I’ve read a lot over the past few years (about 50 books a year), most of which fall into the business/self-help categories. From “Extreme Ownership” and leadership books to “Atomic Habits,” I’ve covered almost everything in these genres.
Lately, I find it increasingly difficult to finish books. Even when I check Goodreads before starting a book, the reviews are very mixed. Often, books can be boiled down to a few core messages and repeat the same thing with examples and stories. I’ve been working for 11 years and have now reached the director level, and I wonder if books are the way forward for me.
Should I rather regularly revisit the most important books for me,continue with reading new books, or should I consume snackable content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts plus blogs on current topics? The big question for me is, are those books overrated at a certain knowledge level?
The question might seem a bit exaggerated, but somehow I’m getting less and less out of reading books, and on the other hand, it does take a lot of time to read a book. I don’t mean to be polarizing – I’m genuinely curious about your views on this.
by happylakers
3 Comments
Most books in these categories IMHO are of low value, but there are some real gems there worth reading. The reason for the prevalence of low value books in this area is because customers want to be told pleasant lies.
There are some that are absolutely not worth the paper they were printed on. But there are some that could come into your life, at the right time and give you some clarity when you need it.
And for time management and productivity books, the best approach is to take some of the lessons that are feasible to you. I got several from “Make Time” that I still use today. Since my work is similar. I have the luxury to be more hands off, delegate more and set a schedule when I’m available.
Yeah I know what you mean about how much of it ends up feeling like it could be a powerpoint presentation and you wouldn’t lose out on any meaningful content or analysis. There are some genuinely good ones out there, but they’re quite rare given how oversaturated the industry is with authors only in it to make a quick bit of money.