People need to read more.
On reflection the worse advice I’ve heard on reading is you shouldn’t read dozens of books, instead you should pick one, study it from page to page and work on applying that advice.
This is the fundamental flaw of the self-improvement mindset killing the joy out of pretty much anything it gets a hold of.
Whatever happened to just reading for… get this… as an escape?
I’m aware hustle culture doesn’t care about doing things that are for nothing but simple mindless pleasure, but turning everything into an exercise on the pursuit of growth takes away the possibility of being able to enjoy anything.
Achieve mastery over one book is such a terrible take because it increases the chance of analysis paralysis – the inability to make a decision, because if your mindset is that you need to study your next book into application, then you want it to be something good and worthy you can use.
There goes reading any fiction as what’s the point in looking at the words that are figments of someone’s imagination.
And forget my favourite subject history, as although you can learn from the past, what can I guarantee within my improvement by reading a complete history of the British Navy?
Instead I’m looking for that perfect book, the one that will make me more effective at my job, or make more money, or turn me into a more complete self-actualised person.
During that impossible search the result is not reading an actual book in over a year.
I’ve justified in the past the using by social media I actually am getting good reading in, but really it’s a crowded cesspit of noise, irrational hatred, vanity, negativity and a multitude of tid-bit advice that I never will use.
As a source of reading social media is not ideal for your wellbeing.
Getting back into reading
By not reading, I’m out of the habit of picking up a book that can sustain my interest – reaching the bottom of a page is a challenge in itself.
My way of getting back has been to just pick up a book and not hold myself to any obligation that I will read it cover to cover.
A challenging book that has been staring me down on the shelf for a while is Empire of the Deep: The Rise and Fall of the British Navy, by Ben Wilson.
With it’s 600+ pages, it’s scary to make the time and effort commitment.
To get through this my solution has been to focus on speed reading, no “focus on applying one book” crap, you’re supposed to be doing this for recreation, not homework.
With this approach I’m able to skim through the pages at a decent pace, slowing down for the interesting parts that capture my attention.
Conclusion – just read more, okay?
Pick up that book.
Read one, two, or however many you please without concern that you’re going to be tested on your ability to recite it’s content verbatim.
Skip and read that one chapter that takes your interest, or jump to the back to see how it all ends.
Start the book, and if it’s not doing anything for you, give yourself permission to stop and read the next.
Be a literary bigamist and have several books on the go at once.
Reread your favourite or make an impulse purchase from a charity shop bargain.
Go to another world with fantasy fiction, or stay closer to home, grounded and learn a practical skill for use around the house.
Read at home, on your commute, or on the john.
Spend a lazy summer afternoon curled up letting your mind drift away in the works of someone else’s imagination or grab a quick 10 minutes where you can between looking after the kids.
Just frigging read!
Wishing you the best in your success
James @Perfect Manifesto
Perfect Manifesto 
When I was needing the personal development books the most, my mind was least able to focus. The stress took it all out of me. The jumping around method worked well for my brain, and even if all I could do was learn 1 new thing, that was 1 more thing than I had before. I found that by putting those small things into practice, I gradually learned the skills I needed to start crawling, then walking. It’s a process!
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I’m a lifelong reader. It’s good to escape from this world.
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Yes – escapism is much needed from the world!
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Agree with your conclusions. I should read more. Books are for pleasure and enlightenment. I have trouble focussing on reading these days and generally have two on the go at any time. As a slow reader anyway (I struggle to skim read) it takes me a long time to finish a book. Nevertheless I’ll persevere so long as I am enjoying it. I haven’t really analysed a book since A level English literature at school. Some books do require more concentration than others though so I read those when I’m in the mood and relaxed. When I have a lot on my mind and want to escape, I will reach for fantasy fiction or a gritty thriller.
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Two on the go is fun as long as it doesn’t stop you reading…
My wife can read about 3 books for every one I complete – my pace is slow, and the time I read (at night) I find my eyes drifting to sleep after a few pages!
Thanks for your comment Paul 🙂
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Yup, I’m a skimmer myself when it comes to personal development, and if I see something that I feel catches my eye, I will stop and read in more depth. Not everyone likes to read a book front to back, poring over every word. I know when I wrote my books, I wrote in a way that people could jump around, and I specifically encouraged it, understanding that when people are raw or very stressed, the ability to do a straight read goes down to almost zero!
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With personal development I often have a look at contents first to see if there are any nuggets that jump out that I want to focus on.
I quite like the format of making it friendly for people to jump about – clear chapter titles, headings, clear introductions/conclusions.
With a busy mind I’ve picked up a few interesting points.
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