Journal

3 entries for Monday, July 22, 2024

Speed Reading by Kam Knight on Blinkist.

[Note down every recent read and your reason for each; having clear purpose optimizes your perception and naturally goal-seeking tendencies for what’s relevant.]

[Perceive the outline or structure beforehand to give yourself a mental model to fill in as you read.]

[Shift your gaze to the spaces between words or slightly off center to use your peripheral vision.]

[Inhibit subvocalization by closing your mouth firmly, humming, or listening to instrumental music.]

[Having an idea of the author’s main message before reading helps move beyond a set of random words and into reinforcement of a larger concept. Reflect after each chapter on how the details support the main point. Mark new words and research them after each chapter to put them in better context.]

[Reduce eye strain with exercises such as: looking from side to side without moving your head, rolling them in a circle, or making figure eights.]

Capital by Karl Marx on Blinkist.

[Human labour transforms raw resources into commodities that have a ‘use value’ and ’exchange value’.]

[Work is a means to survive, rather than express creativity or humanity, and alienates workers from each other by forcing them to compete against one another for limited jobs.]

[Value comes from human labour, and transitioning entirely to mechanized labour generally reduces the rate of profit.]

Atomic Habits by James Clear on Blinkist.

[Habits compound when repeated but results are not noticeable day-to-day.]

[Focus on your trajectory instead of the result.]

[Habits are by being led from cues that triggers you to act, to cravings for a specific outcome, to responses that alleviate yhe craving, to an eventual reward that gives you a positive feeling.]

[Help strengthen your cue by changing your environment and implementing an intention or plan.]

[Bundle habits you avoid with ones you like.]