6 things Avid Readers/Learners Do

I would like to connect the term avid readers to avid learners since that is what people who are constantly reading are trying to do. Now whether what they learn is relevant to their life or just to know more about the world is a personal choice.

Things you might find common avid readers/learners

1. A drive to consume and better understand the world: They will be ones trying to tell you an interesting story or fact of something you thought inane. The world has changed drastically over the past 30 years so information that could only found economically only in books can now be found easily in podcasts, you tube videos and blogs that are just a google search away. So if you know someone who does this .. know that they are a seeker on the path of truth.
2. They are obsessed with an in depth view or long form content: Be it interviews, biography, technology or depth in any subject, it cannot be built over a 800 word blog or 5 min video. It requires an explanation of a particular point of view on how that thought/reality came into existence. So they tend towards content that gives such in depth information. They will often start out shallow (short form content) to find the right person or resource that can give them that deep knowledge and then they take the plunge.
3. They are most likely reading more than one thing at a time: Once you get the ball rolling you will find that a lot of ideas are pretty analogous. So once you have depth in one field you will be able to quickly understand and learn what it means for another. You can see this with musicians who know music theory well, the rate at which they learn new instruments is tremendous. This is because they have systemic understanding of a particular ecosystem/process/industry. They just need to extrapolate.
4. They have a system in place to find the next exciting thing to read/learn: Today I find my next book based on the current book or interview of the author in couple of podcasts (Tim Ferris , Peter Attia , Sam Harris , The Knowledge Project to name a few) or radio shows like TedRadioHour . An avid reader will have a group or community that helps introduce or drive interest into a specific area.
5. If you ask for a book recommendation they will give you ten: Or at least more than one . Their mind is constantly connecting things and they want you to have the same level of depth as them. So they might recommend more than one book sometimes from an unrelated industry to highlight what specific thing needs to be taken away.
6. They learn from everywhere talking and listening to everyone: One truly doesn’t know where the next nugget is going to come down from. So they keep their eyes and ears open.

In today’s world we need more eyes that can see the reality of what is happening rather than blindly believing what the next person is saying. In times of chaos the only person you can depend on is yourself.

Become an avid learner and move the needle. Your one step is going to change the world and people around you.

Seek Discomfort. Practice , Perfect , Preach and Create.