Why I've stopped reading non-fiction books

Reading non-fiction is often disguised procrastination

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Too much reading, not enough doing.

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This has been my issue for the past 4 years.

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Even though I’ve taken a fair share of action I’ve spent too much time and brain power reading and highlighting quotes, strategies, and ideas that I’ve never used and probably never will.

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Not because they aren't valuable or because I'm lazy (which I am) but because in this life you just CAN'T get to do it all, and the sooner you realize this, the better.

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If you don't sacrifice the habit of reading non-fiction books just for the sake of it, your genuine priority in life will become the sacrifice.

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In order to build a simple fulfilling life where you can spend quality time with your loved ones and work on something you truly care about without constantly facing burnout, which I suspect is what the grand majority of sane humans would aspire to, you don’t need to read every new 300-page best-selling book out there.

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You just need to allocate that time to do the few things that will move the needle forward. That’s it.

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And you probably know what those things are already.

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Books full of ideas and suggestions on the different paths you could take will distract you from the simple fulfilling life you deep down seek. If you ever feel lost, sure, expose yourself to new paths and ideas, but if you have a fairly clear idea of what you want, put on your horse blinders and keep moving.

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Books have been a very important part of my self-improvement journey, but only a handful, all the others, as interesting as they may be, have been an excuse to not do the boring work and feel like I’m being productive when in reality I was just reading one more book covering the same old topics with a slightly different title.

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A lot of non-fiction books are not written to add value to the reader, they are written to only benefit the author.

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Books are a great vehicle to turn certain people with important contacts into authorities in a given field.

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Once you have a published book, institutions and media outlets start to take you much more seriously. You also get the chance to make a significant amount of money speaking at large corporate events.

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This is the hard truth about the publishing industry. It’s mostly a zero-sum status game.

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That’s why lots of "authors" hire ghostwriters and press agencies. Because they just want to get it out of the way so they can reap the benefits as soon as possible.

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Most non-fiction books could be summarized in a blog post, a newsletter issue, or a podcast. The core idea and the few tactical strategies are what matter. Everything else is fluff to reach the 200-300 page mark and say you’ve written a"real" book at a dinner party.

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Do you like reading as much as I do? Great! Read good fiction instead! It’s a wonderful way to get lost in different worlds and learn much more interesting and deeper life lessons. It will also help you calm down your anxiety as you won’t be frying your brain worrying about having to highlight every interesting phrase you come across.

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You should definitely read some non-fiction too but try to not make the same mistake I made and be picky about the books you read. Also, don't feel forced to read them from cover to cover. Open the contents page and go straight to those chapters that apply to your current situation. Leave out the rest for future occasions.

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Don't take extensive notes either. You'll never re-read them as there’s too much resistance to go through a whole detailed summary. I’ve tried it myself and it’s not sustainable. Instead, pick the 3 key actionable lessons that you are willing to apply in the next year and get to work.

The day I publish my own illustrated book I'll make sure to make it as short or long as it needs to be to get my message across. No more, no less. I'll also design it in a way so you don't have to read it from cover to cover and you can pick the individual ideas that you feel particularly curious about.

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Don’t take anything I share too seriously. I’m just thinking out loud! If this resonates great, if it doesn’t even better. Diveristy is hope.

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Great love and respect,

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Ash Lamb

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visualgrowth.com