self-help reading
I was reading this article by Raccoon's Trash Can that spoke about how self-help books suck and for the most part, I completely agree. Particularly around Atomic Habits, which is the biggest case of daylight robbery I think I've ever seen. It was at best, a short blog post.
I think the reason why these books are so popular and continue to be recommended is in part due to the faux-productive feeling we get from them, as well as the relatability that comes from seeing someone who's been in the same boat, that has improved.
The issue is, we distill these steps into advice that we believe will apply for everyone, and one size fits all doesn't work.
In some part, it's because we don't want to go through the effort to implement the steps, but it's also because we're not really looking for change; we're looking for the belief that we could if we wanted to.
For me, that's what these books do so well. It's feel-good comfort without the calories.
I have no doubt that some self-help books are worth the time to read. Heck, I've read a couple in which some of the steps have stuck with me (I'm looking at you Psychology of Money).
But I do also see the value in reading fiction and being able to distill the lessons from fiction while also being entertained is definitely time that I wouldn't consider wasted.