A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good.

Reading against your own interest turns into a chore you perform rather than something that enters you. The pages go by, the eyes move, and almost nothing is retained, because attention cannot be forced the way hours can. Curiosity is not a luxury in learning; it is the mechanism. What pulls you is usually pulling you somewhere useful, even when the connection is not obvious yet.

Put down the improving book you have been dutifully failing to finish. Pick up whatever you actually want to read, including the thing that feels slightly frivolous. You will get further, and you will remember it.