3-Step Reading Strategy Any Reader Can Follow To Accomplish More Goals In 2023

3-Step Reading Strategy Any Reader Can Follow To Accomplish More Goals In 2023

Welcome to 4 For Your Weekend!

Here are 4 powerful ideas to think about this weekend.

Quick Preview:

• Quote: Sitting quietly

• Life Strategy: Reading strategy for goals

• Article: More productivity = saying 'no'

• Book Recommendation: Discipline is Destiny

Quote:

Blaise was a wise man because this quote was from 1654, long before TV's, smartphones, 24/7 news, and all the other things that get in the way of us actually listening to our souls.

Don't be afraid to be bored. 

Life Strategy:

3-Step Reading Strategy Any Reader Can Follow To Accomplish More Goals In 2023

Elon Musk was asked how he learned to build rockets and replied, "I read books."

Reading books is the single greatest investment one can put into themselves. It cost very little. But the rewards are beyond anything measurable. Countless success stories from the beginning of time have recruited books into their lives to further their knowledge and increase their skills, success, wealth, and happiness.

Unfortunately, now more than ever, books are seen as something of the past, 'boring,' or something that time doesn't allow.

Tell that to the countless men and women who change their life trajectory by embracing that 'boredom' and making time for such an outdated activity.

You're already rolling your eyes if you aren't much of a reader. Fair enough. Many don't see the benefits of taking other people's wisdom and applying it to their life. But if you dare, this article will give you a plan that only requires 20-30 minutes daily to boost you closer to your goals.

Reading will fast-track any goal you have.

So how do you use something that seems pointless to many to change your trajectory exponentially?

Like anything else.  

• One step at a time.

• Backed by a solid plan.

• Small daily increments.

Here's a step-by-step reading guide for 2023 to accomplish more, live better, and build more wisdom for your life.

Step 1: Set 1-3 Goals For The Year

If you set more than three goals a year, you are drastically reducing the chances of accomplishing one of them.

You can accomplish many things in one year that are potentially set as goals, but prioritizing more than three is spreading yourself too thin. When you prioritize a singular goal, the amount of success you can achieve as a byproduct is substantial.

Prioritization produces laser focus.

Most people who set goals don't want to limit themselves—too often spreading themselves too thin.

But by prioritizing your goals, you set powerful intentions and set yourself up for an unbeatable focus. Use this laser to pick the books that will help you grow deep, not wide.  

Step 2: Create a Reading List to Accomplish Your Top Goals

If you want to accomplish a goal, you don't need all the information. You need the best information.

The greatest books of all time, in any category, are mashups of the books that came before them, which, more often than not, distill the very best lessons. Or, a book still standing decades later has evergreen wisdom within, which makes it a powerhouse.

Unfortunately, too many people think they need to read the 100 best books on a topic to become knowledgeable about that topic.

I understand. I've made the same mistake.

All this does is create overthinking, procrastination, and over-strategizing. I would never tell anyone not to read or stop short of gaining more wisdom, but to pursue your goals in 2023, limit how many you choose for each goal.

Step 3: Set Your Daily or Weekly Intentions for Your Reading

Never consider an unread book an enormous task, but rather as a journey to take on a few pages at a time.

Now, you've got your goals and the books that will help you achieve those big goals. This part of the equation is easy for some and more difficult for others. Taking time to read.

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Are you going to spend another year spinning your wheels toward those same goals? Or, will you let some wisdom of others, who've gone before you, help guide you and provide game-changing advice to apply to your endeavor?

The good news is there is no wrong amount of time or pages. Try ten pages a day and see where that takes you. Ten pages a day will probably take 20-30 minutes, if that, and is small enough to catch up on days you miss.

There you go—a reading plan to tackle your 2023 goals. 

TL;DR

1. Set 1-3 goals for 2023.

2. Select the only the best books to help with your goal.

3. Establish your intentional reading plan.

Article:

The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying No by James Clear

Productivity has been a pretty well-covered topic for several years now. It fuels a large section of the self-development genre. Almost all of us, myself included, have been forced to, at the least, evaluate our productivity.

But, along the same lines, as I've written before, productivity doesn't equal more. Or, at least, that's not how we become more successful at getting stuff done. If we truly want to become more productive, we have to become better at saying 'no.'

Book Recommendation:

Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control by Ryan Holiday

This is the second book of a four-book Stoic Virtues Series that Ryan is writing.  The first one, Courage is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave, was a great book to kick off the series.  As always, Ryan packs so much value into a short read, full of stories from history, sports, and of course, the ancient Stoics.

In Discipline is Destiny, Ryan uses examples like Lou Gehrig and Queen Elizabeth, to name a few, to show you the role discipline plays in shaping our life: who and what we become.  It opened my eyes to the importance of all aspects of my daily living, and I think it will do the same for you.

If you enjoy learning through stories, you'll love Ryan's writing, and I highly recommend any of his books.

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