You've Probably Read Enough
Though the time I spend here on HN is both enjoyable and educational, a
few months ago I ran an interesting test. For each article I read, I
wrote down a one line entry on a piece of paper noting the site and
basic gist of the article. The next day, before I was "allowed" to read
any more articles on HN, I sat down with the blank side of said piece of
paper from yesterday, and wrote down the articles I remembered.<p>I hate to admit it, but my retention rate was just miserable, probably
less than 50%. Sure, remembering stuff "cold" on the next day is
different than remembering an association during a conversation (e.g.
"Ya, I read something about 'X' the other day."), but it was enough to
make me wonder if my educational entertainment reading was time well
spent, or time wasted?<p>Everyone needs breaks, and it's fun to keep up with what's going on in
the world, but I might be better off doing something else...