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How to Read: Lots of Inputs and a Strong Filter

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Summary

This article discusses the importance of reading and how to approach it. The author suggests starting as many books as possible, but not forcing yourself to finish if they don't interest you. They emphasize the importance of having lots of inputs and a strong filter to get the most out of reading. Having a low bar for books you're willing to try and being able to quickly move on from the ones you don't like is key. The author also emphasizes that this strategy applies to all kinds of data, research, conversation, and learning.

Q&As

What did Charlie Munger say about reading books?
Charlie Munger said "Most books I don't read past the first chapter. I'm not burdened by bad books."

How can reading books be compared to a 10-hour work meeting?
Reading can be compared to a 10-hour work meeting where nothing gets done and everyone is bored.

What did Mark Twain say about reading good books?
Mark Twain said "The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them."

What is the conflict between having lots of inputs and a strong filter for reading?
The conflict between having lots of inputs and a strong filter for reading is that most books don't need to be read to the end, but some books can change your life.

How can a person find the right piece of information?
The highest odds of finding the right piece of information comes from inundating yourself with information but very quickly being able to say, “that ain’t it.”

AI Comments

👍 This article provides a great insight into how to approach reading, and how to develop a strong filter in order to find the right pieces of information.

👎 The advice provided in this article may be difficult to implement, as it can be hard to know when to stop reading a book after just a few pages.

AI Discussion

Me: It talks about the importance of having lots of inputs and a strong filter when it comes to reading books. It suggests that you should start as many books as you can, but only finish a few of them. It also says that you should have a low bar in what books you're willing to try, and that you should be ruthless with your filter.

Friend: Interesting. It makes sense that you should have a filter in order to not get overwhelmed by too much information. But I'm not sure that I agree with the idea of only finishing a few books. I think that having a well-rounded knowledge is important, and that requires actually finishing books.

Me: Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. But I think it's still important to give yourself the freedom to not finish a book if you're not interested. Otherwise, you might end up wasting time trying to slog through something that isn't beneficial to you. It's about finding the balance between having an open mind to different inputs, and being able to quickly filter out the ones that aren't useful.

Action items

Make a list of books that you are interested in reading and start sampling them.
Set a time limit for yourself when reading a book and if you don't find it interesting after that time, move on to the next book.
Make a list of topics that you want to learn more about and find books that cover those topics.

Technical terms

Inputs: Information or data that is fed into a system or process.
Filter: A device or process that is used to separate out certain elements or features from a larger group.
Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
Inundating: To overwhelm with an excessive amount of something.