I would like to learn about different systems / ways that people use to read books.
Some people only like physical books – they enjoy the feeling of flipping through the pages, the ability to write notes on the margins, the accountability to finish the book after having invested money into buying it.
Others prefer e-books – the portability aspect (being able to carry hundreds of books without taking up any space and seamlessly being able to change from book to book depending on one’s mood), storing your notes anywhere (being able to highlight notes and having them transfer to note-taking apps like Obsidian automatically) and the night-light feature (being able to read before bed without interfering with your sleep).
For those who have trouble sticking to one book, being able to switch to any book you want at the press of a button is perfect. One morning you wake up wanting to read about a certain topic, a couple of hours later you are learning about something else. An advantage of this is that it keeps your brain in a “student” mode. You are always looking forward to soak up information and you are always motivated to read.
As with everything, however, it has its disadvantages. I believe that one of the unrelated benefits of reading is that it teaches on discipline. Tomorrow I will wake up and I must read 20 pages / 30 min / 2 chapters, etc… If you only read when you feel like it, and you are reading for the sake of learning and becoming better, you will end up benefiting from the book less than if you would have just been consistent with it. This is because if you dedicate a small amount of time every day to read, the topic of the book will remain fresh in your mind and it will allow you to progressively get a better understand of the book as a whole.
At any rate, this is my personal opinion. I would love to learn about different perspectives about this and discuss pros and cons of each.
Take care everyone!
Physical all the way.
Do you frequently take notes on the margins? Why do you prefer physical books over e-books?