"I read everything"

Thoughts on hobbies, exploration and reading

“I read everything”

In the past few days, I've been making an effort to read more. However, I don't really enjoy reading books, as I often get bored or lose momentum. So I sought to read more substack posts from my favorite authors plus some random reading. This is not really my first such stint but it has certainly been the most enjoyable one so far. I believe what led me to engage in this pursuit were some internal prompts and a stimulating conversation I had with a friend recently.

So one day, I was chatting with my friend S and shared a few of my previous posts with him. I wrote, "Hey, I'm just sharing the link. Have a look if you're interested. No forcing xD!" To which he responded, "I read everything." I was pleasantly surprised by his response.

Overcoming the Selective Buffet Syndrome

I tried to process my reaction and understand why I felt that way. Perhaps because I usually read material that piques my interest or curiosity. Other times it’s when I need some information urgently. If I have to compare, my reading habits are like a selective buffet; I only choose a few favorite items to savor, focusing on what truly pulls my tastebuds, not trying out new dishes. This does not seem like an issue (And there is really no such big issue as such)

But I feel the problem is; when I only read material that piques my interest, it’s hindering me from exposing myself to new perspectives and discovering new or other diverse areas of topics. It's like being a fish in the Arabian Sea but confining my exploration to a pond. I feel it’s a very slow way to cultivate my taste. So I finally decided to branch out and read more stuff. This was not just a rational decision but I felt an inner conviction which is probably what made my present stint effortless. I still read what I am interested in but I make an effort to read posts I have no idea about. I also pick up posts that do not grab my attention vibe-wise.

Exploration vs Optimization

Additionally, time constraints play a role in shaping our reading habits. The line of thinking is: I am limited on time so I will optimize for reading only the best stuff (which I think is a sound strategy). I asked myself. Do I think similarly when I am watching anime? Surprisingly, no. Despite having limited time for anime, I'm not as selective. I frequently try to watch classics or not-the-highest-score anime. I often select based on watching clips on youtube. If I like the premise, I watch it regardless of its MAL rating. (Ok, this still means I am watching something that catches my interest)

This leads to the next question. Why am I less selective in choosing anime? Why friend S is less selective in his reading? Why don’t we care about time as much?
I believe it comes down to whether the activity is something we genuinely enjoy—essentially, a hobby. After all, it’s only in the realm of hobbies that we grant ourselves freedom to fully explore the various territories. If that’s not the case, is it even a hobby? Exploring is important to discovering your preferences and widening your horizons of the hobby. Everything you consume and end up liking or not liking reveals a part of yourself and I love this process.

Discovering the gateway of taste

How do you develop or discover a hobby? Ironically, you have to try out different versions, and genres.. of the activity till you find your gateway of taste. As naval says, “read what you love until you love to read". Find what you love and then expand from there. When you start loving a particular area, your mind opens up to exploration, making the process much easier. You feel lesser mental strain and a surge in neurotransmitters that encourage curiosity and discovery. The conclusion I drew here was I should try reading more variety of stuff to discover my tastes and then expand.
”I read everything” matters both at the start and it makes even more sense when you discover your preferences. If you believe in takeaways from posts, this is the takeaway (and you can stop reading lol)

Ok, returning back to the “I read everything” discussion. It turns out my friend has found himself a hobby in reading. He says “One should have at least one hobby where they explore it entirely”, of course, acknowledging that it's not possible for every hobby. He mentioned that he preferred reading shorter stuff as compared to books (although at the time of our conversation, he was reading a long novel). I have a similar preference and I do make the effort to go from shorter to longer posts.

I feel what makes shorter-length material like substack posts and internet blogs appealing is they fit better into brief, idle moments and typically offer a higher signal-to-noise ratio (idea-wise), particularly in non-fiction. I can quickly gain several perspectives if I read posts from different authors.

Wrapping up with a few songs

Enough going down the thought rabbit hole haha. If you made it till here, thank you so much for reading. I will end this post with a couple of songs I liked recently.

Youtube embeds seem pretty huge compared to Spotify embeds but I need to plug-in the video. It’s essential to the Japanese midnight nostalgic vibe. The location is Hong Kong though according to the behind-the-scenes video. This song clicked with me recently. I think it was my 5th random hearing.

Another one I play almost regularly these days: “I Love You 3000” by Stephanie Poetri. I came across the original song via a cover. I am posting links to both the cover and the original. The cover is much more vibey while the original is more enthusiastic (and I love the clarity of the singer’s voice).