I picked up Range because it seemed almost tailor-made for me. I have always been interested in different things and have often wondered whether being curious about too many things is actually a strength or a weakness.
David Epstein argues that it can be a strength.
In a world that keeps telling us to specialise early, practise deliberately and find our one calling, Range makes a strong case for exploring before specialising. The book draws from sports, science, music and several other fields to show how breadth of experience can help us see patterns, solve problems and make connections that may not be visible when we stay within one discipline.
A few ideas from the book: think before you are taught what to think about; determine the structure of a problem before choosing a solution; when stuck, think outside the domain; and learn under varied conditions rather than repeating the same thing.
I particularly liked the idea that frustration can be a sign that you are learning, while ease may sometimes mean that you are no longer being challenged.
But what I found most interesting was the possibility of taking learning from one interest and using it somewhere completely different.
So I tried thinking about how I could apply this in my own life.
Three cross-functional experiments I want to try
1. Movies → Reading
When I watch a movie, I often notice its story, pacing and structure. I can bring the same lens to books. Instead of simply reading what the author says, I can notice how the argument is built, where the tension comes in and how the ideas finally come together.
2. Music → Fitness
Music naturally has rhythm, pace and variation. Why not bring that into exercise? Instead of doing every workout at the same pace, I can use changes in rhythm to create intervals—faster, slower, recovery, repeat. The workout becomes less monotonous and perhaps more engaging.
3. A different hobby → A stuck problem
One of the book’s ideas I liked most is: when you are stuck, think outside the domain.
So instead of reading one more thing about the problem, I could step away and look at it through something completely unrelated. A movie, a book, music, a trek, even observing something in everyday life might offer a different way of seeing the same problem.
Perhaps that is what Range has given me: permission to connect the dots between things that don’t appear to belong together.
I am glad I have always believed that it is good to know a little about everything else.
Range made me see that those little bits of knowledge may not be scattered interests after all.
They may simply be dots waiting to be connected.