Eighty percent of the text is usually useless filler that editors ask authors to include.

When you're reading to learn—whether it's technical books, essays, or heavy articles—stop reading cover to cover. Leave the linear stuff for novels.

Don't waste your time; the goal is to extract the concentrated knowledge, because you’re going to forget the fluff anyway.

That’s how you really absorb ideas. Lean on AI for smart summaries. Use duck.ai

This “saving” of time allows you to think. Focus on reflecting on the content.

Here, take this prompt as a starting point:
"Review this text and remove all words that do not contribute to the central mechanism of the story. Use short, declarative sentences. If a word can be removed, remove it. No frills, no filler. Keep only the essentials. Submit it to me for review, and then: 1. Identify the three most valuable ideas and briefly explain why. 2. Reveal any unspoken assumptions or blind spots, and what you would change if they were wrong. 3. Find three ideas that challenge intelligently, that are credible but unexpected."