How to Read Magazines and Newspapers Faster and Better
By Josh Kruger
As a cellpreneur and/or writer you’re going to start feeling like you always are running out of time. There’s so much going on at your prison that you can’t find time to create, read, write, or get those pro- jects done, right? But you need to read so that you continue to devel- op new ideas and stay abreast of the newest developments in your field or genre. In this column I’d like to give you a tip that can help you speed up the process of reading magazines and newspapers. This will allow you to spend time on the projects that matter the most, i.e., bring in money!
During research for my book The Millionaire Prisoner, most of the prisoners I spoke to said that they only learn a few things from each magazine or newspaper they read. Since I’ve read numerous speed reading books I’ve had some ideas about cutting the time of reading down. The best tip and tactic for reading magazines and newspapers faster, I got from speed-reading expert Tony Buzan. It is the most profitable and productive one I’ve found. Here it is:
Go through the whole newspaper or magazine quickly. Just scan the headlines. As you do this, try to make a note of the articles you want to read. Pay attention to where the articles are located and to where they’re continued at.
Have a goal about what you’re trying to get out of the material. Stick to that goal. Don’t just read to read!
Read the articles you noticed or marked when you did your previous scanning.
Cut out any articles, photographs, and or comics that may be of use to you later on. Save these items. You’ll want to use them in future books, articles, or send them to your pen pals? (If you share your magazines and newspapers with other prisoners then you will have to wait to perform this step until they’re done with them.)
Throw out the rest of the newspaper or magazine as soon as possi- ble. Extract the gold from the mine, but get rid of the waste.
If you follow the above steps you will conquer more magazines and newspapers in a shorter period of time. You also won’t be filling your mind or cell with useless junk. One prisoner that I taught this trick to went so far as to make Saturday his “magazine day.” Throughout the week, he just scanned every magazine or newspaper he got using the above steps. Except he didn’t read the articles, he put them in a folder. On Saturday, he reads all the articles that he saved up over the week. That way, his week is free and he can pursue more im- portant studies.
Last but not least, unless you’re a copywriter or adman, don’t worry about the ads. They are filler fodder and can’t help you become a Millionaire Prisoner. Plus you’re in prison, what good is a new car or special at Burger King to you? Save time for the meaty reading, mass market magazines and newspapers are just the dessert.
No matter what you choose to do, do not spend all day reading a newspaper or magazine. Use the steps above and knock them out. These steps have been proven to increase your comprehension lev- els as well. You’ll retain much more knowledge than before. You should also try to read a speed reading book so you can read more in less time. Edward R. Hamilton has some good ones in their book catalogues. Another good book for cellpreneurs that I highly recom- mend is Dan S. Kennedy’s No B.S. Time Management for Entrepre- neurs, second edition. It will supply you with a lot of tips and teach you about the cost of your time. Always remember, hope is not a strategy, action is. So Begin!
Josh Kruger is the author of the upcoming book, The Millionaire Prisoner: How To Turn Prison Into A Stepping-Stone to Succe$$. You can reach him at millionaireprisoner@gmail.com. For more information on Josh Kruger, click here.
