For all the progress updates in one place:
Progress Update: October 2024
Here are the books I read/listened to for my research during October 2024
The Will to Meaning (Viktor Frankl)
Meaning in Life and Why it Matters
Clear Thinking
Same as Ever
Being You
The Way of the Champion
The First Rule of Mastery
Finding Flow
Meditations for Mortals
Stop Overthinking
Conscious
Notes:
• My favorite read this past week was “Clear Thinking” by Shane Parrish. The book covers thinking biases that get in the way of good decision-making and how to set guardrails for ‘clear thinking.’
• “Same as Ever” by Morgan Housel was good, too. I love Morgan’s writing style: clear, engaging, and concise. He’s one of the authors I look up to most for how to present ideas. Morgan is also the Author of “The Psychology of Money,” one of my favorite books of all time.
• Settled back into a good rhythm after an almost two-week break from reading
I’m glad that all of last week’s books were good reads; it made it easier to get back into heavy reading after the break.
• “Being You” is the best book on consciousness and ‘the self’ I’ve ever read. The book is clear and well-written; it also has the right mix of science and philosophy. The subject is complex, making it a challenging read that took some time to get through. Don’t be discouraged by the difficulty; this is an amazing book.
• “Meditations for Mortals” is by the same author of “Four Thousand Weeks” and “The Antidote” (both excellent). I loved this book. “Meditations for Mortals” is a no-fluff, almost pure insight book on how to improve our lives by accepting its limitations and flowing with the imperfect as well as the uncertain. Highly recommended.
• I mostly took a break from reading in the last two weeks since I had some traveling planned, but I still wanted to make small progress to reach an important milestone:
As of today, I’ve read/listened to 200 books since I began my research last December. I still have a month and a half to go to complete a year of heavy reading, and then I’ll shift gears to spend more time organizing what I’ve compiled and begin writing.
• “Conscious” was a great read on the nature of consciousness and how it relates to free will, phenomenology, and our idea of ‘self.’ Highly recommended for those interested in these subjects.
I’ll return to my regular reading volume (about 4 books per week) starting this week.
• “The Noonday Demon” was the best read for the month. The first chapters alone make the book worthwhile. It’s a heavy read and not for everyone. The author’s account of going through deep and extended depressions is heartbreaking. I’ve never read anything like it.