7 Reading Mistakes You Overlook

Summary

In this sponsored video by Squarespace, the creator reflects on common yet often overlooked mistakes in reading habits that hinder effective learning. These include undervaluing fiction, rushing through books, blindly following influencers' advice, and not applying practical book knowledge. The speaker emphasizes the importance of immersive reading, critical thinking, and gradual implementation of ideas. Additionally, they discuss the pitfalls of intellectual pride and setting unrealistic expectations, advocating for a patient and self-compassionate approach to reading growth.

Takeaways

• 📚 Embrace fiction: Resisting fiction can lead to missing out on valuable depth and insight that stories provide.
• 🎯 Focus on quality over quantity: Reading more books doesn't guarantee better learning; it's better to read less but engage deeply with the material.
• 🕒 Be present with your reading: Don't rush through books just to move on to the next; savor and appreciate each book for its content.
• 🛠️ Apply practical knowledge: Reading practical books is only beneficial if you take action and implement the advice into your life.
• 🧠 Avoid intellectual pride: Approach books with an open mind, ready to learn and not just to reinforce your existing beliefs.
• 👂 Listen critically to influencers: Be cautious of taking YouTube advice at face value; consider the source and weigh the advice critically.
• 📈 Prioritize action over consumption: Consuming content without applying it doesn't lead to growth; actively work on implementing what you learn.
• 📈 Manage expectations when reading difficult books: It's okay not to understand everything on the first read; reading is a journey of gradual understanding.
• 📈 Read for longer periods: To truly immerse in a story, especially fiction, try to read for extended periods to allow for deep engagement.
• 🔄 Reflect and learn from past reading mistakes: Recognize and learn from past reading habits that didn't serve you well to improve your current approach.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video sponsored by Squarespace?

The main theme of the video is about the mistakes the speaker has made in their reading journey and how they learned from them, focusing on uncommon mistakes that might be overlooked.

Why does the speaker initially resist reading fiction?

The speaker initially resists reading fiction because they thought they were above it and believed it was pointless and that there was nothing to be learned from it.

What is the significance of storytelling according to the speaker?

The speaker believes storytelling is significant because it is the vehicle that delivers big ideas and is a powerful way to convey messages and emotions.

What is the 'consumerism' mistake in reading that the speaker talks about?

The 'consumerism' mistake in reading is the speaker's previous habit of rushing through books just to move on to the next one, which led to not fully appreciating or retaining the content of the books they read.

How does the speaker suggest improving the quality of reading over quantity?

The speaker suggests reading with a focus on quality over quantity by reading more slowly, thoughtfully, and putting in more effort, which may result in reading fewer books but gaining more from them.

What is the speaker's opinion on the advice given by YouTubers regarding literature?

The speaker advises to take advice from YouTubers with a grain of salt, to consider it critically, and to experiment with it personally rather than blindly following it.

Why is it important to take action after reading practical books, according to the speaker?

It is important to take action after reading practical books because these books offer guidance on how to do something in the real world, and the only way to honor them is by implementing their advice into one's life.

What does the speaker mean by 'intellectual pride' and why is it a pitfall?

The speaker refers to 'intellectual pride' as the attitude of thinking one knows everything when they don't, which is a pitfall because it prevents open-mindedness, critical thinking, and the discovery of new ideas.

How does the speaker suggest dealing with difficult books that are hard to understand?

The speaker suggests managing expectations and approaching difficult books with the mindset that understanding them fully may take multiple readings, and that it's okay to only understand a little more with each attempt.

What is the speaker's advice for those who struggle with getting immersed in fiction?

The speaker's advice is to read for longer periods to allow oneself to get into the flow of the story and to save fiction reading for when there is a long block of time available to fully immerse in the story.

What is the speaker's final takeaway message about reading?

The speaker's final takeaway message is to be patient with oneself, to not compare one's reading progress with others, and to appreciate personal growth and the journey of learning at one's own pace.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing Fiction for Its Depth and Insight

The speaker begins by acknowledging their past mistakes in reading and learning, emphasizing that they are not an authority but have learned from their experiences. They discuss the common mistake of resisting fiction, comparing it to someone who constantly points out inaccuracies in a movie. The speaker explains that they once thought fiction was pointless and arrogant, but they later realized the depth and insight that can be gained from it. They argue that storytelling is a powerful vehicle for delivering big ideas and that there is more to learn from fiction than from self-help non-fiction. The speaker regrets not allowing themselves to be immersed in stories earlier, as they believe it could have significantly impacted their learning and personal growth.

05:01

🔗 The Pitfall of Prioritizing Quantity Over Quality in Reading

The speaker shares their realization that focusing on the quantity of books read rather than the quality of engagement with each book led to wasted time and forgotten content. They liken this to not enjoying a meal while thinking about dessert, suggesting that being fixated on the next book prevents one from fully appreciating the current one. The speaker now advocates for slow, thoughtful reading that leads to lasting change in character and understanding. They also mention their use of Squarespace to build a website, highlighting the platform's ease of use and quality results, even for non-designers, and offers a discount code for viewers interested in trying Squarespace.

10:01

🎓 The Danger of Blindly Following Influencers' Reading Advice

The speaker discusses the pitfalls of listening to YouTubers and other influencers for reading advice without critical thinking. They recount their own naivety in taking advice at face value and trying to emulate the strategies of others, which led to a loss of personal learning agency. The speaker emphasizes the importance of considering advice critically, experimenting with it, and finding what works best for oneself. They also touch on the importance of taking action after reading practical books, suggesting that merely reading without applying the knowledge does not lead to true progress or change.

15:01

🧠 Overcoming Intellectual Pride and the Struggle with Challenging Texts

The speaker reflects on the issue of intellectual pride, where they approached books with a preconceived intent to agree or disagree based on their existing beliefs, which hindered their ability to learn. They advise readers to drop prejudices and approach books with an open mind. The speaker also shares their past struggle with fiction due to a short attention span, suggesting that reading for longer periods and during dedicated time blocks can improve immersion. Lastly, they address the frustration of not understanding difficult books, advocating for a patient and incremental approach to learning, where progress might be slow but is still valuable.

Keywords

💡Fiction

Fiction refers to any narrative or story that is derived from imagination rather than based on real events or people. In the context of the video, the speaker initially resisted fiction, believing it to be less valuable than non-fiction for learning. However, they later recognize the depth and insight that fiction can offer, emphasizing that storytelling is a powerful vehicle for delivering big ideas and emotions. The speaker encourages viewers to immerse themselves in fiction to truly appreciate its value, contrasting this with the initial dismissal of fiction as 'pointless' and 'silly'.

💡Hustle culture

Hustle culture is a societal pressure to work constantly and hard, often to the detriment of one's health and personal life, under the belief that this will lead to success. The video mentions falling victim to hustle culture, which likely influenced the speaker's earlier approach to reading, where they may have felt the need to read excessively or quickly to 'succeed'. This concept is critiqued as part of the broader discussion on the unhealthy ways people are encouraged to approach learning and personal development.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of telling stories, which can be passed through word of mouth, writing, or other forms of communication. The video script highlights storytelling as a fundamental part of human culture and a means of conveying complex ideas and emotions. The speaker argues that society is built on stories, and that the emotional engagement provided by storytelling makes it an effective way to learn and grow, contrasting this with the dry, unengaging nature of some non-fiction works.

💡Consumerism

Consumerism is the act of constantly buying and consuming goods and services in increasing amounts. In the video, consumerism is used metaphorically to describe the speaker's previous approach to reading, where they were more focused on the quantity of books read rather than the quality of engagement with each book. This is likened to being unable to enjoy a meal while always thinking about dessert, suggesting a mindset that values accumulation over experience.

💡Self-help

Self-help refers to a genre of books, guidance, and advice that aims to help individuals solve their own problems. The video script critiques the self-help genre, suggesting that much of the insight promised by self-help books is actually better found in fiction. The speaker argues that while self-help books are often marketed as providing direct solutions, they can be less impactful than engaging with the nuanced ideas presented in fictional narratives.

💡Practical books

Practical books are those that provide actionable advice or guidance on how to perform specific tasks or improve one's life in tangible ways. The video discusses the importance of not just reading practical books but also taking action on the advice they offer. The speaker warns against the 'fake accomplishment' of reading such books without implementing the changes they suggest, emphasizing the need for active engagement with the content.

💡Intellectual pride

Intellectual pride is a term that describes the attitude of believing oneself to be more knowledgeable or intelligent than others. In the video, the speaker reflects on their past intellectual pride, where they approached books with a closed mind, either to agree or disagree based on preconceived notions. This pride hindered their ability to learn and grow from the books they read, as they were not open to new ideas or perspectives.

💡Critical thinking

Critical thinking involves analyzing and evaluating information objectively, rather than accepting it at face value. The video encourages viewers to approach books with critical thinking, giving authors a fair platform to present their ideas without immediately dismissing or blindly accepting them. This concept is presented as a way to foster genuine learning and personal growth, as opposed to the speaker's earlier approach of reading with a defensive or closed-off attitude.

💡Immersion

Immersion in the context of reading refers to the deep engagement with a book's world, characters, and narrative. The video discusses the speaker's struggle with immersion in fiction due to their previous habit of reading in short bursts, which disrupted their ability to connect with the story. The speaker suggests that reading for longer periods or saving fiction for times when uninterrupted focus is possible can enhance the immersive experience.

💡Quality over quantity

Quality over quantity is the idea that it is better to focus on the depth and impact of an experience rather than the number of experiences. The video script reflects this concept in the speaker's shift from reading many books superficially to reading fewer books more deeply and thoughtfully. This approach is said to result in books having a more lasting impact on the reader's character and understanding.

Highlights

The video discusses common mistakes in reading and aims to share lessons learned from these errors.

The speaker admits to being manipulated by influencers and falling victim to hustle culture, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in reading.

A significant mistake is resisting fiction, which the speaker argues can offer depth and insight if readers allow themselves to be immersed.

The importance of storytelling as a vehicle for delivering big ideas is highlighted, with a claim that fiction can provide more insight than some non-fiction books.

The speaker shares a personal habit of rushing through books to get to the next one, which led to a lack of retention and enjoyment.

A shift in focus from reading volume to reading quality is recommended, suggesting a slower, more thoughtful approach to reading.

The video promotes Squarespace as a tool for creating high-quality websites with ease, even for non-designers.

The speaker warns against blindly following YouTubers' advice, advocating for critical evaluation and personal experimentation with reading strategies.

The importance of taking action after reading practical books is emphasized, suggesting that implementation of ideas is key to honoring such literature.

Intellectual pride is identified as a barrier to learning, with the speaker encouraging open-mindedness and fair consideration of different viewpoints.

The speaker confesses to previously disliking fiction but has since come to appreciate its value, suggesting that immersion and attention span play a role in enjoying fiction.

A recommendation to read for longer periods to facilitate immersion in fiction is made, along with the suggestion to save fiction for times when uninterrupted reading is possible.

The video addresses the challenge of reading difficult books, advocating for a mindset of gradual understanding and patience.

The speaker encourages readers to be satisfied with their own progress and not to compare themselves to others in terms of reading ability.

An invitation for viewers to share their own reading mistakes in the comments or via email is extended, promoting a community of learning and growth.

Transcripts

this video is sponsored by Squarespace

the internet's best platform for web

design I have made so many stupid

mistakes in reading ones that have cost

me years of good learning and ones that

I'm still trying to correct to this day

I may have started my channel based on

reading but I'm not some scholar or Sage

with this big Authority on the topic I

have been manipulated by influencers I

have fallen victim to hustle culture and

even my own Pride sometimes but after

learning all of these mistakes the hard

way the least I could do is share them

here YouTube is repetitive nowadays so

I'm going to try and stay clear of the

more boring standard mistakes and focus

on The Uncommon ones the ones that you

could be completely overlooking in your

own reading the first is what I call

resisting fiction and you'll see what I

mean in a second but first let's say you

gather some friends one chill evening to

watch a movie or a show and you pick

something that's fictional but still

takes itself seriously maybe like betal

soul for example and within the group

there's always that one friend who feels

like they have to pipe up every 5

minutes to say oh well actually that's

not how it works in real life maybe they

spotted some inaccuracy in a courtroom

scene and it's like yeah no it's

television it's fiction there will be

creative Liberty taken in order to get

the overall message across and to make

it more entertaining of course not every

inaccuracy is okay I'm not saying that

but nobody likes someone who is

constantly poking holes and everything

and refuses just to enjoy the art for

what it is the same is true for fiction

books in the past I used to resist its

pull on me because I thought I was

somehow above that and that it was silly

to get absorbed into a story and it's

like that's dumb man that's just

arrogant to that point in itself it was

the reason I thought fiction was

pointless and that there was nothing to

be learned from it and that is just

crazy now that I'm hearing it again

there is so much depth and insight in

fiction but only if you let it speak to

you only if you allow yourself to be

immersed and to really come close to all

the characters the emotions the the

themes all of that stuff there's a

reason our society is built on stories

and why we love movies songs and books

that fill us with emotion storytelling

is the vehicle that delivers Big Ideas

and it does it really damn well and I'd

say that there's more insight waiting

for you in fiction than any of that

self-help non-fiction flooding the book

stores nowadays and anyway they use

fiction to get their point across so it

really speaks for itself I've been

reading for years for pretty much my

whole life with some dips along the way

of course but now I look back on it 80%

of that is gone it's a black hole I

don't remember what I read nothing stuck

with me and it didn't change who I was

that is many hours of work thrown away

into the trash I'm not going to blame it

on any one thing but ironically a big

part of it was my desire to read more

with every book I chose no matter how

how interesting it was I'd always read

with thoughts of the next book something

new shiny something different I remember

too that as I approach the end of the

book I would start to almost rush it my

focus would get sloppy and I was so

fixated on finishing that so I could

pick up the next book it's such a waste

and I always compare it to food it's

like you can't enjoy your main meal if

you're always thinking about dessert

with every bite and you can't enjoy the

moment if you're stressing about

something that's going to happen

tomorrow if you're always worrying about

what's next then you can't enjoy what's

in front of you even though it's amazing

in itself it's how you throw away any

chance of Joy or meaning in the present

because even when you do switch to the

next book you are just repeating the

cycle and you can never be truly happy

with what you have at that point it's

consumerism like they do over on book

talk and you know we probably want to

stay clear of that in more ways than one

I now read with quality in mind rather

than volume and that means it's going to

be slow it's going to be thoughtful and

with lots of effort and yes you will end

up reading way less than before if you

choose to do this but is that not worth

it for what you're gaining in return the

books stick with you they change your

character and they become part of who

you are rather than something you you

just have to remember like you're

studying for a test I'll link some

videos Below on how you can actually put

that into practice the slow methodical

learning In fairness the quality

quantity compromise isn't Universal at

least when it comes to websites I use

Squarespace to build mine and I'm no

designer right but within a few hours I

made something quite aesthetically

pleasing at least in my eyes and I hope

you agree so even with little time

you're getting quality the drag and drop

editing means you aren't Limited in what

you can create it's how I built my

homepage here I tweaked every little

detail until I thought it was perfect I

used my site to show off my writing in a

nice way so this is a great hub for your

own blog or mailing list and if your

goal is to make a living off your skills

you can do that you can make a pay for

your blog and your videos and that's

super nice because the business side of

creativity can be unforgiving without

the right tools and here it's all there

for you you can take it a step further

with the courses feature where you

design this nice structured series of

video lessons and share it with the

world with of course all of the

analytics you need to keep track of the

interaction to get started yourself you

can go to squarespace.com and use their

free trial to design your first website

and once you feel ready to launch it you

can then go to square space.com odesus

and use code Odus to get 10% off of your

first website or domain so do have a

look at that my third big Pitfall was

listening to

YouTubers that's awkward you see the

problem here I mean I'm offering advice

just the same as anyone else's and it's

easy for gurus to call out gurus for

being gurus in this stupid endless cycle

but look not everyone is out to trick

you and deceive you and you know you can

think critically so so what's the

problem here when I first took

literature more seriously I turned to

videos on here for advice and you know

school did a good job but I wanted more

I was naive and I saw these YouTubers as

high sources of authority cuz you know

they had the subscriber counts they had

the big bookshelves in the background

and all the rest and to be fair most of

them had the evidence to back it up but

look it's it's still YouTube there's

sensationalism there's marketing and

there's the business side of it that can

get in the way of the honesty listening

to people is not a bad thing obviously

my mistake was that I took their advice

at face value and I put it on a pedestal

I tried to copy every tactic they had

word for word I tried to be like them

and in doing so I gave up all of my

Independence and my agency in learning I

was different to them just as you are

different from me and our minds don't

work the same way my favorite reading

strategy might cause you to hate

literature forever and vice versa you

might hate taking notes in obsidian or

whenever you're writing a book it makes

you feel uneasy and that's fine I like

it personally but doesn't mean you have

to so the point is here is to not

distrust people automatically but to

take their words with a grain of salt to

weigh it up to consider it and most

importantly to experiment yourself

because you don't know how good advice

is until you've seen it in reality not

every book is truly finished on the last

page meaning you can get to the end of a

book full for this mistake and then your

effort evaporates into nothing mistake

number four is reading practical books

without taking any action every book has

a different purpose to it Persian Fire

by Tom Holland not the actor was written

to teach us about the Persian Wars with

Greece it's a history book this book The

Way of men by Jack Donovan it's about

masculinity and it was written both to

discuss the topic but also to argue a

point that you can consider whether you

agree or dis agree but this set of books

is different they are all practical

meaning they offer you guidance on how

to do something in the real world the

most obvious types will be handbooks

like these ones on Bushcraft and I also

have quite a few books that teach me how

to become a better writer and you can

clearly see how they are practical

however some books have a mixture of

both Theory and practical advice for

example 12 ruls for Life by Jordan

petson it talks about ideas from

religion from Philosophy from psychology

but then it offers also real world

advice based on all that the Common

Thread with all of these books is that

they demand action from you the reader

trust me it's so easy to binge all of

this practical stuff and feel like

you're taking action and that you're

moving forward in life I fell victim to

that fake accomplishment so many times

the only way we can truly honor these

books is to make their ideas a reality

to take their advice and use it of

course assuming you agree with it I do

this by taking notes on the Practical

points and then finding a way to

gradually Implement them into my life

and I say gradually cuz if you write

down 30 different points of action it's

not happening that's such an

overwhelming flood for your mind and you

can't just overhaul your entire you know

set of habits and routine in a few days

it's not happening for example I

recently finished on writing well and I

will not read any other writing books

until I've taken good notes on this one

and of course given myself some time to

practice what it was actually saying

again I'll link some videos Below on how

you can approach content with a bit more

intention and mindfulness kids are dumb

they're naive and it's not just kids you

probably think the same way about your

past self even as an adult you might

look back and the memories make you

cringe a bit and that's normal much of

the time this embarrassment comes from

phases you went through maybe you were

an Emo or you were crazy into anime or

hobby horsing or something I don't know

but that's all pretty innocent it's part

of growth and it's normal but there's

one aspect that's a bit more Sinister

and I felt it in full force it's

intellectual Pride thinking you know

everything when you really don't

whenever I approached books I came to

them looking to agree or disagree

depending on the stance I was expecting

to hear if I knew that the author's main

argument was something that clashed with

my world view I'd approach it with a

very defensive and closed off attitude

and this wasn't critical thinking my

mind you this was just being stubborn

straight up it was the noit all attitude

I didn't treat their arguments fairly

and it killed my learning and equally if

the author and I shared the similar

worldview I would agree with everything

they'd say I'd lick their boots all

because my own opinions were being

reinforced it's glazing as they say now

you can't go through life thinking that

you know everything because then you'll

never find anything new You' just be

this walking ideology with no room for

CR iCal thinking or independent thoughts

so whenever you read drop your

prejudices drop your ideology and hear

them out I'm not saying you have to

agree obviously you can be critical but

the point is to give them a fair

platform to stand on in the first place

the authors aren't there to defend

themselves so in a way you have to do

that for them I have a confession which

you probably know already but whatever

for the longest time I hated fiction and

I know I can't even look at you in the

eyes right now but seriously I mean it's

not that unusual in the world of reading

especially in the hustle culture sphere

people on fiction all of the time

they think it's useless there's nothing

to learn from it it's a waste of time

but why is that and what changed for me

since then because I love fiction now

it's like half of what I read one big

thing that pushed me away from fiction

was that I stopped reading it too often

and you'll see what I mean with that my

attention span is still not my strongest

suit but a while back it was far worse I

struggled to focus on a story from more

than 20 30 pages even then I felt

productive with that I felt like I was

checking off my daily reading time which

to be fair I was but the problem was I

could never get immersed into the story

no matter how hard I tried I didn't feel

a connection to the world and the

characters I never felt what it was like

to be truly sucked into a story like

those people you see who can read for

hours straight on the weekend weend I

was jealous of that actually fun fact

the first book to do that for me

actually I think I have it here hang

on the first book I don't know why it's

a bit of an odd one but the first book

to ever like truly absorb me into it

story was uh Nelson Mandela's

autobiography you wouldn't expect it but

they did so I recommend it it's a good

read but yeah back to the point I know

today why it was so hard for me to get

into the flow and it was because I read

the fiction in small chunks which made

immersion almost

impossible I remember just you know just

as I was about to get invested into the

book I stopped reading and I could only

see it the next day again it chops up

the World building it makes you forget

all the important details and you find

it harder to relate to the characters

and to get to know them when I first

read about this mistake in how to read a

book I tried an experiment I tried for

once to push through my attention span

and read for an extra half an hour let's

say and I think at the time this was The

Hobbit and miraculous well not

miraculously it was expected I actually

found myself getting more invested and I

got into that almost state of reading

where I could just keep going for ages

so if that's something you relate to I

would try two things first read for a

little bit longer than usual so you give

yourself that time to get into motion

and second try to save fiction for when

you have or when you know you have a

long block of Time ahead of you so you

again allow yourself that time to feel

absorbed so I don't know it could be

worth a shot or maybe I'm delusional and

it's just my problem I don't know one

brisk Autumn night you are feeling

scholarly you pick that one thick book

off your shelf that you've been meaning

to get to for ages and you start reading

it maybe it's philosophy or one of the

classics you realize that you are only

10% of the way through the introduction

and you have not understood more than

two or three

paragraphs what in the am I reading

it's not looking good it's even worse

when you know the book has a lot to

offer you but it all just completely

flies over your head and no matter how

many times you reread the same stupid

sentence it just doesn't make sense and

that's a problem because it puts you off

you don't want to approach a book and be

mentally beaten up every time because

what's that going to do it's going to

push you away it's going to make you

potentially dislike the hobby that you

once found fulfilling and no one wants

that however that expectation you have

for yourself might be the problem that

is crushing your motivation it's okay to

struggle with a book in fact I'd even

say it's a good thing it's the best

evidence that the book is challenging

your mind and pushing you to new levels

this is only true however if you

approach it with the right mindset

because you can set yourself these

really high expectations to understand

everything but that's going to leave you

feeling inadequate or you can manage

them a little bit so that you give

yourself the room to grow slowly yes but

surely and sustainably Justin song Here

on YouTube mentioned somewhere that

reading a hard book is not 0 to 100 it's

n Plus one this means that you will

almost never understand the whole book

in the first read through and that's

okay the point is you can return to it

with a more mature mind and understand a

little bit more than last time maybe

it's still not a lot maybe even after 10

attempts you still understand only half

of it but that's okay it's your journey

it's your wisdom it's your thinking and

the point is you are doing the best that

you can if I constantly compared myself

to these 60-year-old professors and

these you know you know really

intelligent speakers I would feel

miserable because of course they're

ahead of me but you know at least I can

be satisfied with my own progress and my

own journey and learning out there there

will always be better readers than you

but if you want a realistic path ahead

then you have to be fair with yourself

and patient because this is not easy

it's damn difficult and those are eight

of my worst mistakes in Reading I think

it was eight seven eight I'm not sure if

you have any of your own mistakes that I

missed I'd love to hear them in the

comments ments and of course it would

help other people too and uh my email is

also open so feel free to message me

there I read and respond to everything

it might take some time but it does

happen so if you have any questions or

problems just know it's there and of

course thank you for watching