Discussion Forum > Focused reading
Hi Alan,
I was ordering my books that way (I think) for the last several months, and it worked OK. I had two sections of bookshelf, each about a foot wide. I'd always put new material at the rightmost end of the rightmost shelf. And then, when I wanted to read something, I'd start looking at the rightmost end of the rightmost shelf, and start moving left till I found something of interest. Worked pretty good, but after awhile I never saw the stuff on the left shelf. And I had to do arbitrary pruning from time to time.
I made a change a few weeks ago, and now it works GREAT. :-) It's more like DWM I think. I now have four shelves, instead of two. New stuff always goes in the same place -- rightmost end of rightmost shelf. And if I read something for a bit, and still want to read more, I put it in the same place -- rightmost end of rightmost shelf. And if someone gives me a book or magazine and I'm not sure what to do with it -- it goes in the same place.
As the rightmost shelf fills up, I move everything left as far as it will go to make space.
Now here's the change. When I want to read something, I start from the LEFTmost end of the LEFTmost shelf, and move to the RIGHT. This way, I am frequently scanning through everything on my shelves. Maybe I'll really just want to go to the book I last read -- but I don't let myself do that (at least usually, LOL). I scan from left to right.
Every now and then, the shelves start getting full. So, I have a recurring DWM task that says "Empty leftmost shelf -- put away or sell on eBay or give away". In effect, the leftmost shelf serves as the "dismissal" shelf -- if a book or magazine or white paper stays there too long, it gets purged.
This has helped me process the older stuff much more effectively. It makes the whole set of reading material "come alive" -- it's much more relevant, I have a much better idea of what's actually there on the shelf, and I have a much better idea of why I'm hanging onto it.
I was ordering my books that way (I think) for the last several months, and it worked OK. I had two sections of bookshelf, each about a foot wide. I'd always put new material at the rightmost end of the rightmost shelf. And then, when I wanted to read something, I'd start looking at the rightmost end of the rightmost shelf, and start moving left till I found something of interest. Worked pretty good, but after awhile I never saw the stuff on the left shelf. And I had to do arbitrary pruning from time to time.
I made a change a few weeks ago, and now it works GREAT. :-) It's more like DWM I think. I now have four shelves, instead of two. New stuff always goes in the same place -- rightmost end of rightmost shelf. And if I read something for a bit, and still want to read more, I put it in the same place -- rightmost end of rightmost shelf. And if someone gives me a book or magazine and I'm not sure what to do with it -- it goes in the same place.
As the rightmost shelf fills up, I move everything left as far as it will go to make space.
Now here's the change. When I want to read something, I start from the LEFTmost end of the LEFTmost shelf, and move to the RIGHT. This way, I am frequently scanning through everything on my shelves. Maybe I'll really just want to go to the book I last read -- but I don't let myself do that (at least usually, LOL). I scan from left to right.
Every now and then, the shelves start getting full. So, I have a recurring DWM task that says "Empty leftmost shelf -- put away or sell on eBay or give away". In effect, the leftmost shelf serves as the "dismissal" shelf -- if a book or magazine or white paper stays there too long, it gets purged.
This has helped me process the older stuff much more effectively. It makes the whole set of reading material "come alive" -- it's much more relevant, I have a much better idea of what's actually there on the shelf, and I have a much better idea of why I'm hanging onto it.
August 30, 2010 at 7:16 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
My concern is I tend to never finish books. If I start from the left I think I would end up starting 50 and finishing none. I take it you don't have this problem?
August 30, 2010 at 12:39 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
The best method that I have found is to enter my reading directly into my DWM list. The "backlog" of books just sits in a pile in a cabinet.
One thing that I first became aware of with DIT, is that I like to have a few books in process at one time.
Each morning, I try to read one book for at least 30 minutes. The books I read in this time slot are always important and I take notes on them and have an annual goal for how many minutes I spend on this.
But there are other books I read. For example, Walter has inspired me to read a book on VBA for Excel. So, it's on my DWM list. I don't know how serious I am about this. I've only been looking at it once a week.
When I finish a book, I go through my pile of unread books and pick out a new one to start with. On my DWM list I will mark "Read Shiller" complete and then, if I choose, add a new task, e.g. "Read Livingston."
For reading magazines, I just keep a pile. When I start reading from the pile, I activate the "Read magazines" task. This task is never completed. It is always re-entered.
One thing that I first became aware of with DIT, is that I like to have a few books in process at one time.
Each morning, I try to read one book for at least 30 minutes. The books I read in this time slot are always important and I take notes on them and have an annual goal for how many minutes I spend on this.
But there are other books I read. For example, Walter has inspired me to read a book on VBA for Excel. So, it's on my DWM list. I don't know how serious I am about this. I've only been looking at it once a week.
When I finish a book, I go through my pile of unread books and pick out a new one to start with. On my DWM list I will mark "Read Shiller" complete and then, if I choose, add a new task, e.g. "Read Livingston."
For reading magazines, I just keep a pile. When I start reading from the pile, I activate the "Read magazines" task. This task is never completed. It is always re-entered.
August 30, 2010 at 14:35 |
moises
moises
Alan -
What's the problem if you don't finish the book? Maybe you don't really NEED to finish the book. :-) Maybe your intuition is telling you, "Enough with this book, I am not getting any more value from it," but your Inner Critic is complaining that you never finish things. Personally I find this method to shut down the Inner Critic pretty effectively and let me focus on what's really important/desirable for me to read.
In any case, I find this process works a lot like AF1. You get repeated exposure to the reading material, plenty of chances to pick it up and read it, before it ever gets "dismissed".
In practice, I am finding that I'm actually finishing a lot MORE books with this method, than I was using the "last in, first out" method (FIFO/AF2). The FIFO method tended to send books into oblivion pretty quickly, and I never open them again, or even SEE them again.
Moises -
I'm glad that works for you. :-) But it wouldn't work for me. :-)
I generally have about 30 or 40 books, 20 or 30 magazines, and 20 or 30 printed articles sitting on my reading shelf at any one time. There's no way I would want to write all of that up and put it on my DWM list. Too much hassle, and too much hunting in the backlog pile.
On the other hand, I do enter email list messages into a DWM list. I have filters set up in Outlook so with every new email that comes from a list, I set a flag with a due date today+30, and file the email in a separate "Reading" folder. Then I view the Reading folder with a filter that shows only stuff that's "due" between now and 30 days. If I read something but don't finish it, I re-set the due date to today+7, just like DWM. If stuff expires I just don't read it. Which is totally fine for list mail.
What's the problem if you don't finish the book? Maybe you don't really NEED to finish the book. :-) Maybe your intuition is telling you, "Enough with this book, I am not getting any more value from it," but your Inner Critic is complaining that you never finish things. Personally I find this method to shut down the Inner Critic pretty effectively and let me focus on what's really important/desirable for me to read.
In any case, I find this process works a lot like AF1. You get repeated exposure to the reading material, plenty of chances to pick it up and read it, before it ever gets "dismissed".
In practice, I am finding that I'm actually finishing a lot MORE books with this method, than I was using the "last in, first out" method (FIFO/AF2). The FIFO method tended to send books into oblivion pretty quickly, and I never open them again, or even SEE them again.
Moises -
I'm glad that works for you. :-) But it wouldn't work for me. :-)
I generally have about 30 or 40 books, 20 or 30 magazines, and 20 or 30 printed articles sitting on my reading shelf at any one time. There's no way I would want to write all of that up and put it on my DWM list. Too much hassle, and too much hunting in the backlog pile.
On the other hand, I do enter email list messages into a DWM list. I have filters set up in Outlook so with every new email that comes from a list, I set a flag with a due date today+30, and file the email in a separate "Reading" folder. Then I view the Reading folder with a filter that shows only stuff that's "due" between now and 30 days. If I read something but don't finish it, I re-set the due date to today+7, just like DWM. If stuff expires I just don't read it. Which is totally fine for list mail.
August 30, 2010 at 20:55 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
The problem is I find everything interesting but if I forget what I was reading after a month I have to go back again.
August 31, 2010 at 3:25 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Yes, exactly, I am the same way. That's why I find the DWM-like approach works so well. I am finding that I am keeping up with a much broader set of reading material, and processing through it more quickly, than the AF2-like approach.
Anyway, I guess the bottom line is to try whatever approach appeals to you, see how it works in actual practice, and choose what works best for you.
Anyway, I guess the bottom line is to try whatever approach appeals to you, see how it works in actual practice, and choose what works best for you.
August 31, 2010 at 4:41 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim,
Just to clarify. I don't put all my backlog books on my DWM list. They sit in a pile in a cabinet. What I do put on my DWM list are those book(s) that I am currently reading or have committed myself to start reading.
A backlog book can sit in my cabinet for months. But a book can be on my DWM list for at most one month.
Just to clarify. I don't put all my backlog books on my DWM list. They sit in a pile in a cabinet. What I do put on my DWM list are those book(s) that I am currently reading or have committed myself to start reading.
A backlog book can sit in my cabinet for months. But a book can be on my DWM list for at most one month.
August 31, 2010 at 18:31 |
moises
moises
Yet by using this approach I'm more likely to finish good books because they stay at the end of the row AND I will focus at the end of that row. Recent acquisitions go to the end as well.
I haven't figured how to adapt the dismissal rule yet but it's evidently a good idea to regularly take books off the reading shelf if I'm not reading them anymore. Such books, as well as those I finish should be filed by category or dismissed from my household entirely.