Learning
Reading 52 books taught me to read fewer
Six that changed how I work, and the forty-six I should have skipped.
Read for depth, not numbers
I once treated reading like a yearly challenge. Fifty-two books sounded like a meaningful target because it gave me something easy to measure: one book every week. But after reaching that pace, I realized that finishing a book and learning from it were two very different things.
Some books deserved to be read quickly. Others deserved to be paused, reread, highlighted, and discussed. The problem with chasing a number was that I started thinking about what I could finish next instead of what the current book was actually teaching me.
Key points:
Finishing a book doesn't guarantee learning.
Some books deserve slower reading.
Take notes on ideas worth remembering.
Rereading can be more valuable than moving on.
Measure what you retain, not just what you finish.
Read with a question
The best reading sessions usually begin with a question. When I know what I'm trying to understand, I notice different things, take better notes, and remember more of what I read.
That doesn't mean every book needs to become a research project. Sometimes the question is simply, “What can this teach me?” But having a reason to read makes it much easier to recognize what matters.
I also became more comfortable abandoning books. Finishing something simply because I started it is not always discipline. Sometimes the most useful decision is to put it down and spend those hours somewhere better.
Let books stay with you
Some books need an afternoon. Others need months. The most valuable ideas often become useful only after you've had time to connect them with your own experiences.
I began reading fewer books and keeping better notes. When an idea felt important, I'd stop and connect it to something I already knew. Sometimes I would spend an entire week with a few pages because they changed how I thought about a problem.
Reading less has therefore made reading feel bigger. There is more time to think, apply, question, and return to the ideas instead of simply collecting finished books.
