Reading
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Read 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius to reflect on life and harden yourself to face the world.
Applying its principles can make your outlook on life more pleasant.
- One reader questioned why an American would read about a Roman emperor.
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- Read Marcus Aurelius's 'Meditations' to shift your outlook toward what is useful.1
Listen to audiobooks while doing housework, commuting, working out, or driving.
It allows you to get through boring stuff and can double the number of books you read a month.
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- Combine audiobooks with physical activities like walking to make reading a natural habit.1
- Listen to audiobooks as an efficient way to consume content.1
Read the book 'Daring Greatly' by Brene Brown.
It may change your life.
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Read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning if you are feeling depressed.
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Read 'The Demon-Haunted World' by Carl Sagan if you are looking for a book that can change your life and broaden your mind.
One reader stated it changed their life.
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Read 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey.
Focus on acting on the few core ideas in self-help books rather than worrying about minor details.
Most of these books repeat a small number of concepts.
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Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for motivation and getting things done.
One person is always a fan of it for motivation and getting their ass in gear.
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- Read 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey.17
Read an Agatha Christie novel when in a reading slump.
It is an easy read.
- Based on one person's experience.
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Read 'The Artist's Way' if you are open to a potentially life-changing experience.
One person stated it changed their life.
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Read the book 'Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things'.
It can be eye-opening regarding consumerism, even if you do not have a hoarding problem.
- The book is not 100% about you if you do not have a hoarding problem.
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Read The Courage To Be Disliked.
It helps with accepting being thought foolish.
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Read 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' to identify which things are not worth worrying about.
It clarifies that certain things are simply not worth giving a fuck about.
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Read 'The Four Agreements' by Don Miguel Ruiz to find personal liberty and escape conditioned behaviors.
It discusses how humans are domesticated in a manner similar to dogs.
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If you are drifting in your 20s, read 'The Defining Decade' by Meg Jay to gain focus.
One person reported it brought things into focus and helped turn their life around.
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Read 'The Path' by Michael Puett to recognize that defining yourself as fixed limits your potential.
Finding yourself can limit you to one set of identity, whereas you are capable of more.
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Read biographies to learn from the stories of people who did great things.
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Read Carl Jung to aid in self-understanding.
It has helped a little bit for one person.
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Read 'The Family' followed by 'Shame', both by John Bradshaw.
One person found this sequence led to betterment.
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Focus on taking action on book concepts over reading more books, as execution creates change.
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- Focus on taking action over merely reading theoretical self-improvement literature, combining knowledge with action rather than staying in a theoretical paradigm.1
Read 'Successful Habits for dummies' by Dirk Zellar.
changed my life
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Read 'The 48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene to understand power dynamics, as some find his books helpful and impactful.
One reader found it had the most impact among books they listened to repeatedly.
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Read the book based on David Foster Wallace's speech to change your perspective on things.
It is described as a fantastic read that changes perspective if taken to heart.
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Read 'The Science of Stuck' by Britt Frank if you are feeling stuck.
It contains helpful condensed information.
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Read 'As a Man Thinketh' by James Allen to shift your perspective on life and execution.
One reader reported it completely changed their view on staying focused on what matters.
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Read 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' and 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'.
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- Read 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' for its classic themes on personal effectiveness.1
Read 'Untethered Soul' by Michael Singer.
It is described as exactly what you are looking for to quiet an overactive mind.
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Read 'The Hobbit' for its magical and optimistic influence.
One reader stated it influenced them more than any other book due to its magic and optimism.
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Read 'The Gifts of Imperfection' by Brené Brown to gain perspective on perfectionism.
It helps gain perspective on one's own perfectionism.
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Read original, non-fluffy versions of self-help concepts, such as Jules Payot's 'The Education of the Will'.
Original texts written long ago often lack modern marketing fluff.
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Read 'Essentialism' if you struggle with hopping between ambitions.
The book covers the issue of shifting focus.
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Read biographies, business, philosophy, or psychology books instead of self-help literature.
These genres help you build values better than self-help books.
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Read 'Outwitting the Devil' by Napoleon Hill to avoid drifting, keeping in mind that if you are not getting better, you are getting worse.
The concept of drifting helped one reader stay motivated by realizing that stagnation is equivalent to decline.
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Consider reading 'Double Your Dating', 'Science of Getting Rich', '50th Law', 'New Earth', 'Iron Will', 'The Law of Success', or 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People'.
These titles were recommended together by one source.
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Read 'Ego Is the Enemy' by Ryan Holiday to prevent self-sabotage by your ego and develop detachment.
It helped one reader prevent self-sabotage and develop detachment.
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Women should consider reading 'Untamed' by Glennon Doyle for an eye-opening perspective.
One source recommends it for every woman because it is eye-opening.
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Listen to the audiobook version of 'How to Stop Worrying and Start Living' by Carnegie for a calming experience.
The narrator is described as very calming.
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Read 'The Flinch' by Julien Smith, which is available for free online, as one person reported it changed their life perspective.
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Select books that are directly relevant to your current life circumstances.
This increases the likelihood of applying the knowledge and gaining wisdom.
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Recognize that some people build empires at older ages while others lose them, so your current age does not define your final outcome.
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Read books like 'The Happiness Hypothesis' or 'The Courage to be Disliked' for new perspectives.
They provide totally new perspectives.
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Introduce writings by Marcus Aurelius as an alternative to extremist ideologies.
One person reported this worked for their friend's son.
- Based on a single anecdotal report
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View reading as living multiple lifetimes through the experiences of others.
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Read 'Digital Fortress' by Dan Brown if you are interested in cryptography.
One person found it an interesting read due to their interest in cryptography.
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Read 'Freedom from Self' by Jiddu Krishnamurti slowly; one person found it a potent and profound read for self-improvement.
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Read '7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers' for a lighter tone with stories and illustrations.
The teenagers version carries a lighter tone compared to the adult version.
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Read 'Attached' by Amir Levine to start self-improvement if you are describing textbook avoidance behaviors.
It helps with self-awareness regarding avoidance.
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Read a book summarizing proven studies on learning and memory to apply practical methods for improvement.
The book summarizes repeated studies and offers advice based on their conclusions.
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Read Freakonomics to change how you compromise and view the decisions of others.
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Read 'Sapiens' by Harari for long-form non-fiction understanding of humanity and perspective.
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Read 'Great Expectations' by Dickens to expand your vocabulary.
One reader reported it genuinely expanded their vocabulary.
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Read Ishmael and The Celestine Prophecy for entertaining and insightful perspectives.
They are well written, entertaining, and insightful.
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Avoid reading 'Outliers' if you find obvious arguments about success boring.
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Take notes on good books and refer back to them after your initial read.
It reminds you what was so valuable.
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Visualize the content as a movie in your head to help you remember it.
Helps me remember.
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Take notes on the books you are reading to improve memory and retention.
One person reported remembering books they took notes on better than those they did not.
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- Take notes or summarize what you read on paper to add to retention.1
Read to improve your attention span.
It is helpful, especially for young people.
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Write questions or ideas directly in the book to create suspense and motivate continued reading.
It creates suspense and allows you to check if your ideas were right or wrong.
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Change your reading location to places where you feel less distracted, such as while traveling or on vacation.
For some, location matters a lot; they read much easier when out and about or on vacation than at home.
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Listen to familiar music while reading to occupy part of the brain and prevent distraction.
The brain may need 100% attention; if a task uses only 75%, the remaining 25% can get distracted.
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Underline or highlight key points in books to remember them, but be aware this can be counterproductive.
Highlighting gives the impression of capturing important points when you may just be glancing over them.
- Highlighting is counterproductive as it creates a false sense of retention.
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Use bright lights or coffee to maintain attention while reading.
These stimuli help keep your attention up.
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Jot down only broader concepts and occasional standout quotes to keep interruptions low and comprehension high.
Keeps interruptions low and comprehension high.
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Listen to video game music or ambient noise to aid concentration while reading.
Video game music was developed for concentration.
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Highlight or underline interesting passages while reading to maintain attention and help you keep reading.
It retains attention and allows for continued reading.
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Block out a specific time each day for reading, like 25 minutes before work.
Start reading light novels (around 150-200+ pages) to gain momentum so you can finish a whole book in a few hours instead of an entire day.
Starting with these allowed one person to gain momentum.
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Get an e-reader that fits in your pocket.
It allows you to read instead of waiting bored.
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Block out a specific time each day for reading, like 25 minutes before work.
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Start with manageable reading goals to build daily commitment, then increase them once you find your stride.
Attempting large amounts initially is like running miles as a non-runner; slow increments help build up.
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Keep two books on hand: one small enough for a pocket and one larger for bedtime reading.
It helps whittle down pages quickly by putting in little bits of time.
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- Keep a book on your nightstand and another in your bag if you struggle to read more.1
Stop counting the number of books you read per year.
It is a vanity metric.
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Read daily to stimulate your brain.
It stimulates the brain.
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Track the time spent per page while reading.
Being aware of time spent is essential for efficiency.
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Replace social media browsing with reading time, particularly before bed.
It frees up time for books.
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Divide the remaining pages of a required book by the days left to determine a manageable daily page count.
Reading smaller amounts daily is easier than cramming large amounts over fewer days.
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Choose a book to read exclusively at work so you look forward to downtime.
It makes sitting around enjoyable.
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Stop counting your reading streaks once the behavior becomes automatic.
It helps the activity become a natural part of your routine.
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Be forgiving of yourself when you miss reading goals to avoid beating yourself up and quitting entirely.
Being forgiving is a large helper; perfectionism leads to beating oneself up and stopping reading altogether.
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Avoid tracking your reading or creating complex reward systems if you already enjoy it, to prevent burnout.
Overly complicated systems can cause burnout.
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Set a phone alarm to remind yourself to read at a specific time, such as before bed.
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Use internet access as a reward contingent on finishing your daily reading goal.
It reinforces discipline.
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Force yourself to read unenjoyable material if it affects your grades, college admission, or future.
Caring about grades, college admission, and future outcomes motivated the action.
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Set a percentage-based daily reading goal instead of calculating page numbers.
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reading, fiction, books, time32
Focus on the quality of your reading rather than the count of finished books.
Let the child turn the pages themselves, allowing them to take their time and fiddle with the book.
It engages them with the act of reading rather than passive listening and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
- One parent reported this resulted in turning the page after only two lines, preventing full story comprehension.
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Branch out from self-help books to read diverse genres to slow your mind down.
Slowing your mind down through reading is super helpful.
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Avoid starting with dry self-help books; choose engaging material first.
Dry books can turn you off from reading.
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Replace evening screen time with reading a novel to unwind.
It is more relaxing and helps you get lost in the story.
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Stop reading a book if you do not enjoy it or find it valuable, unless it is required for job or formal education.
There is no shame in not finishing; continuing is a waste of time.
- Do not apply this to books required for job or formal education.
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- Give yourself permission to stop reading books that are not engaging rather than forcing yourself to finish them.2
Read books for which you have already seen the movie adaptation, knowing the film memory helps picture the story, but be aware that knowing the twist may make it boring for some.
Knowing you liked the movie ensures you'll like the book, and the film memory aids visualization.
- Some people find reading what they already watched boring because they know the twist.
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Try reading a book if you feel overwhelmed by ads during waking hours.
Books are surprisingly low-pressure compared to digital media, though they still sell the next chapter.
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Read an even mix of fiction and non-fiction to avoid getting stuck in a rut with one genre.
to avoid getting stuck in a rut
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Read two self-improvement books per month and fill the rest of your reading time with fiction.
Reading fiction increases empathy, provides conversation topics, and allows time to digest self-improvement material.
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Focus on the quality of your reading rather than the count of finished books.
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Parse through books rather than reading them cover to cover to retain information better and enjoy the process more.
One reader finds they retain info better and find it more fun this way.
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If you struggle with a specific book, watch the movie adaptation to help understand it.
Seeing the story acted out may provide clarity.
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Read fiction to learn about experiences rather than just facts.
Fiction teaches more because it focuses on experiences instead of facts.
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Restrict watching shows or movies to workout time only.
This restriction encourages reading more books by limiting entertainment options during other times.
- Forcing yourself to read when disliking the experience may have a negative effect.
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Read 'Ask the Dust' by John Fante for enjoyment rather than self-improvement.
It is an easy read that provides enjoyment but does not inspire life improvement.
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Jot down questions you want answered before finishing a book to read more mindfully.
Writing down questions leads to a more mindful reading experience.
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Read physical hard copies rather than digital screens to better immerse yourself in the story.
Physically holding the book helps you get into the story more than staring at a screen.
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Include fiction, such as fantasy and sci-fi, in your reading diet to become a well-rounded person and gain insights into human dynamics.
Fictional stories have historically been used to teach lessons and impart wisdom.
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Practice predicting plot outcomes while reading fiction to improve real-life solution-finding abilities.
Puzzling out what happens next makes you better at finding solutions in real life.
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Read fiction, particularly classics, to identify with characters making poor decisions and trigger self-reflection on your own similar behaviors.
It can reveal your own problems and solutions more than self-help books by showing you doing the same things as flawed characters.
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Take direct action to gain personal experience rather than relying solely on self-improvement books, as others' experiences may not apply to you.
You learn faster by doing and learning from your own results; reading only exposes you to someone else's experience.
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Critically work out new ideas to maintain your sense of self while consuming media.
Perceiving new ideas critically helps in sifting through nonsense and maintaining resources for self-understanding.
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Read printed words instead of digital screens if you find print more engaging for incorporating knowledge into your life.
One person found reading the printed word more engaging, making them more proactive in incorporating knowledge from the text.
- This is a personal preference; effectiveness may vary by individual.
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Read widely across diverse subjects like history, physics, metaphysics, novels, and self-improvement to develop the skill of learning any skill.
Reading broadly builds the ability to learn all skills.
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Focus on quality and note-taking over speed when reading books.
Faster reading meant worse comprehension; sometimes slower is actually faster.
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Read out of genuine curiosity rather than copying the habits of successful people.
Curiosity drives success, whereas mimicking others' reading habits does not.
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Research the historical context and the author's biography before starting a classic book to improve comprehension.
Understanding the time period and author's life helps comprehend the material.
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Apply what you read to your own experiences to improve retention.
Personalizing reading material helps in retaining information.
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Express interest in the specific content of what someone is reading rather than just complimenting the act.
It is considered better than a generic compliment.
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Diversify your book reading content to increase skills in assessing, analyzing, and connecting ideas; seek out stories of success to encourage further effort.
Seeing someone succeed helped the speaker try harder.
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Focus on consistent reading practice rather than speed; proficiency increases naturally with repetition.
Skill improves as you do the activity more often.
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Study dense books by looking up analysis, rereading passages, and comparing them to other books you have read.
This approach is used for retention.
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Keep books you have skimmed as reference material for future detail lookup.
You did not cover every little detail during skimming.
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Read abridged and comparative versions of the Quran, Bible, and Torah to understand their cultural significance.
They are hugely influential cultural documents.
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