Is Reading Useless in 2024?

"Reading is only as useful as your ability to execute the info."

WRONG.

That’s technically right, but that doesn’t always mean what you think. Not every book is a "how-to" or "for-dummies" style book where you’re given a step-by-step plan. That’s why I resent the advice I quoted.

Here’s an example: The other night I read a passage from Joan Didion’s Let Me Tell You What I Mean where she mentions underground poker.

Immediately, I thought of one of my favorite movies, Rounders, and ran to my desk to write.

I had a seed and I knew I needed to plant it immediately. After about 15 minutes, I blazed through a rough draft that I was proud of, and that little event made the purchase of the book worth it.

Reading Didion's book didn't tell me how or what to write, but was able to trigger something in my brain that led to an essay.

But even if I didn’t get anything like that out of it, it’s ok.

Books are books, there’s no right or wrong way to use them.

Sometimes I read the old Winnie the Pooh books when I’m feeling anxious, and the language and stories always put me at ease. Is that a waste of my time?

People don’t read enough as it is, and now every influencer who has (allegedly) made a million dollars is trying to be cool and tell you to spend LESS time reading.

It’s like telling someone that they can get diabetes from eating too much fruit or that they can die from drinking too much water — have you known anyone that’s happened to?

Reading is not just a skill acquisition tool. It is a wisdom generator. Sometimes you will hear a metaphor in a book that will make a previously difficult topic for you finally “click”.

Other times you’ll read a story from your role model telling you about his wife who died young, and maybe that story pushes you to spend more time with yours.

My point is that there’s plenty of time in the day to read a ton and get a ton of work done. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience.

If you don't believe me, listen to Warren Buffet, Mark Cuban, and Elon Musk:

Buffet: “Read 500 pages like this every day...That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

Cuban: "If you’re not reading, you’re f---ed… because you’re not expanding your mind. I tell my kids… ‘Somebody who doesn’t read lives one life, somebody who reads an unlimited number of lives.’”

Musk: “I was raised by books."

If you only care about making money, then sure, reading isn’t as important as solely executing your business plan.

But if you plan on being a good leader and positively impacting the world, then you are selling yourself short if you don’t read books.

So if the choice is between reading too little and reading too much, it’s clear which side you want to lean toward.