So good man...it's hard to choose this because the downstream flow of market forces and media ecology push us toward breadth over depth. But this is the path toward actually change. Pseudo-progress death loop is a great phrase.
For me it's been Emerson and "Flow". They've meaningfully reshaped my life. It's not quite 24 re-reads in a year, but I read him every weekend at a minimum. A "trusted mentor through time and space" as I like to say
Yes that’s the one…it really is. Feel like it’s of a different quality being written ~35 years ago vs self help today. It doesn’t fall into the 252 page formulaic template where each chapter starts with “In 1879, so and so did such and such” and then 3.5 pages later the chapter actually starts
Love this. Depth is the way. Do you mean "Flow" by Csikszentmihalyi? If so, it's on my shortlist of books I'd consider after my year of Principles. Part of the reason it feels like one I could do over and over again is that the writing itself is actually quite good.
I did this by accident a few years ago with Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. I was going through a season of grief and thinking a lot about our finite time on Earth. I listened to the audiobook, bought a copy of the book, and then proceeded to read and annotate it about seven or eight times through. It definitely changed my life because I started taking steps towards the top things on my "Life-To Do" list.
I just discovered your substack and it is sooo thought-provoking. I would like to first up thank you for all the work that has gone into it - it shows! You keep me exploring new ideas.
I like this idea but I think there are also a few more factors: Some books obviously would have more value than others, and be more worthwhile to focus on. Secondly, reading a broad variety of books sometimes gives a general overview upon which the deep dive is built upon. Also, some books may only have 1 or 2 good points - no need to deep read the rubbish bits, but also no need to toss the baby with the bathwater - could these bits be kept and read over and over?
Keep the thought articles coming I am really enjoying them.
Thanks so much! These are good points. I do think that (a) some books are definitely better than others (and have more depth in the prose that you can get more out of when you spend more time on them), (b) *a lot* of self development books have 1-2 good points and 250 pages of filler. That said, I think that in each area of life that you might be interested trying to develop, there is probably a pinnacle book which has more depth and density of quality ideas, and it's worth spending time trying to pick the right one. *But* I also actually think that even a mediocre book could change your life meaningfully more than reading dozens and dozens of books and listening to hundreds of podcasts — like a mediocre book on dieting, if you read it religiously, would weigh on you after the 13th read when you open the fridge or shop for groceries. But best to put in some upfront work and pick the best book for the problem you're trying to solve.
I'm also finding after reading Principles several times that there are certain sections I'll read everyday for a week, and other sections that aren't relevant to me right now. So I think it can be like the bible in this way. Lots of books in the bible that Christians don't spend much time reviewing, and some that get re-read constantly.
I don’t think I’ll read it 24 times in a row, but you’ve convinced me to reread The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem and to commit to the exercises for the full 32 weeks. It was helpful when I read it a couple years ago, but I’ve quit alcohol since then, and I think it’ll make a bigger difference now that I’ve taken my foot off the brakes.
I have been considering this approach for a while… (with an essay collection of G.K. Chesterton) it’s very helpful to see someone else not only thinking along similar lines, but having actually lived the result…
A Chesterton essay collection would be really great — you get the added benefit of beautiful prose, which is one of the drawbacks of applying this to most of the traditional self-development books.
Thank you 🙏🏼 So glad to hear this resonated, and I'd love to hear how you're feeling after going deep into one thing. I've been going deeper and deeper into the book I chose for this year and it is really making a radical difference in my day to day.
I suspect part of the allure is the treasure-hunting aspect of the infotainment. As you said, any podcast or book could contain a nugget of wisdom that changes the trajectory of your life. What is the *next* one that contains, and even better, a nugget that helps me?
Agreed! But I kind of got to the point where the nugget felt like it was dangling in front of a treadmill. So my evolving view is that you really don't need to know the next thing, you need to do the last thing.
But the question remains, can you read other books while doing only one self help? Like fiction and biographies / memoirs? I mean nothing to self-help in those! Cos I do like the variety of books and don’t read much self help anymore. But interested to try this experiment!
I plan to read fiction, essays, and probably some biographies too! I need the variety of writing styles and perspectives. As long as I get through my core book ~30 times :)
The one book for me was once atomic habits, I’ve read it twice and I have many of the concepts memorized. This would be a good candidate for me. I also like Cal Newport, so my second pick would be his new book Slow Productivity.
I have found myself in a self-help death loop so this post came at the perfect time!
Atomic Habits is a great one for this. It's one where if you really lived it, versus merely reading it, it would change your life. Haven't read Slow Productivity, but know enough about it (and Newport) to sign off on it :)
I had this experience with a blog on FIRE - Mr. money Mustache - he doesn’t post often anymore but I reread his old posts like chapters in my favorite book. I don’t 100% adopt everything he advocates for, but directionally, it’s been transformation for my wealth, health, and relationships.
I actually considered mentioning that doing this exact thing would be another approach that you could get equal amounts of value out of — I specifically was going to mention Mr. Money Mustache as my example! If you lived and breathed those concepts for a year with serious devotion, rather than reading them once and thinking "oh that's a good point" — it would totally change your life. Thanks for sharing Chris.
This is why reading an author on Substack can sometimes profoundly change your life. Sooner or later, they recycle ideas or revisit lessons life has taught them, and you end up hearing their voice over and over again. But that’s how it should be with a book, too. Rewatching movies or TV shows has had a similar effect on me—everything good deserves a revisit.
Banger here, Matt. Well written and fun. Even if it was only for those events you snuck into, that’s an amazing story.
The takeaway here for me is the deep value of focus. Collectively, as a society, we kinda suck at focusing now. Tons of distractions all the time, plenty of focus on the wrong things, it’s not a surprise unfocused dopamine farming has become the gruel de jour for many of us (tastes like ‘tasty wheat’, no?). The idea that focusing so intentionally on one book could move the needle this much makes sense, especially in today’s world where so few people focus on something positive as much as what you’ve described.
I’d love to see this tested, an actual study where say, 100 people do this with the same book, Atomic Habits or something so familiar that you reduce the impact of the book itself. One thing I can’t help but wonder is, how would this work for someone who considers himself mostly happy, and generally likes his life. Maybe he’d only want to change something on the margins. And maybe the key there is simply finding a book about that exact thing… Pick up the hardcover and audio 2-pack of “Continuous Improvement for the Happy, written by Harry Styles, forward by the Dalai Lama” on Prime Day!
Jokes aside, I’ve long wondered if too much focus on one thing ends up throwing other parts of life so far out of balance such that we end up ultimately seeking a balance we threw off with our focus. I did a daily pushups challenge last year that proved fruitful in many ways. It might be one of the best things I’ve done that I’d never do again, because of how it created this obsessive / life- revolves-around-pushups mindset. It sounds funny writing that and it was in the end. There was a ton of good that came out of it, physically and mentally. But it was eye opening to see the fine line between focus and fixation.
Sincere thanks for writing this. Gave me some good stuff to think about.
Thanks for this Matt! I definitely know all about that fine line between focus and fixation and have been accused of crossing it from time to time. I plan on doing a follow up piece after reading Principles a few dozen times — I think it should be particularly interesting because of the crossroads I'm at, at the precipice of starting a business, and I feel the concepts coursing through me right now. But it'll be interesting to see what that amounts to after a year, and if successful, whether it will feel like it translates across disciplines and topics. I suspect so, but really don't know. The idea about a study using something boilerplate like Atomic Habits really would be so interesting. It's the kind of thing I'd try to construct if I had the resources.
To your point about the pushups, my general thinking here really stemmed from the idea that if you want to make big changes in your life (or accomplish something that feels fairly unreasonable), you kind of do need to limit scope and become obsessed. So if you're trying to eek out incremental happiness, I think I'd recommend a modified version of my proposal — something like: read one book once per month for a year, or every other month. I think it just has to get to feeling like the author is on your shoulder coaching you for a little while.
I think you’re right, when you’re after a certain magnitude of change requires a certain level of focus / obsession. The part about reading the same book often could still prove fruitful. As I think about it, most of the folks I knew who grew up reading the Bible did just that. They were always chipping away at it, never really “finishing” it.
Best of luck on your new business. Excited to read more about it.
So good man...it's hard to choose this because the downstream flow of market forces and media ecology push us toward breadth over depth. But this is the path toward actually change. Pseudo-progress death loop is a great phrase.
For me it's been Emerson and "Flow". They've meaningfully reshaped my life. It's not quite 24 re-reads in a year, but I read him every weekend at a minimum. A "trusted mentor through time and space" as I like to say
Ah and I should clarify the “trusted mentor” who I read every week is Emerson but still return to the ideas of Flow often
Yes that’s the one…it really is. Feel like it’s of a different quality being written ~35 years ago vs self help today. It doesn’t fall into the 252 page formulaic template where each chapter starts with “In 1879, so and so did such and such” and then 3.5 pages later the chapter actually starts
Love this. Depth is the way. Do you mean "Flow" by Csikszentmihalyi? If so, it's on my shortlist of books I'd consider after my year of Principles. Part of the reason it feels like one I could do over and over again is that the writing itself is actually quite good.
I did this by accident a few years ago with Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. I was going through a season of grief and thinking a lot about our finite time on Earth. I listened to the audiobook, bought a copy of the book, and then proceeded to read and annotate it about seven or eight times through. It definitely changed my life because I started taking steps towards the top things on my "Life-To Do" list.
Amazing example Maureen
Brilliant Matt. Selecting my book
Thank you Kiki! Let me know what you choose.
I just discovered your substack and it is sooo thought-provoking. I would like to first up thank you for all the work that has gone into it - it shows! You keep me exploring new ideas.
I like this idea but I think there are also a few more factors: Some books obviously would have more value than others, and be more worthwhile to focus on. Secondly, reading a broad variety of books sometimes gives a general overview upon which the deep dive is built upon. Also, some books may only have 1 or 2 good points - no need to deep read the rubbish bits, but also no need to toss the baby with the bathwater - could these bits be kept and read over and over?
Keep the thought articles coming I am really enjoying them.
Thanks so much! These are good points. I do think that (a) some books are definitely better than others (and have more depth in the prose that you can get more out of when you spend more time on them), (b) *a lot* of self development books have 1-2 good points and 250 pages of filler. That said, I think that in each area of life that you might be interested trying to develop, there is probably a pinnacle book which has more depth and density of quality ideas, and it's worth spending time trying to pick the right one. *But* I also actually think that even a mediocre book could change your life meaningfully more than reading dozens and dozens of books and listening to hundreds of podcasts — like a mediocre book on dieting, if you read it religiously, would weigh on you after the 13th read when you open the fridge or shop for groceries. But best to put in some upfront work and pick the best book for the problem you're trying to solve.
I'm also finding after reading Principles several times that there are certain sections I'll read everyday for a week, and other sections that aren't relevant to me right now. So I think it can be like the bible in this way. Lots of books in the bible that Christians don't spend much time reviewing, and some that get re-read constantly.
Atomic Habits + Outlive could be a powerful synergistic combo!
Ooo I hadn't thought of a synergistic combo but this feels totally inbounds and brilliant. I think I may actually try this next year.
I don’t think I’ll read it 24 times in a row, but you’ve convinced me to reread The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem and to commit to the exercises for the full 32 weeks. It was helpful when I read it a couple years ago, but I’ve quit alcohol since then, and I think it’ll make a bigger difference now that I’ve taken my foot off the brakes.
Love this. Would love to hear how things are feeling after 32 weeks.
I have been considering this approach for a while… (with an essay collection of G.K. Chesterton) it’s very helpful to see someone else not only thinking along similar lines, but having actually lived the result…
A Chesterton essay collection would be really great — you get the added benefit of beautiful prose, which is one of the drawbacks of applying this to most of the traditional self-development books.
This is an idea I've come across, but this post did a great job of specifying the issue and really upping the salience for me. Thank you!
I'm going to put this into practice. I'm still considering which book to go with, but it will likely be "The Wisdom if Insecurity" by Alan Watts
Thank you 🙏🏼 So glad to hear this resonated, and I'd love to hear how you're feeling after going deep into one thing. I've been going deeper and deeper into the book I chose for this year and it is really making a radical difference in my day to day.
I suspect part of the allure is the treasure-hunting aspect of the infotainment. As you said, any podcast or book could contain a nugget of wisdom that changes the trajectory of your life. What is the *next* one that contains, and even better, a nugget that helps me?
Agreed! But I kind of got to the point where the nugget felt like it was dangling in front of a treadmill. So my evolving view is that you really don't need to know the next thing, you need to do the last thing.
Absolutely profound!!!
But the question remains, can you read other books while doing only one self help? Like fiction and biographies / memoirs? I mean nothing to self-help in those! Cos I do like the variety of books and don’t read much self help anymore. But interested to try this experiment!
I plan to read fiction, essays, and probably some biographies too! I need the variety of writing styles and perspectives. As long as I get through my core book ~30 times :)
Okay great. Will circle back but def participating in the experiment!!
This was great dude
The one book for me was once atomic habits, I’ve read it twice and I have many of the concepts memorized. This would be a good candidate for me. I also like Cal Newport, so my second pick would be his new book Slow Productivity.
I have found myself in a self-help death loop so this post came at the perfect time!
Atomic Habits is a great one for this. It's one where if you really lived it, versus merely reading it, it would change your life. Haven't read Slow Productivity, but know enough about it (and Newport) to sign off on it :)
I had this experience with a blog on FIRE - Mr. money Mustache - he doesn’t post often anymore but I reread his old posts like chapters in my favorite book. I don’t 100% adopt everything he advocates for, but directionally, it’s been transformation for my wealth, health, and relationships.
I actually considered mentioning that doing this exact thing would be another approach that you could get equal amounts of value out of — I specifically was going to mention Mr. Money Mustache as my example! If you lived and breathed those concepts for a year with serious devotion, rather than reading them once and thinking "oh that's a good point" — it would totally change your life. Thanks for sharing Chris.
This is why reading an author on Substack can sometimes profoundly change your life. Sooner or later, they recycle ideas or revisit lessons life has taught them, and you end up hearing their voice over and over again. But that’s how it should be with a book, too. Rewatching movies or TV shows has had a similar effect on me—everything good deserves a revisit.
Banger here, Matt. Well written and fun. Even if it was only for those events you snuck into, that’s an amazing story.
The takeaway here for me is the deep value of focus. Collectively, as a society, we kinda suck at focusing now. Tons of distractions all the time, plenty of focus on the wrong things, it’s not a surprise unfocused dopamine farming has become the gruel de jour for many of us (tastes like ‘tasty wheat’, no?). The idea that focusing so intentionally on one book could move the needle this much makes sense, especially in today’s world where so few people focus on something positive as much as what you’ve described.
I’d love to see this tested, an actual study where say, 100 people do this with the same book, Atomic Habits or something so familiar that you reduce the impact of the book itself. One thing I can’t help but wonder is, how would this work for someone who considers himself mostly happy, and generally likes his life. Maybe he’d only want to change something on the margins. And maybe the key there is simply finding a book about that exact thing… Pick up the hardcover and audio 2-pack of “Continuous Improvement for the Happy, written by Harry Styles, forward by the Dalai Lama” on Prime Day!
Jokes aside, I’ve long wondered if too much focus on one thing ends up throwing other parts of life so far out of balance such that we end up ultimately seeking a balance we threw off with our focus. I did a daily pushups challenge last year that proved fruitful in many ways. It might be one of the best things I’ve done that I’d never do again, because of how it created this obsessive / life- revolves-around-pushups mindset. It sounds funny writing that and it was in the end. There was a ton of good that came out of it, physically and mentally. But it was eye opening to see the fine line between focus and fixation.
Sincere thanks for writing this. Gave me some good stuff to think about.
Thanks for this Matt! I definitely know all about that fine line between focus and fixation and have been accused of crossing it from time to time. I plan on doing a follow up piece after reading Principles a few dozen times — I think it should be particularly interesting because of the crossroads I'm at, at the precipice of starting a business, and I feel the concepts coursing through me right now. But it'll be interesting to see what that amounts to after a year, and if successful, whether it will feel like it translates across disciplines and topics. I suspect so, but really don't know. The idea about a study using something boilerplate like Atomic Habits really would be so interesting. It's the kind of thing I'd try to construct if I had the resources.
To your point about the pushups, my general thinking here really stemmed from the idea that if you want to make big changes in your life (or accomplish something that feels fairly unreasonable), you kind of do need to limit scope and become obsessed. So if you're trying to eek out incremental happiness, I think I'd recommend a modified version of my proposal — something like: read one book once per month for a year, or every other month. I think it just has to get to feeling like the author is on your shoulder coaching you for a little while.
I think you’re right, when you’re after a certain magnitude of change requires a certain level of focus / obsession. The part about reading the same book often could still prove fruitful. As I think about it, most of the folks I knew who grew up reading the Bible did just that. They were always chipping away at it, never really “finishing” it.
Best of luck on your new business. Excited to read more about it.