New post - New Years Resolution Evaluation - Reading

_posts/2024-12-18-new-years-resolution-evaluation-reading.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title:  "New Years Resolution Evaluation - Reading"
+date:   2024-12-18 08:39:00 -0700
+categories: post
+---
+
+# Goal
+
+My goal this year was to read more books. One a month. To be honest, the
+planning was very fuzzy so I can hardly remember what I set out to do. The
+brainstorming featured piano, personal projects, drawing, and reading. By the
+time I remembered in November, the most reasonable seemed to be reading a book a
+month, making me 10 books behind.
+
+# Reasoning
+
+So why reading? My past goals have been related to improvement, usually with
+some aspect of work. I've obtained a consistent exercise routine, optimized my
+productivity, improved my planning & design skills, and documentation. At this
+point, I feel like I produce pretty good artifacts but I have the one shame, I
+don't read good.
+
+There is some documentation that I read religiously [^1], but for the most part, I
+hack and slash to get what I want. This is my primary approach. I don't have any
+plans to change it, but I think there's headroom to improve what I take away
+from technical documentation.
+
+So, why not set a goal on reading documentation and technical material? For one,
+I've liked the idea of adding some fiction reading to my routine. I haven't
+voluntarily read a work of fiction in ... at least 15 years. And for two, why
+can't I read a goddamn book! I can scroll through heaps of Hacker News, YouTube,
+Reddit, audiobooks but only manage to read about one or two non fiction books
+per year.
+
+# Progress
+
+By the time I remembered my reading goal in November, I had read 0.1 books. It
+is now mid December and I have finished 5 books. This puts me at a 41% with a
+trajectory of finishing at 50% with a moderate possibility of 100% depending on
+how I spend my weekend.
+
+![Books read](/assets/2024-12-18-new-years-resolution-evaluation-reading/books.png)
+
+So, based on the numbers, I did not do well this year. On the other hand, I did
+also read some papers sometime in the middle of the year and the reading of
+fiction has improved my ability to focus.
+
+# Findings
+
+## Reading Speed
+
+I can now read pretty fast *sometimes*.
+
+Earlier this year, I tried to slog through "The Metamorphosis & Other Stories"
+by Franz Kafka. The style and ideas from the short stories were psychedelic and
+delightful. However, I managed to read only 10% after a few days and struggled
+to keep my mind focused. My second attempt in November was easier but it still
+required plenty of discipline. However, as the book went on, it became easier
+for me to keep focus. I finished the book in roughly 1.5 weeks (I think). Give
+my effort, this was frustratingly slow. Reading long stretches without zoning
+out was exhausting.
+
+The most recent read, "Hollow Kingdom" by Kira Jane Buxton, took me 6 sittings
+across 2 days. This was a nice improvement over the 1.5 weeks reading Kafka's
+short stories which were roughly half as long. Anecdotally, I found it easier to
+focus and was able to read longer without needing a break. Will this translate
+to work-related readings? Probably, I think, I'll see once I get back from my
+short vacation.
+
+## School and Time Sucked the Fun out of Fiction
+
+This is perhaps the first time I have voluntarily completed a fiction novel
+since middle school. The first novel I read was "Tuck Everlasting" in 4th
+grade. Although I didn't like the timelines (who does), I enjoyed the
+experience. Over the years, I would get assigned books and even read more
+related books. However, sometime in high school, I dropped reading for fun due
+to time constraints and the focus of reading books. Books were read to hunt for
+themes and symbols in order to churn out generic essays highlighting the correct
+answer [^2].
+
+With the latest readings, I didn't need to be on the lookout for the right
+answers to an upcoming test. In 1984, I didn't have to care at all about what
+the "Glass Paperweight" represented, and frankly it wasn't that good of a symbol
+anyways.
+
+**Spoilers** When Winston wondered why the party operated, my cynical mind said,
+"it doesn't matter, they just do it to do it you romantic idiot". I never
+expected the book to try to answer the question so clearly. I was surprised when
+my stupid take was validated by the villain, as "The Party seeks power entirely
+for its own sake".
+
+It's much more fun when there's no pressure of an upcoming test or
+assignment. Without the weight, I feel like I'm diving just as deep, possibly
+deeper, than I used to. I managed to have fun reading all the books on my list [^3].
+
+## El Enemigo Returns
+
+This wasn't really a learning. I've known this for a while. As I'm trying to
+read and need a break, the first thing that I reach for is... my phone. More
+insidious, I look up a word and then find myself on Wikipedia and then somehow
+on YouTube?! When YCombinator expound the beauty of startups providing huge
+value and name the iPhone, I can't help but to throw up. The dopamine device has
+stolen way too much attention.
+
+# Conclusion
+
+So how did I do? I did pretty well in the past 2 months. Although I should've
+put more effort at the start of the year, I did read a lot and it was
+enjoyable. Next year I will focus on my Piano skills, but will probably continue
+to read[^4] and combat the urge to burn time on form content.
+
+# Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Some of my favorite documentation includes
+    [The Guile Reference Manual](https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/)
+    and [SDL Wiki](https://wiki.libsdl.org/SDL3/FrontPage).
+
+[^2]: Although this may sound like a harsh critique, I'm glad that school forced
+    me to read. Praying that I would read for fun would probably not have
+    yielded good results.
+
+[^3]: After reading the first short story, I didn't want to spend any more time
+    translating Poe's overindulgent language.
+
+[^4]: I read "The Trial" by Franz Kafka before the end of the year which
+    technically puts me at 6 out of 12 for the year.