You Don't Hate Reading. Your Brain Is Just Addicted

Ever wondered why you can't finish a book?

It's not because you're lazy.
It's not because you're not a reader.

It's because your brain is addicted.
To TikTok. YouTube Shorts. Reels.
You're used to learning in 15-second bursts. So when a book asks for your focus for hours, your mind taps out.

Worse, you think you already know what the book says.
Take Atomic Habits, for example. You've probably heard the classic line:

"Just improve 1% every day."

Sounds powerful, right?

But that's just a quote. Not the point.
Most people don't read the argument behind the idea. They hear the phrase, think they understand, and move on.

One Big Idea, Explained in 200+ Pages

Most nonfiction books are built around one core message.
The rest of the book is the reasoning.
It can be case studies, data, stories, counterpoints.

If you skip that, you're missing the real value.

Let's fix that.

My System for Reading Smarter (Not Faster)

I've read over 200 books, both fiction and nonfiction.
At this point, I don't try to "finish" every book.
I try to extract value. Efficiently and critically.

Here's how.

Know Why You're Reading

Don't start a book just because it's trending.

Before opening the first page, ask yourself:

• What do I want from this book?
• What problem am I trying to solve?
• What do I already know about the topic?

If you start reading without a goal, your brain won't retain anything.

Search for a One-Pager (If Available)

Before I read, I look for a "one-pager". A short summary that gives me the structure of the book.

Search like this on X (Twitter):

[Book Title] + One Pager site:x.com

This helps build a mental framework before you dive in.
You'll start reading with context, not confusion.

But not every book has a one-pager.
If you can't find one, no worries — just move to the next step.
You'll build your own summary as you go.

Understand the Author's Intent

Always ask:

• Who is the author?
• Why did they write this book?
• Are they writing from experience, research, or just to sell?

Understanding the author gives you context. It helps you judge the message, not just read it.

Use the IPO Model: Input → Process → Output

This is how I break down books in my head.

• Input: What core message does the book give?
• Process: How do I reflect on it?
• Output: What action or change will it create in me?

This keeps me from passively reading and forgetting everything two days later.

Stay Critical! Not Everything Is True

Books are not perfect. Don't blindly accept everything.

Example: Grit by Angela Duckworth says that effort beats talent.
That's partially true.
But sometimes, effort alone isn't enough.
What about opportunity? Environment? Mental health?

Cross-check ideas. Think in contradictions. That's how you actually grow.

Apply the North Star Method

If a book has real value, use the North Star Method.
Ask yourself:

• What principle from this book should guide me?
• How do I apply this in my life?

Books are tools. Use them. Don't just highlight quotes and move on.

Bonus: Use GenAI to Summarize (With Caution)

If I can't find a one-pager, I turn to GenAI, not because I'm in a rush, but because I want clarity before diving in.

I use this to get a high-level understanding of the book before deciding whether to go deeper.

Here's the prompt I typically use:

Title: [Book Title]
Writer: [Author Name]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📘 One-Pager Book Summary
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. WHY WAS THIS BOOK WRITTEN?
➤ Unpack the author's background and core motivation.
- What emotional, cultural, or professional experiences led them to write this book?
- What problem or question were they responding to?
- Why did this matter to them on a deeper level?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
2. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS — Using the IPO Reflection Method
(Include 2–3 distinct IPO reflections)

➤ IPO Reflection 1
Input: [What mindset, behavior, or situation might a reader start with?]
Process: [How does the book propose to change that? What method or approach is offered?]
Output: [What does success or transformation look like after applying it?]

➤ IPO Reflection 2
Input: […]
Process: […]
Output: […]

➤ IPO Reflection 3 (optional)
Input: […]
Process: […]
Output: […]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
3. A SHARP & CRITICAL OPPOSING PERSPECTIVE — Using the 3D Lens

D1: Diversity of Personalities & Cultures
- Who might this book overlook or alienate based on personality or background?

D2: Depth vs. Practicality
- Are the insights actionable under stress or in complex, messy life situations?

D3: Danger of Overadaptation
- Could taking this advice too far backfire or cause personal imbalance?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
4. CONCLUSION & NORTH STAR INSIGHT — Using the Compass Approach

🧭 North (Core Principle):
[What is the timeless truth or key belief this book revolves around?]

🧭 East (Inner Work):
[What inner shift or realization is needed to embody the book's message?]

🧭 South (Outer Action):
[What should I start doing or changing in my life to live it out?]

🧭 West (Warning):
[What are the dangers of overdoing, misunderstanding, or misapplying it?]

➤ NORTH STAR QUOTE:
"[Insert the most powerful quote or idea from the book that encapsulates its heart.]"

And here's the important part:
If the answer feels too shallow or vague, I don't stop there.
I keep asking follow-up questions, until I get a clear picture of what the book is really trying to say.

Remember, the goal isn't to get a shortcut.
It's to understand the structure and intent of the book, so when you read it, you're not starting from zero.

This Doesn't Work for Every Book

This method works best for nonfiction, self-help, productivity, or business books.
It won't work for fiction, poetry, or philosophy.
Those books aren't about extracting points. They're about depth, reflection, and emotional resonance.

Use the right tool for the right purpose.

Final Thoughts

The goal isn't to read more books.
It's to actually get what the book is trying to say.

Don't chase quantity. Chase clarity.
Don't just collect quotes. Live the lesson.

Read with purpose.
Think with intention.
Apply what sticks.

Because reading is easy.
Understanding? That's a choice.

---

Originally published on Medium.