Carry a notebook

I think a downfall of a lot of self help books is when they tell the reader what to do.

You see it often, the chapter starts with a great insight and ends with precise instructions on how to capitalise on that insight.

And I think author’s can leave the ‘You have to/got to/need to’ advice out.

I assert that it rubs people the wrong way. Nobody wants to be told what to do.

I also think that if the instructions are impractical then it makes the insight too easy to dismiss.

‘In order to be creative you need to carry a notebook around with you everywhere you go’ is disheartening advice to the person who is paralysed from the neck down. They might give up on creativity altogether if they read that.

Also this advice can be quite misleading and not get to the heart of the matter. Someone could carry a notebook around for a year and not feel any bit more creative. Following this advice is not a guarantee of success.

I think it’s better for the author to leave it at the insight and not get caught in the weeds of telling people what to do.

I think the insight will pique their curiosity and the reader will naturally look to apply it in their own life.