Derek Sivers: Books I've Read • Hacker News Board

Re: Derek Sivers: Books I've Read

#51

Post by stevenkovar » Thu, Mar 15, 2018, 1:05 PM UTC

thisisit wrote: post #9

Slight OT, I had two questions: a. how do you guys apply the stuff you read? b. How many re-reads helps you get most out of the book? I am on a recent reading spree and as I read the books I keep forgetting the lessons therein. While I have set of highlights, using Play Books and Google docs combo, one thing I found was that 2nd read seems to be better than the first one.

Similar to what Cal Fussman says, "the good shit sticks."

To me, reading is more about developing an internal vocabulary that makes it easy to bridge two ideas together—ultimately enabling you to create ideas of your own. With more ideas to pull from, you can ask yourself better questions.

Here's an interesting perspective on the matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR2P5vW-nVc

Re: Derek Sivers: Books I've Read

#52

Post by jonmb » Fri, Mar 16, 2018, 3:29 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #20

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #14

Wow, that is a lot of self help, is it too much?

No amount of self help books is too much, because they have no effect anyway.

I agree many books in the self-help genre are basically just "motivational porn", but I wouldn't dismiss all of them. I have read some self-help books that gave me genuine insights that I have put into successful practice with real effects.

Re: Derek Sivers: Books I've Read

#53

Post by kaixi » Sat, Mar 17, 2018, 11:44 PM UTC

sivers wrote: post #46

godelmachine wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A small basic question. How do you implement all the different ideas for a good life that you find in all different books that you read? It's very tough for me to do so. More often than not, I get lost and drift aimlessly. Thanks for the excellent list :)

I'm still working on this. Best idea I've got so far is to save all my notes as individual ideas in a database, tagged, then use them for deliberate lateral thinking - randomizing - reflecting. But also searching for themes when needed. Email me if all this interests you.

Not the OP but chiming in to ask this as well. I've read a few books of your list, and I'm interested in how you organise all the knowledge acquired from books and apply them to your life. It's easy to forget, lose focus and get lost.

Re: Derek Sivers: Books I've Read

#54

Post by sizzle » Sun, Mar 18, 2018, 9:13 PM UTC

sivers wrote: post #44

sizzle wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a pitifully slow reader, I like to stop often and think about new concepts or insights so I can internalize them better. This way of reading is my biggest obstacle in finishing books. I've tried speeding reading and while I can finish chapters faster, I retain much less information like ~40% of concepts. Any tips for readers like me? Thank you for the wonderful list, I'd like to get through it in this decade if p…

I read slowly too! I think it's an advantage. The real learning comes when you reflect upon what you've learned. This great book - "How to Read a Book" - https://sivers.org/book/HowToReadABook - has a great methodlogy for reading books deeply.

Thank you I will check it out.