Summary

The article outlines efficient reading techniques for programming books to enhance learning and comprehension.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of technical books in programming education despite the vast information available online. It suggests a strategic approach to reading, advocating for selective consumption of content rather than reading cover to cover. The author advises against memorization and understanding every detail, instead recommending to stop reading if uninterested, to actively use the knowledge gained, and to read with the intention of creating an action plan. The reading technique involves perusing the table of contents, reading selectively based on interest and understanding, and revisiting complex concepts after initial exposure. The author also encourages the use of Google searches and other resources to clarify difficult topics and suggests that effective reading is a key strategy for becoming a better programmer.

Opinions

Reading everything in a technical book is unnecessary; focus on what's relevant and interesting.
It's important to stop reading if you find the material boring, as it's likely you won't understand or retain it.
Reading should lead to actionable outcomes, such as implementing what you've learned or sharing summaries on social media or blogs.
The table of contents is a valuable guide for targeted reading, allowing you to skip parts that are less relevant or harder to understand.
When encountering difficult concepts, it's acceptable to skip them initially, look them up in other books, or use online resources for clarification.
Re-reading important or challenging books can lead to a better understanding over time.
Google searches can be a helpful tool for understanding complex topics, but should complement, not replace, systematic learning from books.
Effective reading strategies are likened to a "cheat code" for improving programming skills and should involve engaging with multiple books to internalize knowledge.

Read | Programming | Books

Reading Techniques That Will Make Your Technical Learning Efficient

My mindset and techniques.

Even though the amount of information on the Internet has increased, technical books are still essential for making programming learning more efficient. However, many people find it challenging to get started with so many books to read. Therefore, I will thoroughly explain reading techniques for learning programming in this article.

However, I want to state in advance that the techniques mentioned in this article are not a silver bullet that will suddenly make you able to read challenging books without any problems. I would be thrilled if you could use this as a reference as just one person’s opinion.

1. Mindset

Don’t read everything.

First, I will explain what you should not do when reading to make your studies more efficient. They are the following three.

Read a book in order from beginning to end
Memorize what is written in a book
Understand everything

If you stop doing these things, you can read much more efficiently. Don't read the whole thing if you’re reading a book to learn.

If you find it boring, stop reading.

This is also an important principle. If you read a book and find it boring, close it immediately. Time is far more critical than the price of the book. This is just my experience, but I can’t understand the content of a book that I once found boring. If you feel, even for a moment, that the book is uninteresting, immediately close it and do something else.

Don’t stop just reading it

If you only input information while reading, it will end in vain. If you read to learn, convert the content of the book you read into a concrete action plan that you can put to good use and then implement it. If that is difficult, post your thoughts and summaries on social media, blogs, etc. It doesn’t matter what you do, it is essential to leave your output in a way that is visible to you.

Don’t be satisfied with just reading. You should do your best to use the content of the books you read in your studies and work.

2. Technique

How to read

The reading method I use is as follows.

Peruse the table of contents.
Read what you are curious about or don’t understand from the table of contents.
If you get bored, read somewhere else

In most cases, 100% of what is written in a book will not be useful. When reading for learning purposes, it is important to read through it like a dictionary or reference. The necessary knowledge and ideas are only a tiny part of the book. Be sure to skip over the parts you are not interested in or don’t understand.

The first thing you should do when reading a book is to read the table of contents carefully. The table of contents lists all the contents and main points of the book. Read the table of contents and pick out the parts you are interested in or want to learn about.

What to do when you don’t understand

One of the most significant factors that raises the hurdle of reading is “what you don’t understand.” In particular, technical books use technical terms far more frequently than others. I’m sure many people just stop reading because they can’t understand anything and it becomes boring.

When you encounter something you don’t understand while reading, the following is an excellent way to deal with it.

Skip what you don’t understand or write it down in a book.
I don’t read books with too many things I don’t understand.

The most effective way to find out what you don’t understand is to refer to other books. Some books are like easy-to-understand textbooks, so use them like dictionaries. Even things you don’t understand after reading can be a valuable experience in reading. The important thing is not to pretend to read or understand.

Read many times

When reading a book for the first time, it is often difficult to understand the content. From the second time onwards, you will better grasp the overall picture, making it easier to understand the content.

If you find a book personally important or difficult but want to understand, you should read it more than once. By reflecting on the contents of a book and thinking about it carefully, you can appreciate the book more accurately.

Make full use of Google search.

If you’re having trouble understanding a particular concept or technique, one option is to search for that part on Google. Although much of the information on the internet is a mixed bag, there is also information that is very easy to understand and valuable, so make the most of it.

However, don’t put too much faith in information on the internet just because it’s easy. You should only use the Internet (Google search) as a supplement and use books to learn comprehensively and systematically.

Conclusion

Reading and mastering high-quality technical books will greatly improve your level of programming. In other words, learning how to read effectively is the best cheat code to becoming a better programmer.

Rather than carefully reading each book one by one, refer to multiple books and make the knowledge your own. If you continue reading, your experiences, knowledge, and new values will one day become a powerful weapon that no one else can imitate.