Issue 27: How I Decide What To Read
There are so many movies to watch, books to read, podcasts to listen to. How do you filter the noise and go through the pile? My tips in this letter.
Everyone and everything competes for your attention. Including me. I know firsthand how editorial teams sit together and come up with strategies to steal time from you. (Imagine seeing “The $69 Million JPEG” and walking away — coming up with great titles is work, but an important strategy brilliant writers and content creators use to make you slaves.)
I know publishing houses do something quite similar. I haven’t been in any writers’ room. I’m guessing it’s just as sneaky. Deciding what to read is a chore and a skill I’m learning.
I have multiple (yet limited) interests and things I feel are “good to know”. I want to say that this latter set adds no real value to me, but that won't be true. I read or consume them for comfort and a lot of times to be intrigued. To say “no knowledge is lost” is limiting. A lot of the knowledge is assimilated into my subconscious and I never really know when I'll apply them. They always come in handy. It's been a while since I last consumed art for art's sake. I don't know that this is a good thing. My mind is currently programmed to learn about things like processes when I consume content. I don't think this a bad thing. A lot of times, entertainment falls here; you probably already know I'm a Friends fanatic. It's relaxing and I laugh-cry every time I watch it.
Sometimes, I read things under the “good to know” category because I want to be fascinated: The 1619 Project by the NYT falls here. Books, specifically literary fiction and nonfiction are dicey, because I read them, not just because they're entertaining or I want to learn about the author's process and art, but because to read or be a reader, is an essential part of my identity. So, I'll place it under "multiple interests".
Under multiple interests, there’s media, which is work-related, literature, which is personal, tech — because the world is moving and will wait for no one — and then there's productivity, relationship, and management.
I said all of this to say I read/consume multiple things, for multiple reasons. There’s the escape factor of some kinds of literature, there’s learning everything you can from editing to storytelling to whatever the content of the book or other product is about. There’s learning about the world — being open to new experiences, capable of helping me see new and fresh perspectives.
It's not like I have a document somewhere where I've categorized my reading list or categorized the reasons I read. I'm not that obsessed with personal documentation. It however lives (rent-free) in my head and guides what I choose to read and when I choose to read. This letter to you is me thinking through my process. I'm using read and consume interchangeably — I mean written form (books, articles, newsletters, etc.) audio form (podcasts) and movies, documentaries, etc.
So I guess that the first point is knowing and understanding your interests and using this to dictate what to read. This already streamlines your options and weeds out things you’re not exactly interested in. I love literature, but I’m not going to read all the books in the world. Right now, I’m interested in books by women, Asian literature, African American literature, and classics. This means that when I read books, that’s where I’m going to look. Of course, I could deviate from these, but generally, my current interest guides what I buy. In the same vein, I’m currently learning about product management and building a newsletter. More than half of the articles I read or podcasts I listen to are centered around these.
Find a reliable source or sources and milk them
When people ask where I find my reads, the answer is typically through other people. There's Twitter, on which a lot of smart people are kind enough to share the things they find informative or interesting. If Sari Botton, who I admire a lot, shares a link to an article she's written or found interesting, chances are, I'm going to read it. It's an idea I found useful when I started thinking properly about career trajectory: while you could always ask people for help or advice, it's also useful to find out what they're reading, because this informs their thought processes and mindset, which in turn (sometimes) informs the advice they'll give you. It's not always the case and there are multiple scenarios where this theory is wrong. Someone you admire could share an article they didn't enjoy and give reasons for this. In this case, you could read it to find out why — not because you want to align yourself with their belief or opinion. We all have minds of our own.
I remember during the End SARS protests, Jack, my new enemy, tweeted this article and thousands of people around the world read it and were informed about the situation in Nigeria.
I have friends and colleagues who are always kind enough to share book or article recommendations, with reasons why they think I’d find it interesting. I'm subscribed to newsletters written and curated by people who are industry leads or at least, have something to say.
It could also be because a book or movie won an award that I look up to. That validation definitely would make me want to read the book or watch the movie.
Pocket is a fave when it comes to recommendations. I also love James Clear's reading list.
Of course, this doesn't mean your source is infallible — they could recommend a movie you end up hating. I'd also be wary of focusing my attention too much on experts (everyone's an expert these days)
Time Relevance
This can mean multiple things: the article is relevant to me at this time in my life, the article is relevant because something has happened or is happening in the world and it'd be useful to get the extra context: reading about the pandemic's impact on media, for example, or NFTs.
Read stuff that helps you meet your goals
Obviously
Shed some weight
Are there articles that have been in your Twitter bookmarks forever? Unopened newsletters? Books that have been on your bookshelf for ages? You keep telling yourself, I'll read this next, and whenever you start, you never get far? Chances are you might never get to them. Let them go. I did something similar with newsletters. I realized that there were emails I hadn't opened in months. And it didn't have much to do with how great or not great they were — it was me and time and content fatigue. I did myself and them a favor and unsubscribed. This has also helped streamline what I read.
I’ll end it here. There are a few more points just hanging below the surface in my head, but my body is kicking my ass. Today has been tough and this week, a bit mentally draining. If I do think of more stuff, I’ll include them in a subsequent letter.
Things I enjoyed this week:
See you next week! I don’t know what I’m writing yet, but I have a number of nice interviews lined up. You can also read my latest story “Pocket” here. I hope you’re well and staying safe? Don’t forget to like, comment, share!