Photo by Parth Shah
Why Reading is Important in 2023
In the 21st century we have access to more information than ever before, yet many of us struggle to utilise it.
While the sheer volume of information available may seem empowering, it often leaves us overwhelmed and unable to focus.
Whether our phone is lighting up with notifications or you can’t shake the feeling that there is something else you should be doing, having almost instant access to these things I’d argue, is a net negative.
We routinely check our phones, social media or YouTube for the next thing to do, all the while struggling to focus on what we know we should be doing. It is this cognitive dissonance that can make us anxious.
“Putting more focus on one area automatically reduces the focus on another.” - Jeff Haden
There is important work to be done, however, because the work is difficult, everything but the work becomes irresistibly appealing - and when we focus on one area it detracts from the others.
You can’t do the dishes while writing your assignment.
Alongside this there always appears to be a better way to do the tasks on your to-do list.
Whether this is endlessly watching YouTube videos on how to improve your studying technique, without ever studying. Or listening to the 20th podcast on how to start a business, without ever starting a business.
‘The grass is greener on the other side’ springs to mind here and, because we have so much available to us, there is a lot of grass on the other side - tempting us to watch one more video, or listen to one more podcast.
This is exactly why reading is important in 2023 - it's a superpower. Reading - just reading - is one of the very few ways to improve your attention and get used to resisting the endless temptations around us.
The Only ‘Hack’ There Is
Achieving great things in life takes a lot of hard work, at least in the vast majority of cases.
Despite the plethora of YouTubers trying to convince you otherwise, you cannot be successful without time, effort and perhaps a little bit of luck.
There are no shortcuts, and trying to make money using hacks will only waste your time. The only way to make money using hacks is if you’re selling the idea that you can shortcut your way to millions, which isn’t the most ethical approach…
In my experience, the closest thing we have to a ‘hack’ is consistently learning through reading, but this is certainly not a shortcut to success and requires a lot of time investment.
Nevertheless I believe that everyone should attempt to build a reading habit, particularly in the digital age - here are two reasons why:
Lifelong Learning
Learning doesn’t end when you finish school, and nor should it. As the world continues to evolve, we need to evolve with it, and books can help us do so.
Every year thousands of books are published on a vast range of topics, books that can help you develop both personally and professionally.
Despite many recently published books being iterations rather than new ideas, what we take away from books varies depending on our age and life experience.
In this regard, other people’s experiences don’t necessarily reflect whether a book will be useful for us in particular. Therefore we can indeed learn from many books, regardless of whether they’re a New York Times best seller or not.
This also means that there is a very good chance that you will be able to find a book to fit your particular situation:
Looking to start an AirBnb business? There are books for that.
Looking for an introductory guide to economics? There are books for that.
Looking for books to help you improve your grades as a postgraduate student? There are books for that.
And this goes far beyond professional development, there are many books focusing on topics such as psychology, relationships, and meeting new people.
The point of this is that there are books for a huge range of requirements and, if you choose the right one, you can absorb a lifetime of work from a credible source in the space of a few hours.
Many authors have spent years working in a field, learning and speaking to other professionals before publishing their work - and you can have access to it for a relatively small fee.
Decades of work condensed into a few small hours if you’re willing to learn.
“The means of learning are abundant - it’s the desire to learn that is scarce.” - Naval Ravikant
Another, perhaps under-appreciated, benefit of reading is what it can do for your focus.
A Hard Reset
Earlier I mentioned that our attention spans are diminishing as more and more technologies seek to disrupt us, but reading is one of the few things that you cannot multitask.
You may be able to cook and watch TV, or clean the dishes and listen to music, but you cannot effectively read while doing anything else.
If you’ve tried this you’ll know what I mean. Trying to read while having TV on in the background doesn’t work, or it certainly can’t be done effectively.
And this is one of the underrated benefits of reading: it trains you to focus intently on one thing and one thing only - the book.
A few decades ago people were able to sit and read relatively easily, without constant distractions.
But times have changed, and I’m not sure this is for the better.
Nowadays it’s difficult to focus on one thing for more than 30 minutes without checking our devices, let alone an entire afternoon.
This is where books come in.
Because of the inability to multitask while reading, you have no choice but to focus.
While it may seem uncomfortable to focus on one thing at a time, this is exactly the point - to build your capacity for focus.
As we progress by reading we will become more accustomed to ignoring the noise.
But this goes far beyond simply reading a book…
Your ability to pay attention covers all areas of your life, not just reading. So if you can improve your attention by reading, your attention will improve because of reading, and will improve all areas of your life.
You will be able to give your undivided attention to loved ones, or progress through tasks at a faster rate as you’re not stopping every five minutes to check your emails.
Being able to focus on one thing in the 21st century is a superpower.
While everyone else is constantly checking their notifications and dealing with the context-switching consequences of this, you can power through without distraction.
And it’s no exaggeration that this an be life-changing.
One simple quote that sums up this problem perfectly comes from the book Stolen Focus by Johann Hari:
“I tried to live, but I got distracted.” - Johann Hari
Cultivating a reading habit can help you prevent this, and there's a good chance you'll learn something in the meantime.
Thank You
If you made it this far thank you — I appreciate you taking the time to read my work and sincerely hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to continue reading, I’ve included a few of my most popular articles below.
Thanks again,
Rob