【翻譯練習】五招輕鬆吸收書本知識

How to Retain More From the Books You Read in Five Simple Steps

作者：Darius Foroux
來源：https://observer.com/2017/07/retain-more-from-the-books-you-read-five-simple-steps-learning-productivity/

　　長大以後，就不覺得閱讀這件事值得炫耀。現在隨便找一家咖啡館，裡面滿滿都是一邊看書、一邊打翻拿鐵的假掰人。

　　現在的人變得愛看書，這不錯啊，我本人也比以前看更多書了。可是，重點並不是看了多少本書，而是從看的書那裡吸收了多少養分。

　　我問到的人當中，大部分人並沒有規劃自己的閱讀策略，他們只是拿本書，翻開來看，就這樣。我以前也是這樣，但現在的我完全辦不到。當然，你可能單純看小說打發時間，這就另當別論。

　　不過想想看，當你讀的是非小說類的書，最主要為了什麼呢？這還用想，一定是希望多多少少從書中得到一些收穫啊。你希望學到能夠應用在實際生活的知識，讓自己有所成長，這才是讀書的終極目的。

　　常有人問我：「你是怎麼記住書裡讀到的資訊的？」這篇文章就來介紹一下我的讀書方法。

1. 立定目的

　　在思考該讀哪本書之前，我會先思考我想達到怎樣的目的。我真的覺得，書本的內容必須跟自己當前的生活契合一致。下面舉個例子。

　　2011 年我的一位導師向我推薦米哈里．契克森米哈伊 (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) 的《心流》。我聽了他的建議，買了書，也開始看了書。可是那時候的我，實在對不到這本書的頻率。這表示《心流》很爛？並不是。其實過一陣子以後，我又回頭重看，這次就愛不釋手了。在我看過講解工作習慣的書本當中，我覺得《心流》是最出類拔萃的。

　　只不過 2011 年的我，並不是很在乎工作習慣之類的主題。那時我剛拿到學位，事業也才起步，我像個笨蛋一樣手忙腳亂，腦子裡塞滿了業績如何成長的念頭。這就是你之所以必須立定閱讀目的的原因。

　　你現在過得怎麼樣？正在創業？跑離婚流程？找工作？準備邁出職涯下一步？希望完成更多夢想？

　　去讀那些能夠教你如何克服眼前挑戰的書就好。

2. 視己如師

　　知識能夠實際派上用場，才算是好的知識，對吧？不過很多人忽略了一件事：分享知識是一種學以致用的絕佳辦法。也許你的職業不是老師，可是如果你表現得像個老師，就是在活用知識。小小轉念，大大不同。

　　不要只是「死讀」書，而是該大口享用這本書，然後跟別人聊聊你的心得。

　　告訴自己：「我必須認真讀眼前這本書，因為我得跟別人分享我吸收到的所有東西。最好能讀到融會貫通的程度。」

3. 勤畫重點，建立心理連結

　　如果腦中對零碎片段的資訊建立愈多連結，你就可以愈牢靠地記住這些資訊。我建立心理連結的方式，是做一大堆記號。

　　要是覺得書本神聖不可侵犯，絕對不能在上面塗塗寫寫，那就永遠沒辦法從書本吸收太多內容。作筆記，摺頁角，標出名言佳句，都是簡單實用的妙招。

　　所以我總是隨身攜帶螢光筆和原子筆。如果你讀的是電子書，動動手指就好——反正就是別忘了在發人深省的段落做記號。

　　我再另外提供一些有助建立資訊連結的小步驟：

• 我在筆記 app 獨立設了一個「讀書筆記」的資料夾。
• 標記極重要的內容時，我會順便把那一頁照相起來，上傳到「讀書筆記」資料夾。
• 然後，我會趕快寫下這些資訊之所以重要的原因，以及能夠如何善用。

　　採用這套流程，是因為我經常標記號畫重點，結果回頭檢視記錄的時候，卻納悶：「這段當初為什麼要做記號？」

　　所以，一定要寫下你標記某處內容的原因。倒是不必每個標記都得寫原因，只需針對你會立刻派上用場的內容就可以了。我常寫下自己可以如何在工作上用到某項建議。而且當我從筆記生出寫一篇文章的靈感時，我會想好標題，並貼上我標記內容的圖片。

4. 視覺化加上想像力

　　還有一種很棒的方式可以建立心理連結，就是把所學的知識給視覺化。人類仰賴視覺來學習，人類的記憶也是視覺化的。

　　我閱讀時喜歡做一件事：想像自己正和朋友促膝長談我讀到的東西。或者，如果我看到一項實用的建議，就在腦海模擬自己正在親自實踐那項建議。

　　我清楚記得自己第一次讀戴爾．卡內基 (Dale Carnegie)《人性的弱點：卡內基教你贏得友誼並影響他人》(How To Win Friends And Influence People) 的情景。卡內基提供的其中一項建議，是要發自內心對他人感到興趣。

　　所以，我就想像自己在跟一個陌生人聊天，而且對那個人講的內容很感興趣。一件事想得久了，好像就變成真的了。

　　許多高手也經常藉助視覺化來自我提升。不久前退休的 NBA 球員保羅．皮爾斯 (Paul Pierce) 曾說他如何在比賽前利用視覺化這一招：

　　「我可能會想像這些畫面：比賽中我會怎樣投籃、怎樣防守、怎樣堵住對方的最佳球員、賽事會怎樣耗費我的心力，反正就是想像整場比賽的方方面面。」

5. 學到的新知識，立刻派上用場

　　看看自己的人生，問問自己：我該怎樣做才會成長？可能是個性上的成長，財務上的成長，或精神上的成長。

　　要知道，成長這件事不可能不勞而獲。想學習新技能，賺更多錢，擁有美滿愛情，都必須先辛勤耕耘。

　　但是，如果你能夠實際應用書中所學，那麼成長這條路可以走得輕鬆許多。

　　別忘了，單單知識本身，是毫無用武之地的。

　　即使一個人飽讀詩書，學富五車，卻鎮日守在房間足不出戶，也是悲哀至極。讀萬卷書，真的不如行萬里路。

　　走出象牙塔，就展開了成長之旅。無庸置疑。所以每當讀完一本書，一定要問問自己：

　　「讀了這本書以後，我打算落實去做哪件事？」

　　你懂的，重點在於你怎麼利用知識，而不是你的腦袋裝了多少知識。閱讀不求多，但求精。

　　而且，不管你讀了什麼，都要執行這套策略。就算只是瀏覽像這篇一樣的短文，也要確實應用所學。那麼就來個小小的練習，為這篇文章作結：

　　「讀了這篇文章以後，你打算落實去做哪件事？」

　　好好回答這個問題 (並且想像自己正在執行)，我敢說，這篇文章帶給你的收穫，一定比你今天讀過的其他東西給你的收穫還要多。

When I grew up, it wasn't cool to read. These days, every coffee shop is packed with folks that are reading a book while sipping on a latte.

That's a great shift. I'm also reading more books than ever. But here's the thing: It's not about how many books you read, it's about how much you retain from what you read.

Most people I talk to don't have a reading strategy. They just pick up something and start reading. I used to be like that. But now, that's unthinkable to me. Sure, you might read a novel for entertainment.

But think about it; why do you even read a non-fiction book in the first place? Exactly, you want to get something out of it. You want to learn things that you can apply in your life to grow. That's the whole point.

I'm often asked: "How do you remember information you read in books?" In this post, I'll explain my system.

1. Have A Purpose

Before I even think about which books I'm going to read, I think about what I'm trying to achieve. I strongly believe that the content of books should align with what's going on in your life. I'll give you an example.

When I met one of my mentors in 2011, he recommended me to read Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I listened to his advice and bought the book. I also started reading it. But I didn't connect with the content at the time. Does that mean Flow is a bad book? No. In fact, I read it a while back and really loved it. It's the best book on working habits that I've read.

But back in 2011, that kind of stuff wasn't on my mind. I had just finished my degree and started a business. I was hustling like a moron and only thinking about growing our business. That's why you need a purpose to read.

What's going on in your life? Are you building a business? Going through a divorce? Looking for a job? Trying to take the next step in your career? Do you want to get more things done?

Only read books that teach you how to overcome your current challenges.

2. See Yourself As A Teacher

Knowledge is only good if you apply it, right? But here's one thing a lot of people don't consider: Sharing knowledge is a great application. You might not be a teacher, but if you act like one, you're already applying knowledge. All it takes is a mindset shift.

Don't just 'read' a book. No, devour a book and talk about it with others.

Say to yourself: "I must focus on the book at hand because I'm going to share everything I learned with others. I better know my shit."

3. Highlight & Make Mental Connections

The more connections you make between pieces of information in your brain, the better you remember it. I do that by making a lot of notes.

If you think books are sacred and shouldn't be highlighted and written on, you will never retain a lot from books. Making notes, folding pages, and highlighting text is simple and practical.

That's why I always keep a highlighter and pen with me. If you read digitally, you only need your finger—just don't forget to highlight interesting passages.

Here are some other tips that help me to make better connections between information:

I have a separate "Book Notes" folder in my note-taking app.

When I highlight something very important, I take a picture of that page and upload it to my Book Notes.

Then, I immediately write WHY it's important and how I can use it.

I use this process because I often highlight things, and when I look back, I think: "Why did I highlight this?"

So always write down why you highlighted something. You don't have to do it for every highlight. Just do it for sections that you immediately have an application for. I often write down how I can use a piece of advice in my business. And when I get an idea for an article, I think of a title and attach a picture of the text that I highlighted.

4. Visualize & Imagine

Another great way to make connections in your mind is by visualizing what you're learning. We're visual learners, and our memories are also visual.

What I like to do when I read is to have imaginary conversations about the stuff that I'm reading. I imagine myself sitting together with a friend and talking about the subject. Or, when I read a piece of useful advice, I visualize myself actually doing that thing.

I remember vividly when I read How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie for the first time. One of the pieces of advice Carnegie gives, is to become genuinely interested in people.

So I visualized myself having a conversation with a stranger and being genuinely interested in what that person had to say. When you visualize something, it's almost like the real thing.

Visualization is also a common self-improvement tool that's been used many top-performers. Recently retired NBA-player Paul Pierce once explained how he uses it before a game:

"I probably visualize myself, the shots I'm going to get in the game, how I’m going to play defense, what we have to do to stop the other team's best player, what it's going to take out of me, the whole aspect of the game."

5. Immediately Apply One Piece Of New Knowledge

Look at your life. Ask yourself: How can I grow? That can be personally, financially or spiritually.

Understand that growth doesn't happen by itself. Learning new skills, earning more money, having a great relationship — it all takes hard work.

But you can make that growth a lot easier if you apply the things you learn in books.

Remember: Knowledge alone is completely useless.

There's nothing sadder than a well-read person who holds himself captive by the four walls of his room. You must go out there and apply things you learn.

Once you do that, you will grow. No doubt about it. So always ask yourself this after you finish a book:

"What's the one thing I'm going to apply after reading this book?"

You see, it's about what you do with your knowledge, not about how much you have. Don't read more. Read smarter.

Also, apply this strategy to everything you read. Even something little like this article. So let's do a little exercise to close this off:

What's the one thing you're going to apply after reading this article?

Answer (and visualize) that, and I'll bet you'll retain more from this article than any other thing you've read today.