Hello Reader,

When I studied in Brazil over a decade ago, my friends often mentioned the story of an “eccentric” professor (a real person).

Legend has it that he would travel to the countryside on weekends, without Internet or electricity (!).

He would bring a printed article he wanted to study and pen and paper for his reflections on theoretical math.

He would spend the weekend deeply engaging with that study, taking breaks, enjoying nature, and sleeping at sunset (remember, no electricity!).

Well... I don’t know how much of the legend is true, but as students, we would be daydreaming about a cabin in the woods and all the time in the world to read.

Fortunately, it was just a daydream.

I love walking in nature, but honestly, I also love my internet and electricity-driven lifestyle.

So, if you are like me, you don’t want to step away from your busy life to deeply engage with a source. You may also not have the whole weekend, but maybe 2 or 3 hours here and there. So what can we learn from this professor’s story?

Here are 3 things he did that anyone can do to remove friction from the reading process:

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1. When it is time to read, read

Searching is not reading.

Judging the quality of your sources is not reading.

Deciding which source to read is not reading.

Rather than leaving all of this for “reading time”, create systems that remove the friction from reading by having your sources ready beforehand.

For example:

• Leave little notes about why you are saving a source for "reading later" (is it for a project? Is it because of a topic? Could it provide insight on a question you have?)
• Keep your very high-quality must-read sources separated from "the rest".
• Keep a priority list in your actual to-read list(s).

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2. Turn off external distractions

You don’t need to go to a cabin in the woods.

Instead:

• Pause app notifications.
• Inform people around you that you prefer not to be disturbed.
• Use earphones or noise-cancelling headphones if you’re reading in a loud place (and that bothers you).
• If reading while commuting, set an alarm on your phone about 5 to 10 minutes before your estimated arrival so you don’t need to be checking all.the.time if you are arriving.

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3. Make it conversational

Don’t just read.

Instead, take notes on your reflections.

Here are some basic questions I ask my clients to reflect on:

• What did the author say?
• Why is it interesting to you?
• What is it relevant for?
• Is there anything puzzling (that you disagree with or can’t understand)?

The more you reflect and express the more likely you are to remember what you read and the more you will be able to connect it to the rest of your knowledge and experiences.

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Follow these 3 steps and you are already off to a good start.

Then, as you actively engage with your sources, you’ll begin noticing other points of friction related to your tools, methods, and mindset.

When that time comes, I would love to work with you to identify and eliminate the points of friction in your learning, thinking, and writing processes.

Reply to this email and let’s have a chat.

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Talk to you soon.

Until then, take care.

Bianca

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