I appreciate that there is NO music in your videos. Just quality content.

Mortimer Adler once wrote (I’m paraphrasing): Some books deserve to be read slowly, while others take less effort to go through. And every reader has their own pace in terms of comprehension, which ultimately is what matters most.

At this point in my life as a mother of two little kids, homeschooling them, being the primary homemaker, working one day a week for the family business, cooking all the meals from scratch etc. I have perhaps a slightly different perspective on this. I truly love your attitude and the mindset towards learning that you are promoting. I do a modified version of this by taking notes in my nonfiction as I read. However...I do a lot more "easy" reading than perhaps many in the comments. I read a mixture of nonfiction, biography, manga, graphic novels, children's novels, classics, and contemporary fiction. Without even trying I hit 100 books a year every year. I'm learning that this is not something to be either ashamed of or proud of. It's just the way my reading is at the moment. Currently my reading is primarily for fun and stress relief, with some serious works (Crime and Punishment, Paradise Lost, Shakespeare) thrown in to grow me a little bit. Even those tougher books, though, I do not have the brain space currently to analyze deeply. I consider this point in my life as my "familiarizing" time with literature. I used to think that I couldn't engage with these deep books until my life circumstances change, because I can't devote lots of time and brain space to them. But I decided that listening to the audiobook of Paradise Lost is both fun and familiarizing me with the work. I feel like this period of prolific lighter reading in my life is laying the foundation for me to reread and really dive into all these works again in a decade. Im very happy with the enrichment and pleasure I get from reading this way, as well as looking forward to reading more of the way you are promoting in the near future.

This is a needed step back from the toxic hustle culture that's pushed on young men nowadays. I hadn't realized how entrenched I was in that mindset until I recently achieved a major career goal and still felt unfulfilled. Great advice for reframing :)

I read books using the method of Charles Van Doren and Mortimer J. Adler. So I completely agree with reading books for quality instead of reading books for quantity. In fact, reading quality books will help me write well because I will understand 80% of the book or more. I realized that reading books for quality is like a domino effect, you will remember a lot of vocabulary and remember a lot of important knowledge. This leads to you reading books of the same genre later faster. For example: I am a fan of Zen Buddhism, but the philosophy of Zen Buddhism is reproduced in many self-help books about productivity, minimalism, habits, etc. Since then, I have read self-help books faster. Of course, if you maintain daily reading without multitasking, you will read more books than usual. Because you don't waste time doing other things.

Hey Odysseas, I just want to thank you for your channel. Finding out about mini essays and obsidian has really had a positive impact on me! You have also gotten me back into reading. I have always been quite a positive and optimistic person, however I often procrstinate and though I always want to learn, I rarely get to it. So yeah, just wanted to express my gratitude, I think you and your channel have a really bright future, so keep going!

Honestly reading goals are good to start a momentum and understand how much capable you are and now I read books when I need it or in the right mood. But I might change it based on my schedules. Thank you for the video!

I took the sum of books I read over January and Febuary, and multiplied that by six for my reading goal this year. Instead of being an arbitrary number that I chose like 100, 55 or something like that, it was an accurate representation of MY pace in reading. (which prioritised comprehension over completion, I really like to feel fiction, and understand non fiction) Throughout the rest of the year so far, its forced me to keep consistency with the amount that I naturally can read at. Its been actually motivating to adhere to this, without feeling forced or unrealistic.

I once joined a challenge to read 75 books in one year. It was the biggest waste of time because I hardly comprehended anything I read. I would even say I didn't actually read those books. At the end of the year I vowed not to set a yearly reading goal ever again. My goal now is to read for 15 minutes a day without interruptions - that's the amount of time I found I'm likely to really get focused, get into it, and actually comprehend what I've read. Almost without fail I wind up reading for longer than that. I'm also very careful about the books I choose to read. I know someone who has read almost 70 books so far this year, and while I'm happy that she's happy, the truth is she reads a certain kind of book almost exclusively, and it's not what I want to be reading. I won't be comparing myself to her, or feeling like a failure, because our goals are just different. I'm going to die at some point, and I want to make sure I read some damn good books before that happens.

So happy to see a bigger channel spreading this message. I've been loudly against the traditional book goal (number of books) for a while, but it's an uphill battle because it's so ingrained in book culture.

Agree with you on this. Im an avid reader, especially this year(ive been averaging about 15 books a month, mainly thanks to being laid off from work) but I've never set myself a goal or anything. Some books require a much slower reading process, no ones gonna read neitzsche or blood meridian, or like you said war and peace at the same rate as a Stephen king novel, and if you do, you're probably gonna forget half of what you've read within days. Im not just talking about page count either, im talking about literally reading slower, scanning over pages, looking things up, making notes. I've always gone by the motto that its better to read one book and remember it than to read 3 and barely remember any of them.

Hardcore literature vibes again love it ❤❤❤

I think i'm a very slow, but focused, reader. And i cannot escape from this reality, i thought at the beginning it was only a matter of practice to "read better and more" as it's just an exercise and learning curve, but in reality we have different time and elaboration in different medias. Comics, mangas and so on are very easy to read for me, but i've learned that they are completely a different mode and time of fruition, with the books i want to explore i'm treasuring my reading process with my personal pace.

Thank you! So inspiring❤

Your channel is so inspiring. I’ve set out to limit myself to only 10 books next year and know them intimately vs dozens superficially. I find when reading too much it makes me feel as if I’m trying to read just for the sake of reading and not growing. As Seneca said “to be everywhere is to be nowhere”

Your videos are so great I adore your channel with passion, your obsidian setup video helped me a lot! Ty.

I was pleased to hear you talk about taking time to reflect or take notes where needed, because I think some books require a sort of decompression period, after reading. These are the books that you can't stop thinking about, because they were so good, and will spoil all your best efforts to start a new book. Your brain is still processing the juicy info from the last one, and I love this time after a good book, when there's still a glow emanating from it somehow. I find one book leads me naturally to another, through the ideas it suggests, so I don't use plans or reading lists, or even have reading goals. Reading is just an ingrained habit and lifestyle now, and it always brings me somewhere very interesting in my reading journey.

Love this channel, keep up with the good stuff!

Your videos are always helpful. Thanks so much!

I like your take that focuses upon learning.

Man, would be really interesting if you do a video about self-education! You have touched on a really important point in this video; how accustomed we are to be guided through the studies and learning in general. I've been studying on my own for the last year and a half, and I've realised how difficult it is to self impose a route and a routine, as well as a daily discipline for my self. So it'd be really interesting to see your perspective on the subject...!

this video is simply amazing and open-minding. It's been almost 2 years that I have Goodreads, and my 2024 reading goal was 40 books. One thing that I've noticed lately is that I felt non-productive, demoralized, just because I am "9 books behind schedule". And I found myself trying to find strategies to achieve that goal "no matter what" (choosing short books, easy ones to read), just to increase that NUMBER. The point is that it's just a number and it doesn't say anything about the reading process, the learning process, as you've underlined in this video. I want to thank you, because while I was listening to you, I immediately opened the app and deleted the "2024 reading goal". It's amazing how little details can change our way of perceiving things and achieving goals!

your videos are really motivating and actually helping me to become a man of many interests. currently i’m focusing on school because it’s 12th grade and i have to go to medicine so it’s hard but your making me love the subjects im taking

Great to hear you shed light on the hustle culture/ productivity influence today.

Your approach to the reading plans was inspiring

great advice as usual. Thanks!

When I've read the title of this video I couldn't help but to add it to my Watch Later playlist. I just happen to have thought about this the past week and came to the same conclusion as you, more or less. It's no way I will read 50 books this year as I did the last 3 or 4 years. And that's not even what I want. I've came to a point where taking meaningful notes is certainly more important than reaching a numeric goal. Thanks from Chile 🇨🇱

I appreaciate if you do one on how to avoid having an unrealistic schedule, because every time I set myself new habits I get an almost toxic sense of perfectionism in the timing of each habit

I too did get caught up in the numbers game once upon a time. That's when I realised, as you rightly pointed out, consistency in reading is far more important than the volume of reading. So while I still do sign up for the Goodreads Challenge just for fun, it's more of an optional target, a side quest. The priority for me is to keep my reading streak going which is tracked by the Kindle app. At this time of writing, I've read 114 weeks in a row. Because there's no particular end point, this has reinforced the "process over results" concept in my mind, as well as helped maintain discipline. And very often, discipline from one walk of life spills into the others, resulting in overall self growth. Which is what we are ultimately aiming for :)

"when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure" - this is a popular business philosphy and this applies here as well. This year i read 2 books of fiction based on greek mythology in a matter of 2 weeks. I also plan to start reading about the great war and WW2, like fill blown non fiction accounts. This is not a casual read and in no way i would be able to get through this even in 6 months. So it can never compare!!

This is a great video !! Thank you for sharing your insights on this subject. The time instead of number and reading plan are some great advice. I was thinking about this last week, I started reading some really good articles but found myself hating it just for the fact that i can't track these on my goodreads account. Be safe and keep the good work man!❤

I think you're totally correct - the "Read X books" kind of challenge has good intent behind it, but it's just not precise enough to be worthwhile. Ahrens' (How to Take Smart Notes) suggestion of perhaps three "full notes" a day makes more sense and is flexible enough to apply whether you're reading beach reading or Ulysses. Thanks for the content man!

Some of the best content on YT, seriously.

This is great, and makes important points. Several years ago, a coworker said she was going to read a book a month. She asked how many I'd read that year, and she seemed a bit crestfallen at my answer, which I don't say out of self-aggrandizement, and I said that I thought her goal was great, because so many people don't even read one book in a year, which she seemed good with.

Totally unrelated but your voice is so soothing and pleasant to listen to!

In 2021-2022 i read just 1 book. But this book was the phenomenology of spirit. I read it twice, watched youtube lectures by gregory sadlers about it, thought about it and used it in the way i see the world, and i am still doing it. I think thats worth so much more than just going over words with your eyes and gaining nothing from it

Thanks!

Your videos shine out from the fog of mushy short term content on KZfaq, as good forms of entertainment packed full of information that you can actually apply to your life. I hope your channel will continue to grow. Also I’d like to ask if you’ve thought about doing a Q&A as a 100k subscriber celebration…

This video came out at a perfect time! I've been watching a lot of your videos lately, and you have inspired me to try and build good learning habits. I hope maybe one day you might consider doing a similar video to this one about the other types of hobbies, especially artistic expression. Thanks for the great advice always

Yes! I love reading "carefully", taking notes and analyzing. Love the idea of setting a plan, I'll have to think about that! I know in the US the teachers give their students a list of books on their subject, but I've never seen that in France. (At the top of my head, I'd like to read a book from every country in my life, but I don't have any particular subject in mind). But I also do set myself reading goals to motivate me, don't really care about the exact number though. But apparently I need to feel some pressure to do things 😅

There is a video on KZfaq of Jacques Derrida being interviewed in his home, in his office full of books. The interviewer asks him if he has read all those books and he replies, "oh no, no...three or four...but I read those four very very well!" Of course the answer he gives is ironic but it is proof that quantity for its own sake matters little or nothing.

Fortuitous mention of a reading plan. I have several pet topics that fascinate me, but would each require a college level time allocement to understand. In prior years, I would try to suck up as much information as fast as I can, but would have little to show both in terms of actionable results or long term memory. By going slower and doing work with the material I would at least have something. I think every book should bear fruits to be considered "understood". Note taking, use of information practically, analyzing the topic of the book or "fieldwork", reframing and writing about the information for a different audience all fit the bill. A book is best as a stepping stone to a long term goal, be it inner transformation or external results.

Great insights budy. Have you thought about starting a book club or just keep a simple update of what you are current deading during the record of your videos.

Reading goals kept me from reading a lot of books I really wanted to read, because I began picking up a bunch of short books I could read very quickly so I could keep up with my goal

I like the idea of reading consistently. However, I want to think about what I am reading. Some books will take longer to read than others. Reading goals assume the same reading speed. That speed isn’t constant.

I set an arbitrary target of books I'd like to read in a year. Just a number to aim at. Having this target/goal gives me some incentive to put my phone down and pick up a book. Yes, by making me feel guilty when i don't work towards my goals. But also by giving me a sense of accomplishment when i do work towards my goals. In other words, setting this goal intentionally puts the dragon behind me and the horde of gold in front of me. I also track towards that goal, documenting which books i read, authors, when i started, when i finished, summaries, page counts, etc.. Tracking towards that goal has tricked my brain into creating a book journal (i am terrible at remembering to journal). I've never reached my target number of books in any of the 4 years since i started this... And that may sound like a failure on the surface. But in that time i made the decision to go back to college, and have since graduated, i started a successful family business, had a grandkid, while working a full-time job and much much more.... All while reading many more books than i would have had i not challenged myself with reading a number of books per year. The target number was never the real goal... It was just the way in which i tricked myself into putting in the effort required to become the reader i have become.

Very true. Instead of pages per day, I set a goal to just read 15 minutes per day a few years ago when I was trying to build a reading habit. The time goal allowed me to focus when reading and actually take the time to absorb the information properly as opposed to just getting through the pages just to say I did so. After a month of doing this it just became a habit that I automatically had to do in my day. I think the page goal is derived from school where reading assignments were often based on pages read as opposed to information learned. But it's definitely much more useful and just overall a better use of time to read 10 books a year and be able to retain knowledge from each of them instead of reading 30 but not being able to recall the main points from most of them.

Auto-didactic or self-learning that what I would like to do more. Thanks for the encouragement.

I usually put my reading 'goal' at a number of books I know I can reach easily, so I've always ended up getting at least 200% of my 'goal' without feeling any pressure. Though this year I put it at a number that I thought I was not going to be able to reach, because I wanted to motivate myself to spend more of my time reading instead of on social media and putting it at a high number would mean that I wouldn't be able to reach it anyways so I wouldn't feel bad about it or rush through books to get to my 'goal'. I put the 'goal' at 75 books, but yesterday I finished my 50th book 😅 (I read a lot of fiction books/manga and I'm currently taking a gap year so I've had a lot of time to read). Next year I want to try a page goal. Tracking the time spent with books also sounds like a good way to set a goal, but I don't want to be busy tracking how much time I spend on something because it would distract me from that thing, and it would probably make me feel worse if I don't have time for it on a specific day.

Good day. New subscriber here. Could you possibly make a video going into more depth on how you manage your time as a generalist? That video was tremendously helpful and I'm in the process of attempting to balance my life/interests. Please forgive me if you've already done this since I haven't watched all your videos (yet). Thank you very much.

Good thing I kept my reading goal as 5 books this year, lol

I found this video very helpful and i agreed on what you said. Can you please drop the link to the great works of the western world ( which you showed in the video order wise) Thanks.

interesting video. i never set reading goals but i do keep track of the books i've finished on storygraph but i love the idea of a personal curriculum interesting POV i just subscribed to your newsletter

I never perceived that if someone read a 100 books, that they did something good. You can read only one good book, but go in depth and try looking it at many angles, even if it’s small as the Little Prince. For this, my reading goal is not important to me, I look it now and then when use Goodreads as a form of book journal and will prefer to talk with my friends about the message of the book and not what number it is or what happens in it.

It can also add unnecessary stress about what counts as a “book” For example, Plato‘s Ion is only 17 pages in the copy of his collected works I own. Do I count that as a “book?” Or poetry. Do I count a whole poetry collection as a book? Or individual poems? Neither really works since poems are complete works but short… while the collection is a physical “book” but, well, it’s a collection instead of a uniform piece Reading goals are good, but not as a hard target to hit or otherwise feel like a “failure.” It’s more of a guidepost to see “wow, I got through some great books this year!” And a chance to reflect on things you learned

i don’t have reading goals but i have so many books that i wanna read asap so i’m always in a hurry and it frustrates me so much 😭😭

reading is to enjoy

also a lot of reading is rereading and it is necessary for heavier stuff to reread, but if u just want book number to go up u arent going to even think about that

Reading is for pleasure. If you have goals on it it takes the pleasure

This channel is my new obsession

You're so slay Odysseas

❤❤❤❤❤

Nice mug

Okay, before I start to watch video. I think Reading Goals push you to set the bar high. For example: Normally, i can read 10 books every 3 months, and then i set a goal of 15 books every 3 months and complete 12 books. That's mean i'm successful because the real goal is to "read more book" instead of reaching exactly 15 books/ 3months. Now, let me see what your advice is in this video.

And the other classic question: Yeah, you read 100 books this year. Cool. Were the books all fluffy self improvement stuff? And how much did you even retain? Quality > quantity

Can I get a closer look at what that mug says? lol

9:22 forgotten to edit🤔

Another great video. There is no point in a reading goal if there is not a learning goal behind it. Also I think that a personal curriculum would really help me put my learning in order. Keep up the good work!

1:21

30 seconds of content and 10 minutes of waffling

i feel like it depends on the person, i love having a goal, it’s so motivating! I’m at 24/45 now 🩷