Quantity vs. Quality
There's a cultural obsession with reading goals. "I read 52 books this year!" Great. But did any of them change how you think or act?
I'd rather read 12 books deeply than 52 books superficially. A book that changes your mental model is worth more than a hundred books you forget by next month.
How I Read
My reading system has evolved over the years. Here's what works for me:
- Choose ruthlessly: Life is too short for mediocre books. If a book doesn't grab you by page 50, move on. No guilt.
- Read actively: Highlight, annotate, argue with the author. Reading is a conversation, not a lecture.
- Take notes: After finishing a book, I write a one-page summary of the key ideas and how they connect to what I already know.
- Apply immediately: Knowledge without application is entertainment. Find one idea from each book and put it into practice within a week.
- Revisit: The best books reveal new layers each time you read them. I revisit my favorites annually.
The Compound Effect of Reading
Reading is compound interest for the mind. Each book builds on the last. Over time, you develop a lattice of mental models that helps you see patterns others miss.
Charlie Munger calls this "worldly wisdom": the ability to draw from multiple disciplines to make better decisions. You don't get there by reading one genre. You get there by reading widely and connecting the dots.
My Current Stack
I rotate between four categories:
- Business & Strategy: How the world of commerce works
- Philosophy & Psychology: How the mind works
- Science & Technology: How the physical world works
- Biography & History: How great people navigated their world
The magic happens at the intersections.
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." (George R.R. Martin)