Make It Stick—Read Smarter with These Business-Mindset Book Tips

“I don’t have time to read!” This time challenge is an all-too-common one.

But the truth is, you don’t have time not to. As an entrepreneur, reading (especially business books) can save you time and money on your business journey. It can provide you with profitable ideas and prevent you from repeating costly mistakes similar to those of someone who’s been in your shoes before.

You’re busy.

Reading is vital.

What can you do?

You can find time for reading. More importantly, you can better benefit from what you read with some life hacks to retain it.

​You don’t want to miss these read-it, retain-it secrets of success below. These reading efficiency tips could make all the difference in your accomplishments as an entrepreneur.

Just like you make time to eat, shower, and brush your teeth, you can make time for reading. Whether you wake up 20 minutes early, eat lunch 20 minutes faster, or go to bed 20 minutes earlier than usual, there’s a time in your day that works best for you. And it doesn’t have to be a ton of time. Small amounts of time—consistently—get you there. But consistency is key—keep at it.

Find time in your day to learn while doing other things, like morning or bedtime routines, cooking, cleaning, and traveling. Pick a time to focus on the learning material and take notes. You’ll enjoy this zero-time-wasted way to consume more knowledge.

In line with the above tip, listening to a podcast or audiobook is a great way to gobble up more material while you get other things done. Think of all the time you can save when you listen to material while you work out, prep a meal, or brush your teeth. What’s even better is that many audio versions have an option to listen to sped-up versions. Try listening at a 1.5 speed instead of the usual.

This tip might be unconventional and dividing, but cherry-picking the information you digest first can help you get the information that matters most to your professional and business development.

​Look at the list of chapters. Read those that appeal to you or seem most appropriate to your circumstances. Of course, we recommend reading the rest of the book after your “most important” chapters and not just skipping it altogether. However, this way, you’ve gotten the most relevant information first, and you can decide if the rest is worth reading.

If you can’t remember the information, did you really read it? This question highlights how critical mindful reading (or listening) is. Stay engaged with your material so that you retain it by doing the following:

You can retain more information when it’s relevant to you. It should address something you need to use immediately or in the near future.

​There’s a time and place for reading fiction or non-fiction information for fun and long-range business challenges. However, choose material that matters to you right now to make the most of your limited time. If you’re an entrepreneur, books about entrepreneurship are most helpful. The information will stick more easily because you’ll use it immediately.

Take notes. You can write them down in a dedicated journal or an online note-taking tool. Computerized note-taking tools come in handy, helping you organize and search your notes faster. Many tools allow you to highlight, store, and organize notes in one place.

Be selective in your note-taking. Notes are most helpful when they are relatively short and sweet—otherwise, you spend too much time writing and re-reading them.

​Highlight the quotes that stick out to you, but stop and reconsider if every line or paragraph sounds good. Stick with the main points and a few remarkable quotes from the chapters.

When you connect it to real-world situations or other literary ideas, information solidifies better in your brain. Ask yourself how the material relates or applies to your current circumstances. How can you use it?

​Also, consider how what you’ve just read relates to other material. How does it fit in with what you learned from another book? Or, how is it different? Is there a way that contrasting ideas can both be factual?

Try to summarize a book’s main points into about three sentences when you’re done reading it. Consider what you could say about this book to get someone interested. Also, how could you squeeze out the most essential information to help jog your memory about it?

The best way to remember anything is to turn around and teach it to someone else. Make it a dinner discussion, or record your thoughts for a future audience.

​Talking it out helps cement the information in your mind. Plus, you discover knowledge gaps as you teach it, which forces you to go back and fill in what you’ve missed or forgotten.

Creating a plan to use what you’ve learned helps you remember what you’ve learned. Putting an idea into practice makes the information more relevant. It’s hard to forget when it becomes a part of your life.

Book clubs help you get the most out of your reading. Members and leaders help call your attention to information you may have missed. They might repeat something you also found interesting or enlightening, further solidifying it in your memory. Also, a book club group can help you discover ways to apply what you’ve read and hold yourself accountable for implementing it into your life.

​Remember, the book club doesn’t have to be in person. You can find online book clubs that are applicable to you, such as an online book club about business, entrepreneurship, or mindset.

You do have time to read. As an entrepreneur, you can’t afford not to.

​Use the above tips to fit reading into your daily routine and retain more information. Stay consistent, and the learning will come. Happy reading!