How re-reading books can help?

I have decided that for one month every year, I will only re-read books. One month I’m dedicating to re-reading the most impactful books I have read till now.

Readers look for stories (fiction/non-fiction) that add value to their lives. If not inspiration, they must at least offer some entertainment to indulge. For me, non-fiction books top the shelf as I constantly try to be a better version of myself. A few books have greatly impacted me on this journey, which is why I believe that good books can orient us in a purposeful direction. They can be the best substitute for expert advice.

So far, I have read 180 books in the last 3 years. However, my aim is not to keep adding to the number but to keep learning from the thinkers and experts around the globe. To stick to this learning process, I have decided to re-read my top picks for one month instead of picking up a new book. Some people might find this idea strange, let me explain how re-reading books can help.

1. Build your treasured collection: One advantage of going back to your prior reads is that it can help you figure out the books that deeply impacted your life. Let’s say you are an avid reader, and your shelf is jam-packed with works of different authors. When you decide to pick up a book again, chances are you will pull out the one that created an impact on you. Such books may have helped you change something about yourself for the better. These are the books you want to treasure.

2. Re-implement the good practices: Re-reading re-ignites the inspiration you got from a book in the past. Sometimes, we need to go back to the important lessons that can help us improve our scorecard, else we lose track of the good practices we once learned. Similar is the case with going back to inspirational reads.

3. Implement what you missed out last time: Few ideas may have stood out to you when you last read a book, but you didn’t implement them. Your second encounter with the same idea can motivate you to implement it.

4. Enjoy building a fresh perspective: Re-read can give you a new perspective to the old book. A book that helped you better yourself few years ago had a different impact on you. You implemented the learnings from those books, and it changed you into the person you are today. Your priorities and mindset may have changed over time. Today, as a changed person, you may read the same book with a new mindset. You may find new ways to implement the same learnings and improve your life further.

5. Find a new piece of advice: Re-reading can help you dig a piece of new advice. It is surprising how the same book can offer you a different takeaway, but it is possible. This is because when you re-read a book, you are in a different mental place from the last time. You grow as a person, your ways to absorb information also change, and the same book can guide you to enter the next phase of your life.

6. Meet your mentors again: Books are like an interview with their authors that you can complete at your own pace. When a book creates an impact on your life, it is the author who inspires you to change. Re-reading the books is like going back to that expert, who inscribed the best pieces of their life experience. Books become your mentors. Since most of us do not have the privilege to meet our favorite authors, we can go back to their work over and again for their expert advice. These are the books to cherish for life. You can continue to implement their teachings for self-expansion.

I am dedicating the next month to re-read my favorites. I will use the techniques of speed reading, skimming, and browsing to go through my collection.

I will also take the help of audiobooks to complete my target faster. If you plan to pick up your old favorites too, I suggest using speed reading techniques. Listening to audiobooks is a preferred way as one has to put the least effort to go through the book content. You can listen to audiobooks while standing in a queue, waiting for a friend, or doing household chores, as and when you have time. It is easy and effective.

While re-reading, you can also skim through the notes that you prepared the last time. You will be surprised to find some actionable points from your own pointers.

Closing the article with a message that ‘It’s good to read as many books as possible, but you must also curate your treasured collection.’

I have pulled out two of my favorites as of now, Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris and Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

If I have been able to inspire anyone to re-read your old favorites, would love to know your picks in the comments.

#LearningNeverEnds #WorldBookDay