Too Many Words, Too Little Time: Reading, Retention & Real-Life Learning

Episode 282: In this episode, Vonda admits her struggle with staying focused (and awake) while reading—and Lori steps in with practical, real-life strategies and successes for actually remembering what you read. From turning chapters into movies in your mind to handwritten notes and the power of audiobooks, they cover it all—plus, how these techniques apply not just to personal growth, but to leadership, training, and even flower shop handbooks. Whether you’re a highlighter hero or a “just give me the audio” type, this episode will help you learn smarter, not harder.

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

I would create mini movies in my head of what that would play out. And then during the test, I could replay that movie.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

And we believe the business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

So Lori, I need your expertise on something. Oh, what exactly am I an expert in? Oh, you're an expert at very many things. Okay. Many, many things. Okay. But this one. So you do a lot of reading, right? I do until I fall asleep. But yes. When I read, I have a hard time retaining. And maybe it is because I'm reading before I go to bed and I fall asleep. Yes. Sometimes they say when you fall asleep, you're supposed to retain things. But I need your expertise. What are some tips on what I can do to retain what I'm reading? If it's about flowers, I'm all in, right? I can remember that. But sometimes it's like, I really want to learn this. Then I walk away and I'm like, dang, I couldn't I really yeah, suck that in.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Right. Well, first of all, here's my theory on why you personally cannot retain or read. It is because you are a mover and a shaker, and you are busy doing everything else. Yes, that's true. You're more you again are the female version of Mart, my husband, and you are a spreadsheet, data driven. Go in the garage and make some arrangements, and then maybe let's sweep the garage, and then let's then maybe go move along and then let's go, let's get all this other stuff done. That's true. And then I'm gonna read when I lay down because you're not a relaxer, you're not a let's lay on the couch and watch Netflix kind of gal.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

That's so true.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

So part of it is just who God made you to be. And I challenge you to be okay with that.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

So and so is that why I'm better with the audiobooks? Because I can do that.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Yes. I think you actually retain the story better with the audiobook because you can go on a walk. Right. And and when you're out on a walk, you have no distractions.

unknown 2:42

True.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

You're like, oh, I don't have to check my email, I don't have to look at my computer, I don't have to design for flowers, I don't have to go fix food, I don't have to do these things.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Okay, fair. That's my theory. I like that. Thank you. You're giving me reasons, not excuses. No, no, not reasons why I have this challenge.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

It's just how your brain works, and I don't think it's a bad thing. It just is. Okay. Um, but there it is a challenge when it comes to having to read a book because it is like pulling teeth when I want you to read a book. It is true. It's very, very challenging, even when it's the short book, but you did it.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

The last book I did, and I really liked it.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

I really but I want you to confess to our listeners that you bought the actual book, yes, and it was a fiction, and what happened? I didn't read it.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

I had you're like too long, too big many words. Too many words. Small print, too many words. And first off, if I get a book and it is like that, I won't even I'm I I'm gonna turn it off. Nope. Sorry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just mentally shuts down.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Totally shut down. You don't, you you see what I'm saying? No, I'm not saying you're like, oh, I can't wait to get in a cozy chair and just get into this one. Okay. Especially if it's fiction, which that's the last fiction I've read. Right. You know, I get stuck into these stupid self-help leadership management books.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Which suck you in too, but in a whole different way.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

And make me go, man, I gotta be better. But when I told you, because you were going to Cabo, like, right, trust me on this. This is the book for you. Listen to it on audio. And I did got sucked in. That's totally sucked in. Yeah, we talked about every chapter. We were like, oh my gosh, I can't stop. I can't stop.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

It's so good. Oh my gosh, I'm I'm obsessed. I was totally obsessed. So anytime you have a book like that that you think I will listen to, don't make me read it, but that audio audiobook would be good.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Yeah, yeah. You know what's interesting is my daughter Bailey has become that way. Oh. Which is weird because she used to be a big, big, big reader, book reader. Uh-huh. And she was very anti-audiobook. And now she's kind of moved over to audiobook. I'm only audiobook in in the car. I love a good audiobook if I'm driving. Right. But I I'm not good at it just like willy-nilly in the house.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

Do you want a physical book? Are you uh um tablet? I'm a I like a physical book. That's my son Sarah. He has to have a physical book. I'm and he I think probably like you, he does highlight. He likes to highlight and take notes and yeah, and that's what this article, when I was reading it, which brought me to, hey, Lori, maybe you could help me on this. Yeah, is because he had these tips, and I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, it's kind of interesting to me. So and I'm like, Do you do these? And you're like, yeah. I'm like, okay, yeah, that's my best.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Yeah, I could have written this article, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

But no, not unfortunately. I think that's a good thing. Yeah, and because you read books, the self-help, you know, manager build leadership or empathetic books, and you take away so much from those books, which well, but that's not easy.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

I mean, that's why I do all these things. Yeah. Especially the older you get, or the older I get, it's not easy. My brain doesn't work the way it used to.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

The first one is totally what you just said. Stop allowing yourself to be pulled away.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Yeah, yeah, that's the hardest part. I think that's your number one issue. I mean, not issue, not bad thing, but when it comes to reading. Right. And it's it's really hard. I know for me, reading a book, like if we got off this podcast and I decided, oh, I'm gonna try to finish this Seth Godin book about it's just a little tiny book about marketing right here. I've had it for a long time, read it many years ago.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

I read that book too because you told me to get it.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Yeah, yeah. You probably have never even picked this sucker up. I picked it up and moved it from one shelf to another. You probably put it back into a cabinet. But Cameron Pappas from Norton's, he was reading it at NextGen, and I was like, oh my gosh, I need to reread that. And if I start reading this now at my desk in the middle of the day with both computer screens on, my phone turned on, I'd last maybe five minutes because the first email ding, the first text, the first whatever, I'm gonna get distracted. I will not retain any of it. Anything.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Okay, gotcha. No distractions.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

So if I would need to read something that pertains to work, and I feel like it needs to be done during the middle of the day, which very rarely, unless it's early morning, which is where I really like to do my reading, like before busy day part starts. I'll go sit over in my little flower chair, you know, here in my office. Uh-huh. Turn off all my notification stuff where I can't be distracted. Sit over there maybe for an hour and read.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Okay. I the end of this first one is I I read that and I'm like, oh well, this is so me. What have to constantly be asking yourself, how can I use this in my life? And if I can't, I'm like, oh forget. Yes. Yes. I don't I don't need to read this.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

How does this pertain to me? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

And that some of them I'm like, well, it doesn't. Well, but see, I do that. Every book I read is how does this affect a flower shop? How would this affect our members? Yeah. Every single book I pick up, let them, Mel Robbins, yeah, put everything a highlight in there. I'm like, how would this affect? And I usually have specific clickers in my head. I'm like, ooh, I need I wonder if they've read this part. Oh, I might need to sell them, like every time. That is my filter.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

So that book, let them.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

I don't have the book, but I have it on audio and I am listening to it.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Yeah. Yeah. That it's a hard one to get through.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Just little chunks. That's why that's why it's helping me is because it is right.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

It's audio. But I gotta highlight it.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Yeah, I can see why. I yeah. I could see that it would be helpful to have the book and to have that to go back to Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

Cause I go back and I highlight it and re-re-look at it a little bit, and it's it's one. But yes, this reading a nonfiction book and looking at it going, how is this gonna apply to me? Or in a lot of this, how does this apply to our flower click members or the our industry? Right, makes you more aware. We talk about self-awareness, yeah, makes me much more cognizant of what I'm reading. Yeah. It's like a heightening sense when you do it that way.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Do you highlight things and then put even a note of this reminds me of so-and-so, or something? Yeah, or sticky notes or something.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Or I will immediately screenshot it. If I have my phone next to me, I was like, ooh, that's important.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Okay. So okay, number two, it said pretend like you're watching a movie. This would be more like for fiction books, I would guess. Yes. According to memory research, visual images are a lot stickier in our brain than abstract stuff like random words. So whatever you're reading, try to visualize it as that was actually a memory of your own. 100%.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

I did this in college. This is how I would study. I would make this up. Yeah. So if I was reading chapters to study for a test, I would create mini movies in my head of what that would play out. And then during the test, I could replay that movie. And that's how I remember what the chapter was.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

That's fascinating. I have never heard that before. I didn't know that was a thing.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

I thought it was just the way my weird brain worked.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. You just you figure things out. But visual, or I mean, it's the same thing as taking, well, I think it's on down, but taking really good notes in class. I would memorize placement of the notes. And then during the test, I could close my eyes and remember where they were. And that's how I could know the answers where they were in my notebook.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Okay, Lori, we're going to take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. FlowerClick's expertise is your online store, your website. We create and professionally photograph current, trendy designs and add them to your website. Just like your physical shop, you have to change out the displays on your website. We do that for you. We merchandise the products on your website to entice customers to buy from you. It'll make you look great, you'll sell more at a higher price. And did I mention those are profitable designs? Your website is your best salesperson. And there's so much more to FlowerClick, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our tight-knit community of members. We have like-minded business owners who respect and really want to help one another. Our members are amazing, which drives us to do all we can for their success. Don't underestimate the power of what FlowerClick can do for you. Okay, so this is a really random comment. I watched Jeopardy, as you know, I'm a Jeopardy watcher. Yes, people, their eyes either close or they move them one way or another. And I think they're doing just that. They're probably visualizing 100% what that was. And you know, there's usually a little delay, and then you're pursuing you're visualizing it.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

That's how that's how we do it. Isn't that crazy? Yeah, they're watching their movie. Uh-huh. Watching your movie you made.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

I made a lot of movies, Vonda. You did, Lori. Is that crazy? Man. Okay, so the next one, handwrite interesting ideas you read. You have, yeah, and I know you do this. I have both, oh, I did wrote this down. Oh, I just wrote this down.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

So I wow.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

And I handwrite them, and that way I can remember what I wrote. That's also how I studied. I've done that since college, since high school. That's how I studied for the SATs and ACTs. It's just the first time I took my ACTs. I mean, stupid. I think I made like a 19. I did never study. And then I think I brought it up by eight or nine points by just handwriting, studying. Interesting. The next time. Yeah. And then that's all I said. That's how Bailey studies. She's studying, she's taking a six-hour test tomorrow, Saturday. I mean, by the time this is played, she'll have already taken it. And that's how she studies, handwrites, everything. So she can remember as she writes.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

It was interesting because the quote says Beethoven left behind an enormous number of sketchbooks, yet he said he never actually looked at them when he composed. Ask why he kept them. He reported, if I don't write it down immediately, I forget it right away. If I put it in a sketchbook, I'll never forget it, and I never have to look it up again.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Exactly. Exactly. If I write it, I'll never forget it. Because I'll visually remember that I wrote it. This is weird. That's how I used to memorize Bible verses.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

You would just write them down.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Write them down, and then I'll remember. Because I remember writing them. I remember every word that I wrote.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

So it makes you really question whether the youth these days who do everything typing on the computer, instead of writing it down, that's probably where there's a lack of memory.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

Hundred percent between that and not having to read a map.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah. Don't get me started. Oh, a map, map reading. Oh my God, I used to love to read a map.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

I know it. They don't know what an atlas is.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

I'm sure, Lori. But this one right here, they should know how important this is right here.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

I know it's to be able to actually study. I guess they have to come up with total different strategies. I mean, they have like Quizlet. I mean, then that's probably antiquated by now. I don't know what they use now.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

I think some schools still do that because I remember Campbell writing some stuff. And I'm doing, what are you doing? She said, I'm studying for my text. Note cards and things. Yeah. Yeah. So she she was still doing that. I think the girls were, but interesting. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Next one. Learn to fully interact with a book, which I'm sure you do that. That's where we're talking about underlining or highlighting the memorable things and then applying what you read.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Yeah. Well, this one, I was thinking about our prep schools, our sales prep 2.0, right? Interact with, I know the video part, but our sales prep guidebook, our workbook, which is phenomenal. You know, each day of prep school has entire chapters that go along with it to be able to interact back and forth. That's what when I was reading this one, I was like, that's exactly what that's for. That's why we did it.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

That's right. The teacher and you. There you go. Right. Fully interacting. So you're reading that workbook, you're interacting with the video, and then you're applying what you read. Right. It's really putting all those. And then the next one, Lori, gosh, when you redesign that, that's amazing. Teach somebody else what you've read.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

This is exactly why you redesigned it. I was like, this was my vision. That's why it has to fit. This is how people learn. So you didn't even have these actual steps, but you know I didn't know there were actual steps, but I knew this was the concept. Like, yeah, we gotta be able to have both.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

So people can do it.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

What was number five? Number five is apply what you read. And then number six is teach somebody else what you've read. And then number seven, review, review, review, or play, play. Yeah, practice.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

And that's what those challenges are.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Practice, practice, practice.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

What they are. And reteach, right? That's what in in teacher school they say you never really learn until you can actually reteach, reteach what you just learned. That's how you know you've actually learned that.

SPEAKER_01 19:15

Well, and that's the role-playing, really.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Because you're a hundred, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Another one of yours, yeah. Wow. That's really fascinating. Yeah. And that's you. You you do this all the time. And I really have to get in a different space, right? If there's something I really do want to read and I don't want it on an audiobook, I'm going to have to apply myself. This to me doesn't come natural. Right. It totally makes sense. So I mean, with our workbook, that kind of stuff is easy for me, right? To follow directions. If you're going to run a flower room, you need to do this, and then you need to do that. And then you have to teach somebody else how to do it. Those whole steps can be applied to leadership too.

SPEAKER_00 20:02

A hundred percent. Well, and all of this is important, not just in books, but when you're creating guidelines for your flower shop, right? Or guidebooks or handbooks or whatever you want to call them. I know a lot of florists out there, it was in one of the Facebook groups just recently wanting to redo their standards or their guidebooks. And the issue that people have is the problem of assumption. And knowing this kind of information here that we just walked through could be really helpful when creating those guidebooks.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Right. And then nowadays we know you can put that in AI and it's going to generate something for you. But then you can't just go, oh, well, here we have it. That's, I think, the problem that is happening with AI sometimes is that we're taking that for gospel instead of now. Let's apply some common sense to what is being spit out from AI. And again, like this reassess, does it follow the steps? Does it make it so that the person can retain? Right. I agree.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

I agree. I wonder how many people nowadays actually take the time to read a book, though. That's a good question. I'm sure there's case studies out there. Are there more readers now than there were a decade ago, or are there less?

SPEAKER_01 21:48

I'm kind of out of this right now, but do schools still encourage so many books per semester? Right. Right. And we used to get a certificate for a person can pizza.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Yeah. I saw a TikTok the other day and I laughed so hard because I was like, man, it was someone he was probably in his 30s, 35, and he does book reviews on TikTok. I follow a lot of gut people that do book reviews. And he did a thing where he was like, just order myself a pizza because I read 10 books. I love it. I love it. That's so true. So true. I read my 10 books this month. I just ordered Pizza Hut.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

And is it? But you know, you think how brilliant that was at Pizza Hut, right? Because the association for us is like, Yeah, I loved it.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

It made me giggle. But I was like, oh, what a memory. I remember having to sign off on all of that for my kids, you know. I get a coupon, I get a free pizza. Like it was that one little personal pizza, but then we had to go buy all the other pizzas for the rest of the family. But it was totally worth it.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

Totally worth it. And because I didn't have to cook. So anybody who's listening, drop comments in whenever you see this, post it somewhere if if your children still get an incentive for reading books at school. I want to know. That's very interesting. That would be great. I love it. So I think so. We gotta do something to encourage book reading, don't we?

SPEAKER_00 23:19

I think so. For me, it is. It's a nice thing to get away for a little while, you know, in your mind. For one hour.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

And then it goes into more, but that's okay. It's a lot to learn. Wow. So we encourage you to read your books and do what Lori does.

unknown 23:38

Yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Don't do what Vonda does. Do what Lori does. She's got it down. She's got this. You'll figure it out. No, I'll just keep listening. I'll just listen to my book. That's reading a book. And then, yeah. It's reading a book for me. So all right, Lori.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Thanks for sharing. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

So please come back and join us to discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business.