Brother -
The message today is simple. Read. Read things that you enjoy, so that you enjoy reading. Naval Ravikant changed my opinion on books from a vanity achievement metric (e.g., how many I've read), to learning concepts that I can apply to my daily life.
Since college, I've been an active reader. There are periods where I've read a lot and dry spells where I doom scroll social media instead. Upon reflection, these dry spells were marked by a common theme. I was struggling through a book I didn't like.
Giving yourself permission not to finish a book is tough. At first, I'd speed read sections I didn't like. Then I'd move to skim the pages for the sole purpose of turning them. Finally, I allowed myself to set it down. It was liberating. More books are published each day (~3k) than we will read in a lifetime. Life is too short to spend it reading something that doesn't pique our interest.
You should read the best book for you at any given time, where you want to dive in each chance you get. Freakonomics was the first book I remember devouring as an adult. This is the feeling you want when reading.
The benefits are profound. It makes us smarter at work and more interesting in our personal lives.
Our days are filled with noise. At work, it's constant email updates that are too long and self-promoting. Recently, a close colleague of mine started reading great books every morning before the workday began. It was noticeable. He elevated his thoughts above the rest of us. When I asked him about it, he stated,
"Yes - I'm starting my day reading words from Marcus Aurelius while you're opening up emails from XYZ."
Touché.
In personal life, what we read becomes a topic of conversation with our friends and partners. We are challenged to share concepts simply with someone who hasn't read the book. A more challenging task than it seems. The reward? A deeper understanding of the material you've read.
Some final tips that have helped me over the years.
The principle of reading before bed (even if it's just one page).
No TV in the bedroom (Netflix isn't as good on the laptop).
Realizing that most non-fiction books should be shorter (80/20 rule) - permitting me to skim past redundant parts
Understanding that finishing a book is optional.
Let me leave you with a quote and a question.
The books you read will profoundly change you, even though you'll forget the vast majority of what you read.
-David Perell
What was the last book you devoured?
Enjoy the dance,
Nate