Literary Gluttony—How to Consume More Books This Year 文字饕餮——今年如何多消化些书
Literary Gluttony
—How to Consume More Books This Year
文学饕餮——今年如何多消化些书
Scott H. Young
斯科特·H. 扬
作者简介
斯科特·H. 扬（Scott H. Young），美国著名大学生博主、网络撰稿人，文章主题多与工作效率、生活习惯、自我提升有关。他曾登上“该死的，要快乐！”（Be Happy Dammit!）脱口秀节目，写过《七大诀窍让你拥有无咖啡因的清醒早晨》（7 Tips for Morning Alertness Without the Caffein）等轻松的文章，并著有《苦读少，学得多》（Learn More, Study Less）一书。
本文于2008年1月8日刊发于lifehack.org网站。文中，作者提出了两个看似简单却不好回答的问题——“为什么要不嫌麻烦地多读书？”“今年如何多读些书？”文章语言平实，却道出了不少实用的读书小窍门，但愿能帮你轻松提升阅读量。
Over 40％ of Americans claim not to have read any books in the previous year. The survey was last conducted in 2002, and noted falling reading rates from previous years. I'm sure if you're reading through lifehack.org that you probably don't expect reading to stop after you graduate. Yet, with such dismal statistics, how can you beat the odds and read more books this year?
Why Bother Reading More?
I'm sure you've seen the advertisements where famous celebrities sit next to a stack of books they haven't read and tell you to read more. While I agree with the message, the posters take for granted that ordering you to read more is enough to convince you that you should bother.
I usually read 50-70 books each year and I believe it is one of the best investments of time and money I can make. But I wasn't really sold on the process of reading in my spare time until a few years ago. I might only have read four of five books outside of class in 2002. My decision to build the habit of reading more books came from being sold on the benefits of reading more. Here are some of the reasons to start:
Knowledge.
It only takes reading 10-20 books on a subject until you know more on that topic than most of the population. Read 200-300 books on a subject and you're an expert.
Flow.
Unlike the passive activity of television, reading takes mental effort. This mental effort results in keeping your mind sharp and engaged.
Self-improvement.
A book doesn't have to be in the self-help aisle in order to give you ideas for improvement. Great works of fiction, books on science, culture and philosophy are full of ideas that you can't get just from skimming an online article.
Awareness.
What's happening in the world? What trends are continuing into the future? Where is the world headed? Unfortunately just flicking through the 24-hour news programs on television are more likely to give you advice on the latest antics of Britney Spears than a broad perspective on the world.
Power.
Ignorance is not bliss. You can't change something you don't know about. Learning about yourself, science, culture and the world as a whole gives you a power most people lack—awareness.
Pride.
Not the most noble of benefits, but it still is a plus. Reading classic works of literature gives you the ability to know what people are referring to when they reference ideas like “doublethink”or quote Shakespeare.
Changed outlook.
This one is harder to realize until after you've read a few dozen books, but reading great books can completely change your outlook on life. Books force you to think, and while you may feel you're doing a good job of that already, they can make you think in ways you hadn't even considered.
There are many other reasons for reading and I suggest you come up with your own. But wanting to read more (like wanting to exercise, drink less or get promoted) doesn't make it so. Reading more books requires forming the right habits so that reading becomes an automatic activity, rather than a chore.
How to Read More Books This Year?
Here are a few tips for boosting the amount of books you can read:
Speed-reading.
Speed-reading has been attacked by all sorts of people for being fake, compromising understanding or based on junk-science. I think this is based on the misconception that speed-reading is all about a magical technique that allows you to blur through pages, rather than plain, common-sense habits to make reading faster. There are entire books on speed reading, but here are a few tips that have stuck with me since I first learned to speed read a few years ago:
Use a pointer.
Run your index finger beneath the text on the page. This keeps your eyes focused on a specific point on the page. After a week or two of adapting to using your finger, this can boost your reading rate considerably.
Practice read.
Practice reading means “reading”slightly faster than you can actually comprehend. While you won't get any new information from practice reading, this trains you to read without needing to sub vocalize (repeat the words in your head).
Start a morning ritual.
Recently I decided to set aside time for reading each morning. Following when I wake up at 5:30, I read for an hour and a half. This lets me squeeze in reading time on a schedule that would otherwise be too busy during the day. Even if you can only devote 15-30 minutes of reading each morning you can read 20-30 books each year.
One book at a time.
Trying to multi-task between books is wasting your time. My rule is that I should continue reading one book until I finish it, or decide to quit it entirely. Putting one book on hold to start another just crowds your to-do list.
Carry a book with you.
If you plan on going anywhere, keep a book with you and you can read if you are forced to wait. Throughout your day there are probably many moments where you have to wait for a few minutes in lines, during breaks or when traveling. Having a book with you means those moments aren't wasted.
Audio books.
Most popular books have audio versions. While the audio versions are more expensive (use the library), you can have something to play in your car when you are driving or in your iPod when walking around.
超过40％的美国人称自己在过去一年里没读过书。上次开展这个调查是在2002年，那时的阅读率与前些年相比已有明显下降。我确信，如果你读lifehack.org上的文章，你毕业后很可能不会停止阅读。然而，面对如此凄惨的统计数据，你怎么才能战胜不利条件，并在这一年里多读些书呢？
为何要不嫌麻烦地多读书？
相信你看过这样的广告：名人们坐在自己没读过的一堆书旁，告诉你要多读些书。我赞成他们传递的信息，但这类广告想当然地认为，命令你多读些书就足以说服你——你应该不嫌麻烦地去读书。
我通常每年读50～70本书，并相信这是时间和金钱的最佳投资方式之一。但实际上，直到几年前，我才接受用空闲时间读书这个观念。我2002年在课外读的书只有四五本。我决定培养多读书的习惯，是因为我接受了“多读有益”的想法。开始多读书的原因如下：
获取知识
你只要读10～20本关于某个主题的书，就会比大部分人都知道得多。读200～300本关于某个主题的书，你就成了这行的专家。
活跃思维
和看电视这种被动活动不同，阅读需要耗费脑力。这种脑力活动能让你保持思维敏锐、思想集中。
自我提升
不一定得是放在“自助类”架上的书才能让你获得自我提升的理念。伟大的小说和科学、文化、哲学类书籍都充满了你仅凭浏览网络文章无法获得的理念。
洞察世事
世界上正在发生什么事？未来事态将如何发展？整个世界将走向何方？不幸的是，每天24小时的电视新闻向你提供的很可能不是广阔的全球视野，而是布兰妮·斯皮尔斯1的最新八卦。
获得能力
无知并非福祉。你无法改变你不了解的事物。学着了解你自己、科学、文化和整个世界，它将赐予你一种大多数人都缺乏的能力——洞察力。
骄傲自豪
这不是最高尚的好处，但不失为加分的亮点。如果你读过经典文学作品，起码别人提及“双重思想”2或引用莎士比亚的名句时，你能知道他们在说什么。
改变看法
这一点比较难理解，除非你读过许多书。然而，阅读杰作可以彻底改变你对生活的看法。书籍迫使你去思考。你或许觉得自己现在很有想法，但它会让你用前所未有的方式进行思考。
此外还有很多阅读的理由，我建议你找到自己的理由。但只是“想要”多读些书（就像“想要”锻炼、“想要”少喝酒、“想要”升职一样）不会让愿望成真。要读更多的书，就要养成正确的习惯——让阅读成为自觉的行为，而非讨厌的事情。
今年如何多读些书？
以下是一些帮你提升阅读量的诀窍：
快速阅读
很多人抨击快速阅读，说它很虚伪、影响理解、以垃圾科学为基础。我想这是因为人们心存误解，认为快速阅读是能让人一目十行的神奇技巧，而不是提升读书速度的普通阅读习惯。谈快速阅读的书很多，下面则是我自己使用多年的一些诀窍：
用手指示
用食指点着书页上的文字。这能让你的目光集中在书页上的某一点。试着用手指这么边点边读，一两周后，你的阅读效率会有显著提升。
练习阅读
这意味着“阅读”的速度比你能理解的速度稍快一些。或许你从中得不到什么新知识，却可以改掉“默读”的习惯，不用再在头脑中重复每个单词。
开始晨读
最近，我决定每天早上挤出一点时间阅读。我每天5:30起床后，读一个半小时的书。这让我从忙碌的日程里挤出了阅读的时间，否则我白天太忙会没时间读书。即使你每天早上只能挤出15～30分钟的时间阅读，每年也能读上20～30本书。
每次一本
同时读几本书只会浪费时间。我的原则是坚持读一本书，一直读到最后一页或是我决定放弃时为止。一本书还没读完就开始读另一本，这样只会打乱你的读书计划。
随身带书
如果你准备去某处，随身带本书吧，将等待时刻变成阅读时光。一整天里，当排队等候、工间休息或在路上时，你很可能需要等待几分钟。随身带书意味着不会浪费那些时间。
有声读物
大多数畅销书都有“有声版”。虽说有声版比较昂贵（你可以从图书馆借阅），但你开车时可以在车上“听书”，散步时也可以用iPod“听书”。
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1．布兰妮·斯皮尔斯，昵称“小甜甜布兰妮”，美国流行歌手，以个性十足的青春气息和动感强劲的舞姿著称。
2．“双重思想”是乔治·奥威尔在政治讽喻名作《1984》中自造的新词，指一个人能同时接受两套相互矛盾的理论。
