Theoretical knowledge is the basis of practical success. Reading is an important pillar to gain theoretical knowledge. Especially in the early days of training and in some cases becoming a trainer and coach books are crucial as a base of education. During my early days I read multiple hours each day. Wake up at 5.30am. Read till 8. Then training and starting to work at 10. More reading during lunch break and often at night too. That way I read over 200 books a year. on a wide range of topics. From training, nutrition, supplementation to business, biographies and self development books. Gaining theoretical knowledge is crucial. As a basis for success in real life. The carryover from theoretical knowledge to practical success takes time, same as
Reading takes time.
Knowledge is an important asset. Gaining knowledge takes time. Time is a limited asset though. One of the best solutions for this that I found in 2010 in an inflight magazine – called GetAbstract . A service that supplies structured summaries of books, primarily on business, career, biographies and some classic of world literature. Every summary is five to eight pages long and structured in a progressive manner. In less than 10 minutes you get to know the base concept of a book including the most important points to take away. GetAbstract has over 15,000 books on file. With 50 added every month.
GetAbstract doesn't substitute books. It supplements books. And it makes the selection and reading of books much more efficient. Summaries are summaries. In-depth stories and examples are missing. Which adds to
GetAbstract is efficient.
Reading an average book takes 8 to 10 hours. Reading a book with one of the speedreading technique takes 45 to 90 minutes. reading a summary take 8 to 10 minutes. Saving this much time leads to getting through much more books and then selecting individual books which I then order as a full book or not. Even with some books I was interested in, reading the summary first, saved me from the whole book in 9 out of 10 cases.
With just 8 to 10 minutes per summary it is possible to read 12 "books" in 2 hours. Efficiency is key to gain a wide base and high peak of a theoretical base. And then invest more time in its application in real life. The basis for success in the real world - in my case in the gym.
All the Best reading more with GetAbstract!
Pictures: A peak at my GetAbstract Folder on my Ipad.