It’s very popular in highly educated circles to read a lot, and consume a lot of content, and people also love to show off about it. You know who you are. I’ve done it myself. Nothing wrong with a little bit of showing off ;). The pursuit of knowledge is considered one of the noblest pursuits in our society, and with good reason. Knowledge often leads to technological progress, cultural progress, and higher living standards. But is the the best way to gain a lot of knowledge just to read a lot of books and articles? Or is it to read fewer books and articles selectively with deep attention? You can see which way I’m going…
I want to call out today the difference between consuming content and retaining insights. You can consume a ton, and retain very little if you’re not careful in our information-rich world. Or you can read fewer books but really get the a lot of rich insight, wisdom and information.
A few years ago, I used to measure myself on how many books I read. The goal was to get through as many as quickly as possible, and to get through “smart-sounding” books just for the sake of having said I’d read something that was in the NY Times best-seller list, or that was on a “smart” topic like Artificial Intelligence.
My approach now is very different. The content out there is infinite. You cannot consume it all. And even if you could, you would not be able to retain it all. I have shifted this year into being more aware of how much I can retain, which topics I’m likely to retain, and what information is actually useful to me in the near future.
How can you improve your retention of useful information?
Read slow, annotate, take notes
Reading fast is BS. People love to show off about it, and to be fair, people truly have different natural speeds, but don’t try to force yourself to read faster than is comfortable for you. To rush through a book just for the sake of finishing it means you don’t get the full benefit out of the book. It takes time to digest new information. It also helps if you annotate your copy if you have a hard copy, underline it, and take notes as you go along, putting things in your own words. It’s like studying for an exam, but fun as you’re doing this voluntarily!
Revisit your notes
Too many people take notes and then never read them again. Periodically visit them to get the most benefit out of them! I have a growing stack of old journals and love going through them and reading quotes from books I read and also seeing what I was thinking back then (surprisingly little changes…!)
Cut out reading stuff that is gimmicky that you’re not really into
There were books like “How to organize your mind” which sounded really good from the title, but apparently did not work as a few years later, I can’t tell you a single thing I remember from it. A lot of bestsellers are faddish and about fashionable topics, but don’t really have a lot of substance to make them memorable. Quickly evaluate whether the book has substance or not, and throw out the passing fashions. Sometimes the oldest books which have stood the test of time are the best.
Reduce or cut out “Just In case” information
One of Tim Ferris’ guests pointed out the difference between “just-in-case” information and “just-in-time” information. “Just-in-case” information is when you start reading how-to-look-after-a-baby books 5 years before having a kid. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s not the most efficient use of your time to read how to change a diaper and then forget everything and then have to re-read it when it is actually relevant. “Just-in-time” information is when you read a baby book 3 months before a baby arrives. So one way to slim down the content you’re consuming is to cut out “just-in-case” information
Focus: figure out your goal from reading and then cut out stuff that doesn’t help you achieve the goal
“I would like to know everything about everything” is not a good goal, because you don’t have an infinite brain or infinite time on this earth. So firstly pick which topics you want to learn more about, ask yourself why (some times we want to just because we think we should, and not because of any connection to any of our values). If they stand the test of “why” then prioritize the topics. Are you reading for utility or pleasure? If utility, which topic is most helpful right now? If pleasure, which is most pleasurable? Then pick accordingly. A shorter list of books you are likely to get some lasting value out of is superior than having a laundry list of 100 books with no prioritization. Sure, document names as you get recommendations – I have the laundry list on my phone. But then go through and categorize and prioritize that list before you commit your time to reading something.
You don’t have to fight your mind to finish a book that you’re just not “feeling”
Just put it down if you’ve learnt enough, if it’s getting repetitive, if it’s dragging, if you feel like the most relevant points to you have been made, if you’re not in the mood for this one right now. There’s nothing morally wrong in not finishing a book or being part-way through many books at one time. I had this experience with Daniel Kahneman’s super-dense and well-regarded “Thinking Fast and Slow” which my book club had assigned. The academic style felt painful to read, I just stopped. No hard feelings towards myself.
Draw connections between different sources you read
A lot of good books and even blog posts are harping on the same ideas that others have already mentioned (this blog post also leverages a lot of thinking already out there). And that’s not a problem at all — applying a concept in a new way or to a different situation can be extremely valuable. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to get repetition for important concepts! Repetition is key for retention. But repetition can only be useful when you recognize it is repetition! If you think it’s a completely new idea (because of its new packaging), you lose the power of the repetition in helping you retain it. So firstly, think deeper to what the root idea is of the article or book you read, and then connect it to the others you’ve read. Your brain’s memory works through connections, so make them actively when you want to remember stuff.
For example, when I was reading “The subtle art of not giving a f*ck”, I realized the underlying philosophy is very similar to what Kara Lowentheil talks about in her amazing podcast “Unf*ck your brain”. The central thesis is that you can’t control many circumstances in your life and you can’t control other people’s thoughts or feelings, but you can control/choose your thoughts, which create your feelings. Recognizing that these two content sources were echoing the same underlying philosophy and connecting them in my mind has made this very helpful philosophy more memorable and powerful in my mind.
And in case you were wondering why this article felt a bit familiar — I will call out the underlying concept here: Quality, not quantity. A very widely known principle, applied to the topic of reading.
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