To be an effective sight reader of music - to play music at sight and without preparation - you need to quickly analyze what's in front of you. You need to understand what's going on within the song, how one note moves to another, how what you do contributes to the next note - the function of things. Understanding life isn't much different.
To be a more effective you - understand the music that is your life. What are you trying to do? Who are you doing it for? Why is what you're doing useful for them? How does what you are doing now connect to the next thing you'll do? Do you have enough information - and are you gutsy enough - to take the next step?
The skill I have is a sought after and specialized skill. I am by far not the best - there are many, many, many much better than I. What makes me effective is not an innate gift - there is no gift for sight reading well. What makes me effective is that I have failed - A LOT - and I continue to fail. But, with each failure I learn more and more.
You have to practice.
