Ali Abdaal Is the Epitome of Unnecessary Reading
Reading 1000 books a week will get you nowhere. Really.
How I remember everything I read
How I Read 100 Books a Year — 8 Tips for Reading More
How to SPEED READ
Those are the titles of Ali Abdaal’s videos. He has created this stigma that reading more and more books is an incredible feat, and everyone can and should read more.
I like his videos, and he is a truly inspirational figure.
But this side of him that promotes fast reading feels pretentious.
A Greek philosopher on Reading books
More books do not translate to a better understanding
In his book “Letter from A Stoic,” Seneca discussed a myriad of topics. One of them is about reading books. It is actually the second chapter — On Discursiveness in Reading.
“But,” you reply, “I wish to dip first into one book and then into another.” I tell you that it is the sign of an overnice appetite to toy with many dishes; for when they are manifold and varied, they cloy but do not nourish.
— Seneca
Understanding or remembering a subject does not translate to real-life benefits apart from being knowledgeable.
Reading benefits if you process the ideas you consumed.
To sum up, reading too many books too fast widens your coverage but doesn’t deepen your understanding of a particular subject.
Only several books are worth the time
From my own personal experience, only several books bring value to my life. The rest are either mediocre or repeating similar points in a slightly different fashion.
And in reading of many books is distraction. Accordingly, since you cannot read all the books which you may possess, it is enough to possess only as many books as you can read.
— Seneca
We don’t need many books to be intellectual and knowledgeable human beings. How many finance and self-help books repeat the same points over and over again?
Instead of wandering around, buying books every week, let's revisit an excellent book and absorb and process everything slowly, mindfully, calmly.
Reading books does not translate to productivity
For love of bustle is no industry — it is only the restlessness of a hunted mind
— Seneca
What we need is constant thinking, constant food for thoughts. Distractions like mindless reading, social media, and empty hustle can go away.
Doing nothing is better than doing something unnecessary.
Takeaways
Reading 100 books a year is actually feasible; you only need to read two books per week. But this is not the feasibility that we were discussing. Our concern is the benefits of reading 100 books.
More books do not translate to more benefits. Reading ten incredible books over and over again in a year might actually have better advantages, and you don't need to spend as much time.
