On Jan 1, 2018, I decided to read more papers and started trying to read a paper a day. As of today, I have read 899 papers in 899 days. I never would have imagined 2.5 years ago how much I would learn through this and how this would make me a better scientist and human.

One interesting trend is that preprints are making up a larger and larger fraction of these papers. In 2018, I read 54 preprints. In 2019, 72. For 2020, I'm on track to read 100+. Reading preprints has accelerated our science.

The breadth of science I've been able to learn about is incredible. I love love love learning about new things, and this habit has given me the intellectual freedom to explore new fields, even those that aren't directly related to our research.

Reading a paper every day is great way to stay close to your curiosity and to feel inspired. I cannot recommend it enough for scientists at every stage.