There is a difference between reading a book and studying a book. A big difference.

To read a book is to consume every sentence in that book, from cover to cover. It is going through the motions, processing every word the author has written. It is like showing up to the gym, or having a chat with your partner, or ticking off an item on your to-do list.

To study a book, on the other hand, is to truly absorb the mind of the author. You think about what you are reading, dialogue with the concepts in your mind, and see the connections and implications of every idea. To continue our analogies:

• You are not just going to the gym—you are present in every exercise, truly engaging your muscles, and giving your best.
• You are not just having a chat with your partner—you are engaging in a deep conversation, connecting at a level that moves you emotionally or stimulates you intellectually.
• You are not just ticking off a random item from your to-do list—you are doing something that matters, completing a task that moves the needle for you.

Reading a book is easy; listening to one is even easier. The commitment of energy and attention, albeit much higher than consuming videos, is still very limited. You are giving less of yourself, and therefore receiving less in return.

Studying books is hard. You need to read intently, pause often, and reflect patiently—striving to deeply understand the ideas and assimilate them. The commitment is much higher. You are giving more of yourself, and therefore you will receive more as well.

Make Time For Depth

There is nothing wrong with reading books—you can’t study every book you read. So some books will be for reading, while others will be for studying. But if you are just consuming books one after another, without ever stopping to truly study a handful of them, then you are missing out on a lot.

Many people secretly hope that they can avoid the hard work of studying books simply by reading more books. They are going for quantity over quality—a strategy that rarely makes sense in our modern world of limitless information.

Instead, embrace slow learning. Aim for quality and depth. In a world of endless shallow information, this is a true advantage.

In practical terms, here is my guideline: read as many books as you like, but make sure you study at least one book every six months. As the years pass, you will see that you will have gotten much more value from the few books you’ve studied than from the many books you’ve simply read.

How I Study Books

Let’s now move from the strategic to the tactical. How do we actually study a book?

Different people have different ways to go about it. Here is the way I study books, developed throughout my years of being led by my curiosity and search for wisdom. The methodology is the same, regardless of the format of the book (paper, digital, or audio).

Phase 1: Reading

If the book I’m reading is important enough to justify studying it, then I will read it slowly, highlight as I go, and take notes. I’ll also create a new document in my note-taking app of choice (Craft Docs) for saving highlights, notes, and to-do items from that book. Whenever I come across a new idea, I will pause the reading and take a few moments to digest that concept.

Even though I don’t have any particular structure for these reflections, here is what I am often considering in relation to the idea I’m digesting:

• What does this really mean?
• How does this link to the other things the author is saying?
• How does this compare with the other things I already know about this topic?
• Do I agree with this?
• Do I want to do anything about this? If so, what?

At this point I usually re-read the passage, sometimes more than once. I also find it helpful to pretend I’m explaining this new concept to somebody else, in my own words.

If the book is really dense, or if it’s a deep book on a topic I’m not so familiar with, I’ll find myself doing that every other page. Of course, this means that I’ll take longer to finish the book, which is fine. Remember, it’s about quality, not quantity!

As I’m reading, I’m also highlighting. Any passage that I find interesting, I highlight in yellow. If it’s a really strong passage that I want to make sure I remember, and review often, I’ll highlight it in orange. And if it’s a mind-blowing idea that I want to carve into my brain, I’ll highlight it red.

Phase 2: Studying

Once I’m finished with a book, I’ll then go and re-read all my highlights of that book, and re-organize all that information in my Craft note. If the author was thoughtful and the book structure was well planned, I’ll keep that same structure in my notes; otherwise, I’ll restructure it in a way that makes more sense for me.

At this point I’m consolidating notes, bringing together ideas that belong together, trimming out needless details and repetition, and expanding key concepts based on my own reflections. I’m thoroughly processing my learning from that book, and creating my own practical summary of it. From this point onward, I’ll typically not return to the book anymore, but only refer to my summary of it.

If there are things I don’t understand about the book, I do further research on the web, or in AI apps. If contacting the author is a possibility, I do that.

While Phase 1 is something I do for many books I read, Phase 2 I’ll do only for the books I want to study more deeply.

Phase 3: Implementing

I opened this article by saying that there is a difference between reading a book and studying a book. The two phases above cover what “studying a book” means to me.

Now, there is also a difference between studying a book and implementing a book. Reading a book is consuming ideas; studying a book is absorbing ideas; implementing a book is putting ideas into practice.

So if what I’m reading is a great personal development book or a great spiritual book, I will go a step further and structure my study of it with a focus on implementation.

Using my own summary of the book (Phase 2), I will identify action steps that I want to implement. An action step could be anything, such as:

• A new mindset, belief, or virtue to cultivate
• A new technique to try
• A habit to build or a habit to break
• Something to think more deeply about
• A topic to study further

To illustrate this point, here is an example of my summary and implementation notes for a personal development book I really liked (The ONE Thing, by Gary W. Keller).

Now, each action step needs to be integrated into my life—otherwise it will remain as simply a good idea or a nice intention. And without action, there is no transformation.

So, how do I do that?

• If the action step is a task, I will add it as a task in my to-do app (Things3), to be prioritized.
• If it is something to be done on a regular basis (such as a new habit or mindset), then I’ll take note of it in a place where I will see it often, and I’ll integrate it into my routine. That could mean including it as a recurring task in my to-do app or making it part of my Daily Plan.
• If it is something I need to come back to often but not daily, I’ll include it as part of my Weekly Review. This means that once a week I will again read that particular idea/practice, and re-affirm my intention to follow it.

If there is an online program, app, or workbook that can help me deepen and apply the book, I’ll potentially get it.

Phase 4: Revisiting

Some books are so powerful and deep, that we need to come back to them repeatedly, so we can fully absorb them. The way I do this is by adding a monthly task to myself to review the summary of the book.

When it’s time for that task, I then open the summary document that I created and review my notes on some of the chapters. While doing that, I reflect on how I am implementing (or maybe not yet implementing) those ideas, and what the next steps are for me.

Key Takeaways

Now, applying my own advice to this article, let me give you the key idea and action step.

Key idea: The books you read will benefit you a little; the books you study will benefit you a lot; the books you implement will change your life. Quality matters more than quantity. Learn slower but deeper.

Key action step: Choose one book that you read recently that is so good that it’s worth going deeper into it. Study it, following the four phases outlined in this article.

If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends.

And if you want a tool for better planning your day and doing weekly reviews—including for the purposes mentioned in this article—check out the Higher Mind app.