A wise scepticism is the first attribute of a good critic.

Good judgment starts with a held breath. Before you can say anything useful about a book, a proposal or a person, you have to resist the first impression, which is usually about you rather than about the thing. Scepticism here does not mean sourness; it means declining to be swept along, staying available to be convinced but requiring to be convinced.

When something delights or repels you this week, wait a day before saying so. Then ask what specifically produced the reaction, and whether the answer survives being written down in one sentence.