Procrastination by Reading

OK here is how it goes; 

1. You want to learn how to be a better designer or put your finance in order or start a business or be a better parent, so on...
2. You find and order a highly recommended book.
3. You binge read it and get inspired. You learned a lot. You feel like you are already achieving your goal! It feels good! 
4. You order another book on the same subject. Yes, you've learned more! You are so knowledgeable about the subject. 
5. This feels good. Let's order 1 more book, then 1 more ... You think you are being really productive and getting smart, because of all the reading you have been doing. 
6. After about 5 books, countless articles and YouTube videos, you think you know everything about it, but no longer have the initial enthusiasm. 
7. In the end, you either let it go, do nothing and find a new thing to be excited about or take a half baked action on it that achieves nothing.  

Yes, I have been there! More times than I'd like to admit. Books became my quilty corner where I felt productive by reading but not taking the necessary action to apply.  

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against reading. I read a lot! I love reading! Books are amazing treasures where we get to learn from others' years of experiences in just a few hours. How can you say no to that?!

However, reading all these books doesn't mean you will be successful unless you execute on your learnings. Reading and executing should run in parallel.

I have changed my approach to reading non-fiction books a while ago and I see the benefits of it. This blog is the result of this approach. I'm reading, learning, applying as I go along.   

First of all, I use markers as I read books. This way, I'm able to grab a book and read through the parts I found useful in just 5-10 mins and I do this very often, going through the same book over and over again.   

During the past few months, I replaced my phone with a book and this happened 📚+ kindle.Whenever I had a moment here and there, while waiting in line, walking to tube, lunch time, ... I grabbed my book instead of phone. It turns out I actually have had enough time to read 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/eURbLh47Sb

— oykun.eth (@oykun) November 18, 2019

I also have post-its on my walls and notes on my whiteboard. I can NOT unsee them when I'm in my home office : ) 

In summary, now my approach is as below;

Read, take note and apply straight away. Often refer to the books you read instead of ordering new ones. Learn deeper in practice and experience the benefits. Continue executing while reading. Only then you get the real benefits of reading. 

Happy reading and applying your learnings in your life...