I have been reading a lot of books lately and sure, I have gained a vast amount of knowledge. But what I have also learned is that they are often a huge waste of time. It might be an unpopular opinion but it is true.
You have probably heard a million times that how important it is to pick up a book and get lost in its pages. I am not trying to argue that, in fact, I do think and believe that it's true. If you want to achieve knowledge in any domain, just read. Books are incredible. So what's the problem?
If you read frequently, I am sure you have noticed the amount of filler content books contain. I am not talking about all books of course and know that I am talking mostly about non-fiction books here. A perfect example of a good book without filler content would be Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It's ironic because that book is not even meant to be a "book". it's literally a journal.
Excessive Filler Content
Ever started a book with an interesting premise only to be disappointed by endless chapters filled with unnecessary descriptions and multiple unnecessary examples? You are not the only one. To be honest, it's not just the author's fault. They have to meet certain length requirements that publishers set for them. What could be a good 5000 to 10,000-word content is dragged out to be a 60,000-word book. They'll include anecdote after anecdote, telling the same story in slightly different ways just to hammer in the same point. The core idea gets diluted by filler, and the reader ends up sifting through irrelevant details that don't add much value.
A great example of this would be Mindset by Carol Dweck. It's an amazing book, I have learned a lot and it changed the way I think about certain things but really the core concept of the book can probably be conveyed in one chapter, and the rest of it was just filler stories and examples.
Solution: Ditch the Guilt
Therefore, does it mean that you should stop reading books? Absolutely Not. Books are amazing and the value they provide is unmatched if you compare them to videos or audio, according to me atleast. So what do we do?
Don't get trapped in the mindset that you must finish every book you start or that you need to read every word on every page. This mindset can trap you in the time-wasting cycle of struggling through filler content and unnecessary details and in the process, getting bored and losing your interest.
Rather, Skim, skip or even stop reading altogether when a book isn't delivering value. When I am reading and I see that the author is starting to be irrelevant or has started giving me a gazillion examples after teaching one important thing, I just skim until I stumble upon something interesting.
You also don't have to finish every book you start. Your time should ALWAYS be the most important thing to you, don't waste it on reading something that isn't providing you the value you are looking for.