How to Become a Better Reader in 9 Steps九步读书，收效更佳

格蕾琴·鲁宾

Reading is an essential part of my work， it’s an important aspect of my social life， and most importantly， it’s my favorite thing to do. I’m not a well-rounded person.

But reading takes time， and most days， I can’t read as much as I’d like. As I was writing Better Than Before， my book about habit change， I adopted many new habits to help me get more good reading done. Consider whether these habits might work for you：

1. Quit reading. I identify as a reader， and as part of that identity， I’d developed the habit of finishing every book I read， because a “real” reader finishes books. I know I wasn’t alone. According to Goodreads， 38 percent of readers always finish a book. I’ve now adopted the habit of putting down a book as soon as I lose interest. What a relief. When I let myself abandon a boring book， I have more time to read what I love. As Thoreau observed， “Read the best books first， or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”

2. Skim. Especially when reading newspapers， magazines， and the internet. Certain kinds of materials don’t need to be read carefully. Also， even if you spend many hours a day reading， you may feel as though you don’t have any time to read. The habit of skimming ensures that low-value reading doesn’t crowd out high-value reading.

3. Set aside time to read demanding books. It’s satisfying to stretch. Try setting aside some time each week to read books that are a bit challenging—a dense biography， a religious work written hundreds of years ago， a scientific book with a lot of unfamiliar terminology. I used the habit-formation Strategy of Scheduling to form the habit of doing “Study Reading” each weekend， to ensure that I make time read books that I may not exactly feel like picking up， but that I’m very glad I read.

4. Always have plenty of reading material on hand. Never go anywhere empty-handed—digital devices are a big help in this respect. Nothing is more terrifying to me than the prospect of finding myself on an airplane， with many hours to read and a book that I don’t like. So much great reading time—wasted！ I always have several options， each time I board a plane.

5. Keep a reading list， and keep it handy. For years， I kept my library list on a little pad at my desk， but I’ve switched the list to my phone. A handwritten list can be left behind， but a cell-phone list is always available. Whenever I hear about a book I want to read， I add it my library list. It currently contains the names of 194 books， and one day， I plan to read them all.

6. Try audio-books. Listening to a book can be a way to experience it in a terrific new way， and makes books available in situations where it’s impossible to read—say， when driving. Also， if you’re trying to form a habit， it’s also a great way to use the Strategy of Pairing. If you don’t particularly enjoy going for a daily walk， but want to get that exercise， try pairing your walk with an engaging audio-book. The time will fly.

7. Don’t fight reading inclinations. Sometimes I feel like I should be reading one book when I actually feel like reading something entirely different. Now I let myself read what I want， because that way I read so much more. Also， I love to re-read. I used to think that I “should” spend all my time reading books that I’ve never read before， but now I realize that there’s a special pleasure in re-reading.

8. Read Slightly Foxed. I’m a huge fan of this British quarterly magazine. Book coverage is almost exclusively focused on the books being published now—but what about the excellent books that were published decades ago？ Slightly Foxed is a mix of short essays about people’s favorite books from the past. （If you don’t know your book-collecting terminology， “slightly foxed” is a term used to describe books that are showing their age.）

9. Start or join a book group. Many people struggle to find time to read， even though they love it. Use the Strategy of Accountability to hold yourself accountable for reading： being part of a book group will help you make time to read. And while most book groups read fiction， you can have a book group organized around any kind of book you love. I’m in three—yes， three—book groups where we read children’s literature and young-adult literature. I’ve always been a huge fan of kidlit， and I love talking about these books with like-minded people. You could have a biography book club， a foreign-policy book club， a romance book club… I heard about a book club where they read classic New Yorker profiles.

讀书是我工作的主要内容，也是我生活的重要组成部分，最重要的，它还是我喜欢做的事。我并不是一个兴趣广泛的人。

但是读书需要时间，大多数日子里，我的阅读量都无法让自己满意。在写关于改变习惯的书《比过去更好》时，我养成了很多新习惯来完成更多高质量阅读。来看看这些习惯是否适合你：

1. 放弃性阅读。我是一个书虫，作为一个读书的人，我曾经习惯读完每一本已经捧起的书，因为“真正的”读书人总是有始有终。我知道并非只有我一人如此，根据好读网的调查，38%的读者总是会读完已经开始阅读的书。然而我现在的习惯是一旦失去了对一本书的兴趣就立马放弃，这可真是一大解脱。允许自己放弃一本无聊的书意味着我有更多时间读我真正喜欢的。正如梭罗所说：“先读最好的书，否则你可能根本没有机会读了。”

2. 略读。尤其适用于报纸、杂志和网站。有些资料不需要看得太认真。而且，即使每天花很多小时去看，你可能还是觉得好像没有任何时间去阅读。略读的习惯可以保证低价值的读物不会挤占高品质阅读的时间。

3. 留出时间读一些感到吃力的书。全力以赴会给人以满足感。尝试每周留出一定时间来读一些有挑战性的书——内容深刻的人物传记、几世纪前的宗教著作、包含大量专业术语的科学文献等。我通过“制定时间表策略”养成习惯，固定在每周末做“学习性阅读”，以确保有时间读一些可能原本未必想读，但很高兴自己读了的书。

4. 随身携带大量读物。不要空着手去任何地方——在这点上数码产品是个好帮手。对我来说没有什么比坐在飞机上，有几个小时的闲暇时间，却发现手上只有一本自己不喜欢的书更恐怖的事了。多么完美的阅读时间啊——浪费了！我每次坐飞机都会选几本可读的书。

5. 列一份书单，并放在手边。多年来我一直将藏书清单记在书桌上的便签簿中，但现已将其导入到了手机里。手写的书单不再必要了，但手机里一定要有一份。每当我听说一本想读的书，就会把它加到藏书清单里。目前这份单子已包括194本书了，总有一天我会遍读它们。

6. 尝试听书。听书为读书带来一种绝佳的新体验，并且让你在那些无法阅读的场合——比如开车的时候——也可以有书为伴。另外，如果你正试图养成一个新习惯，采取“配对策略”也是一个上佳之选。比如你并不是特别喜欢每天出门散步，可是又想运动，试一下边走边听一本引人入胜的书。时间会过得飞快。

7. 不要克制阅读意愿。有时我觉得自己应该去读某本书，但其实真正想读的是完全不同的另外一本。现在我想读什么就读什么，因为这样我可以读得更多。同时，我还喜欢重读。以前我认为“应该”把所有时间用在尚未读过的书上，但现在我领略到了重读的独特魅力。

8. 阅读《微旧》杂志。我是这本英国季刊的死忠粉。一般的书目推荐基本上毫无例外地着眼于新近面世的图书——那几十年前出版的杰出读物怎么办呢？《微旧》里面收录了各类小短文，介绍过去人们喜爱的图书。（如果你不了解藏书用语，slightly foxed就是用来形容那些有年头的书的。）

9. 发起或参加读书会。很多人苦于挤不出时间读书，即使他们热爱阅读。利用“责任策略”来让读书成为你的一项责任：成为读书会的一员会帮助你挤出时间读书。尽管大多数读书会读小说，你也可以参加任何一个读你喜欢书类的读书会。我参加了三个——没错，三个——阅读儿童文学和青少年文学的读书会。我一直都是儿童文学的忠实拥趸，而且热爱与志趣相投的人讨论相关书籍。你可以参加传记文学俱乐部、外交政策书籍俱乐部、言情小说俱乐部……我知道一个读书俱乐部专门研读《纽约客》经典“人物”栏目专集。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）