Books are totally worth it if they interest you. I’m living on a budget and my highest discretionary expense is books, so you know I put my money where my mouth is.
In my previous life, I had the misfortune of attending a Prussian style law school which lead me to compulsively attempt to memorize every text I’ve read for years, but lately I’ve found the joy of reading again. Here are a few tips that worked for me:
0. Books are just objects, don’t treat them with reverence.
1. Order every book as paperback that you come across and find interesting. Must read lists suck. Follow your interests.
2. Have a bias for older books. The longer a book has been relevant, the more likely it will stay relevant (aka the Lindy principle).
3. Don’t read books cover to cover. Start in the middle if that’s the most interesting part and feel free skip around. Put a book down immediately if it bores you.
4. Surround yourself with books. Make sure you can always pick up something interesting wherever you are. Messy book piles are a virtue.
5. Only use ebooks for fiction or tutorial type programming books.
6. Disregard what other people think and follow your interests. If books don’t interest you, that’s ok too.
In my previous life, I had the misfortune of attending a Prussian style law school which lead me to compulsively attempt to memorize every text I’ve read for years, but lately I’ve found the joy of reading again. Here are a few tips that worked for me:
0. Books are just objects, don’t treat them with reverence.
1. Order every book as paperback that you come across and find interesting. Must read lists suck. Follow your interests.
2. Have a bias for older books. The longer a book has been relevant, the more likely it will stay relevant (aka the Lindy principle).
3. Don’t read books cover to cover. Start in the middle if that’s the most interesting part and feel free skip around. Put a book down immediately if it bores you.
4. Surround yourself with books. Make sure you can always pick up something interesting wherever you are. Messy book piles are a virtue.
5. Only use ebooks for fiction or tutorial type programming books.
6. Disregard what other people think and follow your interests. If books don’t interest you, that’s ok too.