Laissez-Faire Approach to Reading and Why It is Enjoyable

Laissez-Faire is a political science definition, but it doesn’t mean that it solely applies into politics. It can also apply to your reading experience and how you approach it, especially when it comes to selecting the next read. Organizing your Next-To-Read section of the bookshelf is a regulated approach into reading and not an enjoyable experience. This article is about on why a laissez-faire, hands-off, approach into reading is a better option for readers.

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Laissez-faire is a term that is infamous for having more of a hands-off approach into things and letting one’s own decisions lead the way. I made a post about a month ago, which I have restored onto my blog for anyone to see, about the five books that I was going to read this year. However, my approach towards reading the next couple of books has changed. For the last couple of months, since last year, I was deciding on the next books that I was going to put on my Next-To-Read section of my bookshelf. I thought too heavily about the books that I wanted to read next that it caused to have an episode of unnecessary stress. It was in those moments that I decided on not to think so much about what I was reading; instead, to let curiosity and intuition guide towards my next read. As of so far, I am thrilled to have made the right choice and let go of regulating the next set of books to read. There are many benefits on why having a laissez-faire styled approach into reading and selecting books is the best option for any reader. Scroll down for more.

1. Freedom to Read and to Choose

   A laissez-faire approach guarantees more freedom and less restrictions on what to read. Isn’t it fun to bounce from genre to genre in order to explore other worlds and ideas that are unrelated to the previous read? Of course it is fun. The freedom to read and choose allows more of a rewarding behavior on what the next random book to read offers, encouraging intrinsic motivation. This deregulated approach to choosing books is beneficial to anyone who is interested in reading because the need of having a Next-To-Read shelf becomes all the less important. Meanwhile, what becomes emphasized in this laissez-faire approach is the freedom for anyone to choose any book of interest on the shelf, after the previous read, without having to adhere to a personalized Next-To-Read section. (An example: In December of 2024, I was organizing a section on my shelf with the five books that I was going to read this year. However, upon realizing that I would get stressed over adhering to a personalized Next-To-Read, while having other books that I wanted to read on my shelf, I decided that I wasn’t going to read none of those books in order. Instead, I had to allow my curiosity and intuition guide me to my next book on the shelf without having a set of books, or a Next-To-Read section, ready for me to read.)

2. Less Pressure on Reading Deadlines

   Being a slow reader, I sometimes do get moody when I’m taking too long on a book. I am currently reading IT by Stephen King as I write this post, which is one of the thickest books in the horror genre. Putting too much pressure on reading a book completely is not an enjoyable experience. Furthermore, it could potentially cause someone to experience frustration towards reading, giving way to developing impatience. A laissez-faire approach gives the reader the option to slow down and enjoy what they are reading without adhering to strict deadlines on when to finish a book. It allows the reader to have a more enjoyable reading experience, immersing themselves in the story, and it could build long-lasting reading habits for the future.

3. Enhanced Comprehension and Retention

   A Laissez-faire approach into any area allows the individual to learn step-by step. The same concept applies into reading. Without having a regulated Next-To-Read section on the shelf and not having all of these expectations weighing any reader down, anyone can open the book freely that they’re currently reading and appreciate slowly every single sentence, paragraph, description, details, and chapters that the story offers.

4. Development of Self-Directed Learning

   Having a Next-To-Read section on the shelf is equal to having an authority figure bossing you around and telling you what to do, restricting curiosity related to personal interests. Who likes that?… No one. If a person adopts a laissez-faire approach to reading and picking the next read, then it is guaranteed that the individual will develop the habit of continuos self-education and self-guidance, two traits that are of value in today’s digital, innovative world.

5. Individualistic Preferences and Increased Creativity

A Next-To-Read shelf drowns individualism. Reading freely allows the individual to explore their individualistic preferences without adhering to books on their personalized Next-To-Read bookshelf section. Plus, having a free-to-read approach increases the opportunity of being creative to explore different reads and texts that they have not otherwise considered.

A LAISSEZ-FAIRE APPROACH TO READING INCREASES ONE’S OWN INDIVIDUALISM TO TAKE SELF-CONTROL OF WHAT THEY READ WITHOUT THE AUTHORITY OF THE NEXT-TO-READ SECTION OF THE BOOKSHELF.

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A woman flipping through pages of a book