Some people learn best by listening to teachers. Others work best from hands-on experience. I think I am in the minority in that I learn best from reading. It doesn’t apply only to abstract concepts, but also to practical matters.
Some of the things I’ve learned from books include replacing a flat tire, cooking, and kettlebell exercises. I then confirmed learning those skills by getting off the books and successfully doing them. It shows that you can learn practical hands-on skills from books.
Here’s how I do it. To effectively transfer knowledge from books to skills in real life, you have to read carefully. Pay attention to action items and instructions. Whenever the book suggests you do something, do it. Don’t just highlight it for later. You probably won’t get back to it. Do right after you read it. If it’s a more abstract concept, think about how you might use the knowledge to improve your life today. Integrate it into your daily routines. Whatever the knowledge is, if you can’t apply it to improve your life now, it is not useful.
As you read, visualize implementation. If a book describes an exercise, imagine yourself doing everything precisely as outlined in the book. If you’re reading a recipe, visualize all the steps you would take to prepare the dish.
Once you can integrate the knowledge into your life, and visualize how you would put it into action, then you effectively know the skill. All you have to do is go out and practice it.
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