Reading is slowlane

[MoreVolume]

Reading is alright if you're using it to get the edge on competition. Reading about emerging social media platforms or finances is a dope thing.

If you're reading materials for coaching and mindset, you shouldn't be reading those at all. It's time lost, since there is a 90% chance that there is an audiobook version that you could be listening to instead. That way whenever you're settled you can spend that time executing or even listen to the content while executing your business.

i dont believe that at all bro
When I read I like to jot down notes, and sometimes re-read something that I think is very important, or unclear the first time I read it
I wouldn't be able to do that with an audiobook

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I posted this is another thread, but I'll post it here...

You are presented with a problem. Fixing the problem will get you started in a business, maybe make you a fortune.

The problem you have is this: What is 6 X 3? Or 6 multiplied by 3?

Assuming you don't know the answer, should you continue reading books? And if so, which book should be read next?

1) Think and Grow Rich
2) The Millionaire Fastlane
3) Zero to One by Peter Thiel
4) Arithmetic: The Basics
5) Build a Killer Business by Killing Social Media

 

[beaskew88]

i dont believe that at all bro
When I read I like to jot down notes, and sometimes re-read something that I think is very important, or unclear the first time I read it
I wouldn't be able to do that with an audiobook

What audio book have your encountered that you can't pause or rewind? When I listen to audio books in the car, I just use voice dictation to create at note or I save the note in a voice memo. I can consume these materials and create notes during my morning drive, leaving my time as home solely for executing ideas.

However, if you just have a strong preference towards reading, I completely understand. I'm a strong auditory learner which makes me lean towards just wanting to hear material instead of physically reading. There's nothing wrong with different learning styles, it's all about doing what's best for you.

 

[Striver]

I admit, reading too much on how to make money is definitely distracting me from making money. But at least I try to ONLY read things that will help me make money.

 

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[Siberia]

EXCELLENT STRIVER........
because now you read only the "RIGHT THINGS" ....... and you have distanced themselves from the boring very boring noise of useless things.

 

[Striver]

I try to stay on track!

 

[Siberia]

You already stay on track ..... I am sure, tomorrow in your local time, you will have a great day.

 

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[Evil_Jester]

I don't read anymore. I listen to audiobooks when driving. It's unbelievable how quickly I go through books now

 

[jsk29]

This is targeted toward startup founders but it applies to all industries.

100% agree with his points:

http://www.softwarebyrob.com/2010/08/05/why-startup-founders-should-stop-reading-business-books/

 

[LucasJames]

I posted this is another thread, but I'll post it here...

You are presented with a problem. Fixing the problem will get you started in a business, maybe make you a fortune.

The problem you have is this: What is 6 X 3? Or 6 multiplied by 3?

Assuming you don't know the answer, should you continue reading books? And if so, which book should be read next?

1) Think and Grow Rich
2) The Millionaire Fastlane
3) Zero to One by Peter Thiel
4) Arithmetic: The Basics
5) Build a Killer Business by Killing Social Media

So dont seek answers to questions that havent been asked of you. Read what applies to your current situation or the current problem you face.

If you go looking for information that isnt applicable to your current situation, then you are wasting time, when you could be taking action.

 

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[stoltzk]

TV is slow lane.

TV is not slow lane, its moon walking.

 

[mowealth]

So to all of you reading books right now, put it down and start executing.

Reading isn't slowlane. Inaction is.

 

[Siberia]

TV is not slow lane, its moon walking.

STOLTZK
your phrase is more' poetic I've ever read about the TV.

Oh yeah ..... moon walking!!!

Please continue to walk on the moon as well.

I imagine the scene: you on your couch, cola, beer, hamburger, the lunar screen ......

Fantastic

A very sweet time: blonde, brunette....

Instead of fig leaf a $100 $

Moon walking?

But ..... but it is a walk!!!!!

Dear Friend guess where you usually walk or stroll ....

in SLOWLANE of course!!!

I prefer to overtake you by side with my Ferrari in the magical FASTLANE ....

Looking at the lunar screen of his thrilling dash.

 

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[GMSI7D]

I see a lot of readers and reading threads on the forums. Guess what? Reading is slowlane. Why? Because it's an easy trap that makes you think you're accomplishing something.

You should read because you have problems within your daily fastlane actions, period. You're searching for an answer to an execution problem, not searching for the next rush of enlightenment that leads to no action.

So to all of you reading books right now, put it down and start executing.

LOL. this title is awesome.

by the way, don't be scared that people read too much while doing nothing

because very few people really read at all in 2017

i am talking about real books , not romance, novels books and all this crap


only 3 % of american people own a public library card

when i go to my favourite library, i can always find what i want because nobody cares

i just bought a very important and rare book for only 20 buck because nobody cares


it is a blessing because all this power will be used when time comes


masters vs pawns : 1-0 checkmate

 

[ToySoldier]

I see a lot of readers and reading threads on the forums. Guess what? Reading is slowlane. Why? Because it's an easy trap that makes you think you're accomplishing something.

You should read because you have problems within your daily fastlane actions, period. You're searching for an answer to an execution problem, not searching for the next rush of enlightenment that leads to no action.

So to all of you reading books right now, put it down and start executing.

I don't think everything you do needs to be "fastlane" per se. Reading is one of those things that I do during my downtime that either makes me happy, or helps improve my productivity in the future. While I agree with you that far too many people consume books and never act, I wouldn't call reading a trap.

 

[Frankie Relax]

I think that, except few notable exceptions (of course, TMF is one of those! ) , reading is a total waste of time, money and effort.

Why? Because reading is a consumer-mind action. Real producers don't read, thay sell books people read (and maybe buy...)

I published 10 books. Well, I'm not getting rich with them, but sometimes I get some sales and that's good because it is basically passive income.

Instead, I read more 1000 books and - besides the exceptions already mentioned above - none of them enriched me. I'd say, approximately, that about 90% of them were a total crap. Obviously, starting with school books!

What if, instead of reading 1000 and publishing 10 books, I had done the exact opposite, publishing 1000 and reading 10? I guess I would be far richer now.

Thus, if you read - almost always - the only people to earn on it are the author, the publishing company (if not self-published) and the bookstore (if not sold autonomously by the author).

It's the same ol' story. The producer mindset vs. the consumer mindset.

 

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[policebaton]

I think I get your point, and like the beginning responses touched on... a lot of books are sooo watered down it really stinks. It's just because large publishing companies know that around 300 pages is the most profitable middle ground for most books. It's no coincidence that most books are around that length lol.

But there are some that aren't watered down with stories, and are either 150 or even 500 pages jam packed with goodies.

 

[Ultra Magnus]

Reading versus taking action, which is MOAR fastlane?

Breathing versus eating, which is better and why?

DISCUSS!!!1

/rant

 

[Frankie Relax]

Reading versus taking action, which is MOAR fastlane?

Breathing versus eating, which is better and why?

DISCUSS!!!1

/rant

I don't get your analogy. Breathing and eating are both necessary to live (well, there are people who think it's possible to live without food: Inedia - Wikipedia ... )

 

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[Ultra Magnus]

I don't get your analogy. Breathing and eating are both necessary to live (well, there are people who think it's possible to live without food: Inedia - Wikipedia ... )

That's exactly the point.

If you want to make a million bucks by running a business and you think you'll be able to avoid either, then you're in for a nasty surprise.

You have to read AND you have to take action on what you read, or your big dreams will become roadkill. Business isn't easy. Unless you can tell me you already know everything you need to know to start and run a company (legal, fiscal, operations, sales, management of your own people or those to whom you outsource your stuff), then you're gonna have to get that knowledge from somewhere.

Who cares if in the process you read a whole bunch of unnecessary shit, and at what point you'll read it? There is no reading list that was specifically composed to outline the path of your success. You gotta compile one on your own, and most likely you're going to make more than a few wrong choices. Who knows which exact idea, strategy or tactic will net you the biggest profits? You have to find out for yourself, even though it means sifting through a pile of useless info (that might've been just what others used to succeed).

Likewise, you will take action and it will lead you nowhere most of the time. Most of the time you'll be correcting your mistakes to find the path that works FOR YOU. Is sales a great event that will make you rich in an instant? More likely it will be a small, irregular trickle of orders, that grows and eventually becomes a river, maybe even a flood. The actions you take to make it grow will be varied, and most of them won't work at all. Does that mean you shouldn't take any action?

Is researching important aspects of your business reading or taking action?

What's the point of juxtaposing the two? It's a false dichotomy. They're both sides of the same coin that builds your financial wealth. In the saving account of your success, it will be accompanied by other such building blocks:

- Rejection (by vendors, manufacturers or prospects)
- Long hours
- Tedious work
- Ridicule and criticism from people who don't like what you're offering and feel the need to tell you all about it on the Internet
- Financial risk (which you might be able to justify to yourself, but which might be a hard sell for your spouse)
- Explaining yourself to the relevant authorities (e.g. justifying business expenses for the purposes of VAT refunds in the EU)
- Paying taxes on your paltry newbie profits
- Spending less time goofing around with your best buddies
- And more!

I could go on, but I hope you can understand the motivation for my previous sarcasm.

 

[Invictus]

I posted this is another thread, but I'll post it here...

You are presented with a problem. Fixing the problem will get you started in a business, maybe make you a fortune.

The problem you have is this: What is 6 X 3? Or 6 multiplied by 3?

Assuming you don't know the answer, should you continue reading books? And if so, which book should be read next?

1) Think and Grow Rich
2) The Millionaire Fastlane
3) Zero to One by Peter Thiel
4) Arithmetic: The Basics
5) Build a Killer Business by Killing Social Media

Not sure if it already was, but this post should be featured IMO.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Not sure if it already was, but this post should be featured IMO.

Done. In anything, it needs to be stickied.

 

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[Ecom man]

IMO the internet has taken the place of reading actual books. Except for a few books that I read in January when on vacation I haven't read a book at all this year. Have I read? Absolutely! I've spent hundreds of hours reading about marketing, SEO, Adwords optimizations, etc, etc, etc. Where did I read all of that info? The Internet.

 

[Karri]

Dan Pena once said "Reading is an excuse for not pulling the trigger"

That quote was a wake-up-call for me. I've read hundreds of books
- mostly self-help, business, science, classics etc. A few years ago I noticed
that although I had read all these books, there was no forward momentum in my life
where I was using the information. I was really caught in an analysis paralysis,
and had a false sense of accomplishment because of reading.
Reading probably got you into the fastlane.

And dont get me wrong, we should all be grateful for living in this era of information.

BUT our society overvalues readers, "dont watch tv, read a good book" "read the news" is what
you're told. Like reading a fictional story is any better than watching a soap-opera.
Thinkers and those who can hold an intelligent discourse are seen as top tier in our hierarchy -
Doers not so much..

Despite the fact that those who dirty their hands and put in the work - provide the basic foundation for this
kind of infrastructure to even exist. Knowing too much, or thinking that you know - can be a hindrance too.
Believing in something firmly makes the mind rigid - and makes it harder to think outside the box. Questioning your
own beliefs creates cognitive dissonance.

Henry Ford's engineers said to him that it's impossible to build an engine
with the eight cylinders in one block. Ford said "Produce it anyway"..the rest is history. This is a prime example where the engineers who "knew" better because of their education and booksmarts that something was impossible. So reading can also limit you.

One of the best experiments for a book-junkie like me has been the "not reading the news" experiment, coined by the serial entrepreneur Peter Sage.
I've not read any news for a year now, and it has been one of the best decisions in my life. If something is worth knowing, people will discuss about it anyway..
"How do you know what's happening then", well everything's happening anyway - I don't need to fill my mind with war zone news from around the world. News rarely benefit your sphere of reality, or business. This experiment has made my focus even more action-oriented, since there's no useless clutter in my mind.

I highly recommend audiobooks, since you can listen to them almost anywhere. Nowadays my life is 80% action, 20% reading, and I can guarantee its way more impactful than the 80% reading 20% action way which I used to live...

Reading and constantly growing as a person is a virtue, but only if you apply what you know in the real world - and bring value to those around you.
So please remember to pull the trigger!

 

[Rickchise23]

I see a lot of readers and reading threads on the forums. Guess what? Reading is slowlane. Why? Because it's an easy trap that makes you think you're accomplishing something.

You should read because you have problems within your daily fastlane actions, period. You're searching for an answer to an execution problem, not searching for the next rush of enlightenment that leads to no action.

So to all of you reading books right now, put it down and start executing.

I understand what you are saying, but respectfully disagree. While getting bogged down by every business book or Gary Vee video can be counterproductive I think that there is a natural progression that many entrepreneurs must make in order to go into something in the right frame of mind.

Of course, part of what you are saying is true, without no action and execution, you will get absolutely nowhere. However I think that there are alot of people out there who have decent jobs, families to take care of and ideas that they plan to execute. Getting in the right state of mind, learning about niches that may work or just studying case studies of other successful entrepreneurs is a vital primer for many first time entrepreneurs.

I know from personal experience that I tried the "massive action" approach and started new businesses that were successful, however I built them incorrectly, in a difficult niche that left me with no solid exit strategy.

I would propose that Reading AND implementing actionable steps that move your business forward on a daily basis is the ideal answer here. The truth is we all have time to do this. You can pound away at your business for 8 hours and then spend 2 hours reading, listening to podcast or taking a photoshop class that will give your the ideas and skills necessary to readjust or pivot your business into its best position.

I will say though when faced with the proposition of either reading or taking action, take action first. Good discussion here btw

 

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[Frankie Relax]

Dan Pena once said "Reading is an excuse for not pulling the trigger"

That quote was a wake-up-call for me. I've read hundreds of books
- mostly self-help, business, science, classics etc. A few years ago I noticed
that although I had read all these books, there was no forward momentum in my life
where I was using the information. I was really caught in an analysis paralysis,
and had a false sense of accomplishment because of reading.
Reading probably got you into the fastlane.

And dont get me wrong, we should all be grateful for living in this era of information.

BUT our society overvalues readers, "dont watch tv, read a good book" "read the news" is what
you're told. Like reading a fictional story is any better than watching a soap-opera.
Thinkers and those who can hold an intelligent discourse are seen as top tier in our hierarchy -
Doers not so much..

Despite the fact that those who dirty their hands and put in the work - provide the basic foundation for this
kind of infrastructure to even exist. Knowing too much, or thinking that you know - can be a hindrance too.
Believing in something firmly makes the mind rigid - and makes it harder to think outside the box. Questioning your
own beliefs creates cognitive dissonance.

Henry Ford's engineers said to him that it's impossible to build an engine
with the eight cylinders in one block. Ford said "Produce it anyway"..the rest is history. This is a prime example where the engineers who "knew" better because of their education and booksmarts that something was impossible. So reading can also limit you.

One of the best experiments for a book-junkie like me has been the "not reading the news" experiment, coined by the serial entrepreneur Peter Sage.
I've not read any news for a year now, and it has been one of the best decisions in my life. If something is worth knowing, people will discuss about it anyway..
"How do you know what's happening then", well everything's happening anyway - I don't need to fill my mind with war zone news from around the world. News rarely benefit your sphere of reality, or business. This experiment has made my focus even more action-oriented, since there's no useless clutter in my mind.

I highly recommend audiobooks, since you can listen to them almost anywhere. Nowadays my life is 80% action, 20% reading, and I can guarantee its way more impactful than the 80% reading 20% action way which I used to live...

Reading and constantly growing as a person is a virtue, but only if you apply what you know in the real world - and bring value to those around you.
So please remember to pull the trigger!

I totally agree with your post.

 

[MK1]

I understand your point but without reading I wouldn't be on this forum and I wouldn't know
about the fastlane.

 

[Omerroz]

you need to start from something..
if you read you can get the knowledge to your business

 

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