Learning by Doing

Ever picked up a book and never finished it? You’re not alone. Today, we’re diving into why doing often beats reading when it comes to learning, and how selective reading has revolutionized my approach to knowledge. You’ll discover why I rarely finish books, how I choose what to read based on expert recommendations, and why I focus on actionable learning to drive my business forward. Join me as we explore efficient and impactful learning strategies that could permanently change how you engage with books. Let’s get started.

0:34  

I’m Igor Kheifets and this is the List Building Lifestyle, the podcast for anyone who wants to build a wildly profitable email list working from home. If you’d like to make six figures, travel the world and help people improve their lives in the process, this podcast is for you. I also invite you to claim a free copy of my best selling book, the List Building Lifestyle Confessions of an Email Millionaire at igorsbook.com. Get the free book plus $3,000 Bonus packages that includes my best capture page templates, email swipe files, and traffic blueprints, visit www.igorsbook.com for details. And now it’s time to claim your list building lifestyle.

1:19  

I used to read a lot more than I read today. These days, I subscribe to the belief that you learn more by doing than by reading. I do watch a lot. And there’s no particular time in my routine when I do reading. It’s not like I wake up in the morning and I spend 37 minutes reading – I don’t have that. I tried setting a structure like that. But I find that the first couple of hours of every day are better invested into actually doing something, especially if it’s something that’s a needle mover for my business, you know, instead of telling you my routine, which there is none, I’ll tell you how I read. So I follow a few concepts that you would imagine, don’t make me a good reader, but actually are extremely helpful and do make me a good reader. First, it is rare for me to finish a book, out of the last 20 books I started, I must have finished two, because they were that good. Most books, I would open up, I would read the introduction, it usually skipped the introduction, I would read the first couple of chapters and I get the point. And I drop it, I move on to the next book. And if I like the concept, I explore the concept, but not necessarily through the book itself.

2:34  

Then another thing that I do is, sometimes I’ll buy the book, but I won’t read it right away. Sometimes it’ll have to sit there for six to 12 months before I come back to it. And the reason why is because I would hear someone recommend it, go get it. And then time will pass and maybe two or three other people will recommend the book, then I will go read it. Next, I usually read something that is recommended by people who I want to be more like or who I consider to be successful in their field. So in other words, let me put it this way, when Dan Kennedy says you should read a book.

3:13  

What’s it called? Blink Face Good Heart or something, basically a book from an Asian business guru, kind of explaining the Asian philosophy for business, right? So I go read that book, because Dan Kennedy is a great marketer, a really smart business person. And so I want to be more like him. I want to be successful in the long term with my business, I will go read that book. And that book I happen to have read. But if Dan Kennedy recommends me a book about

3:46  

losing weight or something, I won’t go read it because Dan Kennedy is fat. So who recommends what, is also an important idea. Another thing that I do is I implement fast. So if I’m reading a book, let’s say one of my all time favorite books that I read more than once is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss for reading your book. And I like the concept or idea or strategy that the book is sharing. I will go implement, I will literally drop the book and go implement it and not go back to the book until I’ve implemented this one concept. Another thing that I do is sometimes I don’t go reading the book, sometimes I’ll go get the summary of the book, it can usually be done by going on YouTube and just getting like watching a video about it. And if I like the summary, then I’ll go read the book. So this way I also kind of push away lots of material that otherwise would be taking up a lot of my mental bandwidth. I read on a Kindle on my computer and my phone and my computer. And my computer and phone were synced up which means if I started reading on my phone, but then I wanted to read it and my phone was downstairs and I’m upstairs on my computer, I’ll be in the computer and vice versa.

5:00  

So, that’s actually very convenient, because you don’t have to physically, you know, grab the book with you everywhere you go. And you don’t have to say, Oh, I really wanted to read, but I don’t have the book with me this way I can read anywhere. And I would squeeze in some reading in between, into like different dead time activities, that I consider to be dead time. Which basically means activities when I do not have to actively engage my brain and solve problems or otherwise engage with the surroundings, like, it’s gonna make me sound like a terrible father. But when I’m taking my son to the playground, and he’s four, and he’s like, busy playing in the playground and going up and down the slide. I really don’t have to use my brain a lot. You know, so if I don’t have to use my brain a lot, I’ll just sit on the bench and I’ll read, not a problem.

5:51  

So yeah, kinda like I treat reading, not so much as a primary activity I have to be doing, but rather as a helpful activity. But that’s today, the Igor before, like, Igor from the past, the less successful Igor, I was reading a lot. I was reading all the time, and I was constantly looking for books. And one thing I remember clearly is that I would have periods of focus, like for example, for like a year, I would only read copywriting books. For the next year, I would only read business strategy books. For the next year, I would only read self development books that are not necessarily business but more about leadership or you know how to make better decisions. Then there was a year when I was focused on reading books about psychology, mental health, you know, stuff like that. Then there was a period when I was reading investing books, and so on and so forth. So, depending on what I’m focused on that year, or what I’m focused on in life in general, the subject of my reading list will definitely change.

7:05  

Thank you for listening to the List Building Lifestyle, get access to the previous episodes transcript of today’s show, as well as other exclusive content at listbuildinglifestyleshow.com. Also, remember to claim your free copy of my best selling book at www.igorsbook.com. It explains how I made millions with list building starting from scratch. Plus, I’ll give you $3,000 worth of free bonuses, including my best landing page templates, email swipe files, and traffic blueprints. Go to www.igorsbook.com now to claim your free package.