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Gain 20 years of knowledge in 1 week

How to Compress Decades into Days – By Jim Kwik

• Do you believe that knowledge is power?
• Are you looking for the competitive edge in business and life?
• Have you thought about increasing your company’s collective intelligence?
• Would you like to know the secret to gaining two decades of knowledge in seven days (a millennium of knowledge in one year)?

”If you answered “Yes,” here’s the answer … Read one hour a day (If you are a Kwik Reader … read 10 to 30 minutes a day)

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” – Mark Twain

How could reading just an hour (or less) a day equal a thousand years of knowledge in just one year? It’s basic mathematics. Let’s say that an author has 20 years of expertise in his field. In that time, he or she has done intense research, made mistakes, figured out what works (and what doesn’t) and then puts those experiences, ideas, lessons and strategies into a book. If you were interested in that field, would you rather start from scratch, spend time, money and focus on trial and error OR invest a few hours and dollars and read the author’s book? Successful professionals know that we all have just 24 hours in a day. It’s how we leverage our time that makes the difference. Leaders believe knowledge is power. Intelligent people learn from others and thus learn to compress decades into days.

“A fool can learn from his own experience; the wise learn from the experience of others.” – Democritis

Now let’s say that you read a book a week and gain about 20 years of knowledge. How many years of knowledge is that in a year? Twenty years times fifty-two weeks in a year, equals over 1,000 years of knowledge. That’s leverage.

“All leaders must be readers.” – Harry Truman

“If you want your business to grow, you must grow.” – Jim Kwik

How to Read a Book a Week

“I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser than he was yesterday.” – Abraham Lincoln

Do you have unread books on your shelf? Here are seven (7) steps you can take to begin reading a book a week (or a book a month if you prefer).

1. Create and keep a reading book list. Choose books that provide high quality instruction and insight in the areas of professional or personal development that matter to you most (sales, marketing, finance, health, relationships, etc.). Update your book list regularly. Read book reviews or ask other successful people what they are reading.

“If we encountered a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he read.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Determine how long you need to read each day to finish an average book in one week. Example: Let’s say that the average reader (240 words per minute) can finish a book in about 6-7 hours. That is about 1 hour a day for a week. (If you read 1000 wpm, that would be about 15 minutes a day.)

“From candlelight to early bedtime, I read.” – Thomas Jefferson

1. Have scheduled reading time each day. Choose a time when you are most alert. Eliminate distractions.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

1. Commit to keeping to your schedule. This is your time. Treat it as important as a meeting with your boss or a key client.

“I must say that I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on , I go to the library and read a book.” – Groucho Marx

1. Enjoy the process. Reading is time for you to grow and invest in yourself. Do it until it becomes a habit. Remember that first we create our habits, and then our habits create us.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

1. Constantly strive to improve your reading ability. Reading (speed, focus, comprehension, and retention) is a learned skill that can be greatly improved with proper instruction and practice. To enhance your reading skill, seek a program that goes beyond skimming, that focuses on comprehension and retention, and that can effectively handle the reading challenge of subvocalization. (For more on subvocalization, refer to article “Information Overload – 4 Obstacles to Effective Business Reading.”)

“Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence, only in constant improvement and constant change.” – Tom Peters

1. Start Today. Power is the ability to take action. There is no better time then now.

“The road to someday, leads to the town of nowhere. Procrastination is the silent killer.” – Anthony Robbins

A dramatic increase in success does not always require a dramatic increase in effort. A first place horse can earn twice as much as a horse it beat by just a nose. A .333 batter can earn a million dollars more than a .250 hitter for just having one more hit every twelve at bat. Who has more value in the marketplace, the average adult who struggles with reading one book a year or the professional who reads ten to fifty? Commit to these seven steps and see that the more you can learn … the more you can earn.

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney

“Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant, and interesting.” – Aldous Huxley