Stop Reading, Start Learning: The Secret to Unlocking True Knowledge

Reading started with the first page and ended with the last. Every book was like a physical progress bar. Satisfaction was only possible when it touched the end. That was the goal.

Great for fiction. Not so great for non-fiction.

I've finished more than 100 non-fiction books. Years later I could barely remember titles.

What a waste of time.

The self-help industry wants us to believe that reading more books equals success. This can be true. But most people end up procrasti-reading (mental masturbation) instead of learning.

What does it even mean to learn?

Learning = Acquisition of knowledge

To learn something from a book you need to approach reading as knowledge acquisition. And that is the exact opposite of a linear passive reading you learned in school. It needs to be active.

Your reading needs a purpose, high-quality sources, and a retention-proof system.

Don't read for the sake of reading

There is nothing like a finished book.

Yet satisfaction should come from being able to solve a real-world problem. Not spending hours of your limited time focusing on words remembering nothing.

What problem are you solving? Why do you need to acquire new knowledge?

Be clear on the purpose before you pick that shiny new book.

Approach reading as a project with a specific goal in mind. Even a simple project like a short book review or a blog post is better than mindless reading.

Now that you have a problem worth solving, you need a working solution. The solution you may find in a high-quality book.

And finding quality these days is hard...

The Trap of Modern Non-Fiction

Let's be real. Big names get book deals. Even if they don't have original insight they have a story.

While some stories are powerful, many books are centered around the author's journey rather than the topic at hand.

Ideas that could have been articles are stretched into full books for profit.

Publishers rush out books capitalizing on "hot" topics. Often without author expertise or time for quality research.

Controversial claims and shocking anecdotes overshadow solid information.

Complex topics are simplified to reach a broader audience.

Personal stories are promoted as evidence.

People with clear biases are marketed as neutral authorities.

Books serve specific viewpoints, fueling confirmation bias rather than critical thinking.

Recycled ideas, promises of quick fixes, and catchy titles.

The sheer number of mediocre books with the same structure is staggering.

Luckily there's still plenty of good non-fiction. But it's a treasure hunt. To find the hidden gem and learn something valuable you need a system.

System for True Learning

A good system has predictable results. This one never let me down so far.

So how do you learn from books? Try this:

1. Define goal/problem

2. Select

3. Inspect

4. Read

5. Capture

1. Define goal/problem

Always start with a goal or problem in mind. This will be the purpose of your reading.

Example: My business needs a new strategy.

If you do not have a problem to solve and want to read the book, I would still recommend setting a goal. Writing a blog post on the topic or at least a book review.

2. Select

Which topics do you need to study to solve the problem? Start with one. The topic should be specific.

Example: Instead of "Strategy" use "Business strategy for small companies".

You have the topic, now let's find some books. You will do this in 2 rounds.

Round 1: Top 10

Find the top 10 books on the topic. You know how to use Google right?

Bonus tip! Use this prompt for your favorite AI tool:

Give me the top 10 books on [TOPIC]. Include a short description and core message.

Round 2: Top 3

Select the top 3. Do this by reading reviews, descriptions, and core messages.

What struck me the most about this system is that you can stop here. You don't actually need to read the books. The core message of 10 books on one topic is usually enough to solve your problem.

Most modern books are just this. The core message with a lot of fluff and stories on top.

So why choose top 3?

There are still hidden gems in this world. It is likely that those 3 books will shine through. They are worth inspecting more deeply.

3. Inspect

Don't read the books yet. I know it is tempting. Now it is time for inspecting.

Or what Mortimer J.Adler called Inspectional Reading.

It is basically a skimming with purpose. And the purpose is to grasp overall structure and major themes of the book.

Start with a table of contents. Find chapters where you can find the answer to your problem.

Flip through them. In most cases, the core message with supporting evidence of the chapter is either in the first or last paragraph.

Look for diagrams, graphs, and headings.

This is the only time when speed reading makes sense.

Mark the places. Be brutal. Use a highlighter on your book. It is yours.

2 Minutes after you die your children will put it in the trash so why not.

Again, it is very likely you can stop here because you found the answer already.

If not, get ready to read.

4. Read

Ok, you fell in love with the book. Now you finally get to read it.

You have marked the important passages in the previous step. Instead of reading cover to cover start reading out from those important parts.

Reread the best stuff again and again. Get a grasp of the main concept. Chew on the idea in your head.

This is not a competition on how fast or how many books you can read.

Instead ask: How can I use this piece of information to solve my problem?

5. Capture

Have you ever felt like you understood the concept in the book fully while reading?

But the next day, the only thing you've remembered was the feeling.

Not a single argument.

It is because you were passive.

The only way we learn is by putting in a lot of mental effort.

Reading is easy but writing is hard.

So write.

Capture what you've read in a way that makes sense to you.

Ask questions and write the answers.

Interpret the message. Follow author's arguments. Build your own outline.

Apply the knowledge to the problem in real life.

Do you still agree with the author? Why or why not?

Do this with all 3 books.

Compare them.

Form your own insights.

Capture everything.

I created this system out of sheer frustration. It's simple but not easy.

You know what is easy?

Wasting time.

Learning is hard.

You have to do the work, otherwise you are not learning.

It is all worth it because from now on you will never forget the important information you've read.

Worse case? You have it all captured and can refresh the ideas in your mind at any time.

Imagine the impact on your life.

What you learn will turn into action and action into knowledge.