I've been asked by a few colleagues how I manage to read so much, so I thought I'd just write this up once so I can link to it later. :~)
First, here are a few articles that touch on some of the keys to how I read so much and how I make sure I remember the important bits:
- Farnam Street: Finding Time to Read
- Farnam Street: How to Read a Book
- Fogus: Extreme Reading
- Fogus: Reading for the Rushed
I can’t say I follow these exact principles – among other things, I’m definitely less diligent about some of my reading than what they outline. But that’s a conscious choice in many (but not all) cases.
Other things I do that allow me to zip through a lot of books (some of this might overlap with what's listed in those posts above):
- I use Audible for the majority of my reading, particularly for fiction and for non-technical non-fiction.
- When I want to make sure I can follow along with an audiobook I'll generally get a physical and/or electronic copy, too. Amazon's WhisperSync makes this particularly convenient for audiobooks that support it. But often I'll also use a physical copy for reference – I find the tactile interaction with a physical book makes for easier casual browsing.
- When I'm trying to get up to speed on a particular subject, I'll often read through at least a couple books on the same subject matter. When I do this, I'm less concerned about absorbing all the material from any one source as the important ideas will rise to the top.