Here is a belief I hold that most people underestimate: If you read 1 solid book every 2 months, retain just 5 percent, and fully implement 1 idea from each book, you will outperform 95 percent of your peers. Most people skim content. Very few people translate ideas from books into behavior in real life. It has to be a book. The depth matters.
One quote that resonates with me is that "Most people don't wanna know, they wanna do. But actually they don't wanna do either, they just wanna be." Reading thus has a role in reinforcing identity more than developing intelect. It's why sharing covers on social media is so popular. We also have a lot of data to prove it, since we are building Deepstash (and Paladin) where people share ideas from books. Reading long form is not natural for most. It's a recent phenomenon. Most people in history have not read a single page in their lives and I am to bet that if we were to dispense the feeling of moral superiority of book readers, the situation will not be vastly different.
Would you trade a book for a series of 10-15 peer-reviewed papers? Generally, books are easier, but papers give me the sensation of more profound questions, and while they can present conflicting conclusions between them, it can also raise the ability to question before believing. Books tend to be easier as they're easy to find, available in different formats (audible is amazing <3) but the fact that they generally present the view of only one author can make a case that it's not opening alleys to refutation or arguments.
What if you maintained a life system (for simplicity it could even exist as a Claude project).. and for that life system, you could upload book or podcast transcripts, and train it to pick out the elements, especially the deep ones that would have the greatest impact on your life system, and then suggest it to you and teach you how to implement?
Hi, I am fortunate to be blessed with very far-reaching ideas. I read books as a child and in middle school, but not excessively. I spent three years in Taiwan learning Chinese, which may have had an even greater influence. But yes, it is depth that counts, and it is advisable to engage with many different types of books and authors.
Would love to talk to you about this idea, if you have 10 minutes. I believe we can do better.
Yes! Deep reading and focused implementation set you apart. We can all read a book, but applying the knowledge is what truly drives success. Severin Hacker
Absolutely agree, that's usually how I learn new broad concepts. 5% retain rate is fair, there is usually a line or two from a good book that gets stuck with me for the rest of my life.
This is the appeal of a good long-form podcast. Many of the shows I listen to spend hours talking about one or two of the most powerful points from a recent book. Retaining 5 percent has never appealed to me.
Agreed, but sometimes takes me 3 months ;)
Do audiobooks count?