In 2023, I made it my mission to only read “self-improvement” literature, convinced by gurus online that it was the only “real” literature. But, to put it differently, I denied myself the pleasure of good and fun reading. Now, having read well over 20 self-help books, I feel entitled to tell you what I don’t like about them.
They are overrated.
Sure, most of them offer some advice, and I know they have helped people before. In fact, there is more than one post on this very blog praising them. Still, I believe most like them because everyone does.
Probably the point that annoyed me the most: You’d have a 400-page book and think, “Well, that could have been a blog post.” Those books could often fit on flashcards and they offer super generic advice for complicated topics: Those authors are very good at explaining theoretical concepts. Fix your vibes, be more consistent, procrastinate less, get rid of bad habits, but they fail at explaining the HOW. The things mentioned above are quite obvious; building up the discipline to do them is something else entirely. And if most had that discipline, they wouldn’t need a self-improvement book in the first place, would they?
They can be dangerous if misinterpreted.
Especially books that treat productivity as something close to religion can be dangerous. How many people have overworked themselves with all those techniques to be even more productive, to get even more done? Also, the title means self-help; how many people held back on actually getting help (talking to others, therapy) because they thought those books could “fix” them?
I didn’t write this article with the intention to insult anyone. Reading such books isn’t bad at all. I just want you to be cautious to: 1. not to make it your only source of literature and 2. not decline help when you need it.