Jim Kwik explains simple, practical techniques to improve reading comprehension and turn reading into real-life results. He recommends a two-column note system (left: capture ideas; right: create—personal impressions and applications) and three specific questions to ask about anything you read: "How can I use this?", "Why must I use this?", and "When will I use this?" He emphasizes finding motivation ("who's counting on me"), treating outcomes like appointments by putting actions into your calendar, and integrating information into behavior so learning produces measurable results.
Chapters
How many of you have been the opposite? You read something, you get to the end of the page, and then you forgot what you just read, and you go back and you reread it, and you still don't know what you just read, right? And that's a big problem, right? Because you're wasting your most valuable asset, which is your time. And the key to reading comprehension is asking more questions. If you read a page in a book, get to the end and not get anything out of it, it's because you're not asking questions. Because questions, questions are the answer. Questions are the answer. Because ask and you shall receive. I never just pick up a book and start reading it. I never do that. I never just listen to a podcast. I put myself in a state where I'm going to be more receptive to it. And I'm going to ask you to take a lot of notes here, and I'm going to give you, like, a really big download. So when you're taking notes, I'm going to ask you to do something new is I'm going to ask you to put a line right down the page. On the left side, you're going to take notes, right? You're going to capture the ideas that I'm sharing with you. On the right side, you're not going to take notes. You're going to make notes now. So on the left side, I'm capturing. On the right side, I'm creating. And what am I creating? On the right side, I'm writing my impressions of what I'm capturing. Because if your mind gets distracted, which we naturally do, I'd rather it be distracted than the right side of the page. Using my imagination for something that's going to move me forward and what I'm learning. Now, there are three magical questions you want to ask yourself and capture. On the right side of the page, I ask myself, how can I use this? Now, it's so basic, but I like to make the things that are going to give you the highest return. I want to make them as simple as possible. So you do it. How can I use this? And this is your creativity. You're listening to me as I speak here and all the other speakers. And you're ask, how can I use this? Because you have a dominant question you ask all the time, and it's been imprinted on you since you were a child. And so on the right side, I'm thinking about questions like, how can I use this? And this is like, oh, there's one way I could use it. Another way. Another way. The second question I obsess about, and I would capture it on the right side, why must I use this? Because if it's not a must, you're not gonna do it. Cause you have plenty of other things to do. And you know what a question I ask a lot of is like, who's counting on me to be to win today? You know what I mean? First, because some of you, and I bring this up because some of you really will do more for other people than you will for yourself. So knowing that about yourself, self awareness is a superpower. Then tap into that. You don't have to change it. Tap into it. Who's counting on me to like, be at my best? And then you're more likely to do it. And the reason I know this is because when I was driven so much, it was really my family who I wanted to make proud. Like, we all have our reasons, right? Reasons reap results. And even remembering people's names, if you don't have a reason to remember their name, you don't. And I bet you the names you remember are people that you have some kind of intention, you're attracted to that person, they could be good for your business, right? That something, there's some kind of motivation that's there. So find your motivation in your reading, because if you're not motivated, you're not going to read very well. Is that fair? The third question I ask when I'm reading something is when will I use this? So three questions. How can I use this? Why must I use this? When will I use this? Three powerful questions that lead to something which I think the number one productivity performance tool there is is your calendar. Because a lot of you say you want to work out or you want to meditate or you want to do this self care and you know, self love and self care is not selfish and you know all this stuff. But, but how does your daily calendars reflect that? So when I'm taking notes, when I'm reading, I'm thinking those three questions. Otherwise you'll just read a page and you're like, okay, read five pages. Great. Nothing happens. Nothing's different in the world because of that. All you did was invest time. And so you're no better off than somebody who's illiterate. Is that fair? Like, if you're not going to use what you're learning, you're no better off functionally in your life in terms of results than somebody who can't read at all. Because the seventh habit of highly effective People by Stephen Covey is what Sharpen the saw. Really good. Sharpen the saw. If you have all this wood you need to cut and we have metaphorical like to dos and everything else, but you have a saw with a dull blade. It makes no sense to suffer and struggle and stress trying to do that if it's not sharp. And that's what people are doing with their reading. You're reading probably pages, like probably dozens and dozens of pages of books a day as it is through texts, through blogs, through Instagram descriptions and everything. So you're reading. You just have to choose and be more selective what you're putting in here. Information, that's good, great. But sometimes you can listen to a podcast. It's a lot of information, but there's no inspiration to use it. Fair. But sometimes you can listen to a speaker or learn something and it's inspiring, but you don't know what to do, right? Is that fair? So you have information, you have inspiration, and then you have implementation where you're doing it. And I feel like when you get all three I's together, you have the most powerful I, which is integration. That's my goal for all of you, is that when you read something, you listen to something, you learn something, it becomes part of who you are. It's integrated here, here, and here. And then you have an alignment. And how it performs is. It looks like magic to people. So prompting you to, with these three questions. How can I use this? Why must I use this? When will I use this? And then it's in your calendar. And then it's going to happen just like that appointment at your doctor's appointment or the meeting with your investor, your top client or whatever. And you got to treat that time as the most important time, because if you can't do it for yourself, you're not going to be able to do it for anybody else. Sa.
