/

  • other
  • Enthusiasm for doing something.
  • Something that induces a person to act.
  • The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior.
  • The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
  • noun
  • Reason behind why someone did something
track

US /træk/

UK /træk/

  • verb
  • To use marks to follow a wild animal
  • To move a certain way/follow a particular course
  • To record and examine the progress of something
  • To follow the trail or movements of someone or something.
  • To monitor or record the progress or development of something.
  • noun
  • A prepared course for racing, especially for athletes.
  • A circular course for running
  • A circular path on a magnetic disk or tape on which data can be recorded.
  • Course or way someone takes, e.g. in education
  • A mark or impression left by a moving object.
  • A recording of a song or piece of music.
  • A recording of a song or piece of music.
  • A rough path or minor road.
  • The rails on which a train runs.
  • The rails on which a train runs.
  • A prepared course for racing.
  • Path in a field or a forest made by walkers
  • Often circular course laid out for car racing
  • One of multiple musical recordings on an album
  • Band surrounding the wheels of a tank
  • Metal lines that trains ride on
  • One of the rails making up a railway line.
  • other
  • To follow the trail or movements of someone or something.
integrate

US /ˈɪntɪˌɡret/

UK /ˈɪntɪgreɪt/

  • verb
  • To combine together; make into one thing
  • other
  • To combine or blend into a functioning or unified whole.
  • other
  • To combine (one thing) with another so that they become a whole.
  • To bring (people or groups with particular characteristics or needs) into equal participation in or membership of a social group or institution.
  • Find the integral of a function or equation.
  • To bring (people or groups with particular characteristics or needs) into equal participation in or membership of a social group or institution.
dude

US /dud, djud/

UK /du:d/

  • noun
  • Form of address for a man
  • (informal) A man; a fellow.
  • A surfer.
  • (historical) A man, especially one showily fashionable.
  • other
  • (informal) Used as a term of address, often between men.
ability

US /əˈbɪlɪti/

UK /ə'bɪlətɪ/

  • other
  • The power or capacity to do something.
  • The power or capacity to do something.
  • The legal power to perform an act.
  • Potential for achievement or accomplishment.
  • The resources or means to do something.
  • noun
  • The financial capacity to do something.
  • The legal power to perform an act.
  • A particular skill or talent.
  • The power, resources or skill to do something
  • other
  • The power or capacity to do something.
  • Potential or aptitude.
  • other
  • A particular skill or talent.