I love to read, but there are so many things to read: books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, micro-blogs, and more. No one has time to read everything.

I’m interested in how to get the most out of the time I spend reading. Since you’re reading right now, I assume you are too. So I thought I would share some choices that help me manage my reading to get the most out of it.

Choose a Motive

Why do you want to read? Is it for pleasure? To see other points of view? To help you grow spiritually? Would you rather see what you can learn or what flaws you can find? Do you want to read a book so that you can say you read a specific classic or to have something to discuss at a job interview? Not all reasons for reading are equal; be sure you are choosing good reasons to read. Then let your reasons for reading make a difference in other choices you make about reading.

Choose a few Formats

Different mediums have different qualities. I’ve made the choice to not read newspapers. Instead, I choose that my reading is going to be predominantly books and online articles. What types of things do you enjoy? What formats are most efficient for your goals?

Choose Quality

Quality doesn’t necessarily mean depth; breadth and depth both have a place. It doesn’t necessarily mean tediously edited. Quality articles may have grammatical errors or typos. Not everything that is written has the same value. Reading material with lasting value rather than faddishness maximizes benefit. Classics generally earn that label because they survive the test of time. Reviews can help determine whether or not something is worth reading before paying for it (or picking it up from the library).

Choose to Stop

If you aren’t getting as much as you would like out of your reading material, consider reading something else instead. It is ok to put a book down, one page in, half-way through, or even one chapter from the end. It is good to weed out blogs and magazines that aren’t consistently giving value. If you realize that you aren’t meeting your motive, find something that will.

Choose a Pace

You don’t have to read everything the same way. You might enjoy a quick read through a favorite piece of fiction, skim a blog article, or carefully consider each word in a weighty tome. How you read should be appropriate for what you want to get out of it.

I’m flattered that you chose to read my post, and I hope you found it worthwhile. Do you have any tips to share?