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Non-paywalled link: https://outline.com/ZYBDsE https://outline.com/ZYBDsE Summary: * Force yourself to read everywhere * But don't force it * Buy a lot of b

Non-paywalled link: https://outline.com/ZYBDsE https://outline.com/ZYBDsE Summary: * Force yourself to read everywhere * But don't force it * Buy a lot of books at once * Read them all at once * Remember stuff you read I don't even know why I'm commenting on such a low-effort blog post. Ironically, I read a lot of self-help books as well and I realized that most of them are a sham, so I'm writing a book on ... well ... how to read self-help books.

0xdeadb00f 7y ago
Outline flat-out refuses to work on Firefox (Mobile) for me. Firefox Lite and Chrome(ium) works fine. Any idea why? Disabling all my addons and it still doesn't work.
- googlesux 7y ago
  Same
spookybones 7y ago
I theorize that many self-help writers begin as people obsessed with process over end goal. After all, it's easier. Why master X when you can research the best ways to master X (without having done so) and summarize it? You then create a strange loop in which you are, say, productive about explaining productivity (but not productive at anything else). And then, you monetize it.
relativeadv 7y ago
This isn’t just a pattern of self help books but i’ve noticed that most non fiction pop psychology or business books tend to follow this extremely tiresome pattern: 1. Start with a little biography for a chapter or so. 2. State your thesis, maybe earlier. 3. Make all of the chapters some principle or broken down element supporting the thesis. 4. Beat the reader over the head with case study after case study. This is great because it fills out what would’ve otherwise been a pamphlet into a real deal 300 page book. 5. Profit? I used to look down on all of these summary companies and stuff like Blinkist but i totally get it now. People aren’t too lazy to read this stuff, it’s just not very important that you understand all of the filler. Also. It’s quite telling whenever these kinds of speed reading goal setting articles get made they’re almost always using self help books. That works because of the points above. No one is ever speed reading War and Peace or East of Eden.

0xdeadb00f 7y ago

Outline flat-out refuses to work on Firefox (Mobile) for me. Firefox Lite and Chrome(ium) works fine. Any idea why? Disabling all my addons and it still doesn't work.

googlesux 7y ago
Same

spookybones 7y ago

I theorize that many self-help writers begin as people obsessed with process over end goal. After all, it's easier. Why master X when you can research the best ways to master X (without having done so) and summarize it? You then create a strange loop in which you are, say, productive about explaining productivity (but not productive at anything else). And then, you monetize it.

relativeadv 7y ago

This isn’t just a pattern of self help books but i’ve noticed that most non fiction pop psychology or business books tend to follow this extremely tiresome pattern: 1. Start with a little biography for a chapter or so. 2. State your thesis, maybe earlier. 3. Make all of the chapters some principle or broken down element supporting the thesis. 4. Beat the reader over the head with case study after case study. This is great because it fills out what would’ve otherwise been a pamphlet into a real deal 300 page book. 5. Profit? I used to look down on all of these summary companies and stuff like Blinkist but i totally get it now. People aren’t too lazy to read this stuff, it’s just not very important that you understand all of the filler. Also. It’s quite telling whenever these kinds of speed reading goal setting articles get made they’re almost always using self help books. That works because of the points above. No one is ever speed reading War and Peace or East of Eden.