I read books in a way that makes them all heavy. Every single sentence is examined for a potentially life changing insight or nugget of information. It borders on insane, and makes reading way more difficult than it has to be.
But it’s an investment. Because most stuff, when I come at it with the right mindset, actually can be life-changing.
This is the style I apply to everything I consume (except podcasts for some reason) – maximal extraction. If I’m not doing it, I get hit with weird FOMO. Weird FOMO on being better. FOMO on a valuable paradigm shift.
One of the relaxing things about fiction is the lack of FOMO. It’s just a story. Of course, the best stories are the ones that have wisdom embedded in them – tiny cues in the story that force me to examine or consider. But in the best stories, I never really notice.
When every second is a chance to choose better, the burden weighs heavy. Escaping from the FOMO with a piece of fiction that tricks me into growth without me noticing is a welcome break.