How to Choose Your Next Book

I have always had difficulty deciding which books to read. In addition, while in the middle of one book, I often find others that look interesting and end up with an even harder decision to make about where to go next. As a result, I often start multiple books and then up in a constant state of context switching. I believe if we zoom out to consider our total information consumption, we are all this way to an extent, but it feels different with books because through reading we strive to commit time to engage more deeply with a topic.

Recently I’ve had three separate experiences that got me thinking about this question of how to choose what to read and more broadly, what to learn, and so I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

The first event was hearing Russ Roberts, while being interviewed on the Tim Ferriss Show podcast, say something to the effect of, “you only have enough time in your life to read around 2,500 books (50 books a year for 50 years).” This comment was sort of astonishing in that 2,500 books both seems like a very large number but also very few for someone seeking lifelong learning. I thought, well I probably read more like 20 books a year, so that’s only 1,000 books! With that realization answering the question of choice really became an imperative.

The second event was also while listening to the Tim Ferriss show (I’ve been going through his back catalog…) where he and his guest started talking about some of the authors and thinkers that have motivated their intellectual journeys. This got me wondering, if I am interested in these ideas, why am I spending time consuming the material from the people who synthesize it? Shouldn’t I be going straight to the originator of the idea and consume their thoughts directly?

And finally, a friend asked how you decide which podcasts to choose given the sheer amount of shows out there, especially since most are not worth the time. This was literally poking at this overarching question of how to choose what forms of information you engage given the limited time we have to do so in our lives.

So, with that as my motivation, here is my attempt at a framework for how to think about choosing your path:

Leverage your network

How do you know which books, podcasts, articles, etc. are going to be worth your time? This is a personal thing after all. You must actively seek the intersection of your interests with the recommendations of your network, whether that’s your family, a group of close friends, an online community or otherwise. You will not like everything I do, but if you trust and respect my judgement, my suggestions can be guideposts to explore spaces where we share curiosity.

Take an “options” approach

It’s daunting to think about picking up a new book knowing that it’s going to take you a week (or month, or year) to finish it. And maybe you’re unsure of your commitment to its contents?

My brother bought me Capital and Ideology by Thomas Picketty, an incredibly dense book, which is daunting to think about picking up because it took me 6 months to read Picketty’s first book Capital in the 21st Century. I know I will read it at some point, but if I was just poking at this topic, I would be terrified to start.

So here are a couple good ways to manage this challenge and take an “options” approach:

1. Accept that it’s ok to quit halfway through
   
   This point was a real struggle for me. A few years ago I finally decided that if I get partway into a book and am not really excited to finish it, then it’s ok for me to move on to the next one. Prior to that point, I had a strange compulsion to finish every book I picked up, as if not finishing would mean I never read any of it in the first place, or that others would know and consider me a failure. Obviously, none of this is true, and the reality is that if you don’t find yourself engaging with the material, then it may not be the best path for you to interact with those ideas. Try something else if you’re still interested.
   
   

2. Utilize podcasts to test the waters
   
   Podcasts are a great means of exploring ideas in a short-form synthesized product that allows you to test the waters of an idea. If your curiosity is piqued, you can dive deep on the subject through other mediums (books, essays, blogs, etc.). Simply put: podcasts offer optionality. And the other great part about podcasts is that you can consume them on-the-go. I love listening to podcasts while running and often many of my best ideas come during this practice.

Do you want to be the synthesizer, or do you want to consume the synthesis?

As I noted above, while listening to the podcast guest’s interpretation of someone else’s works, which sounded very interesting to me, I realized that I have a decision to make about the depth of understanding I’m seeking on that topic, which frames how I should pursue that knowledge. The answer to this question is a fundamental to defining your options for engaging a particular topic and the reality is that going straight to the source may or may not be the right thing for you, depending on your passion for the material.

Going to the source is hard work, getting the synthesis is easy(er). If you want the working knowledge, consume the synthesis (podcasts offer optionality here). If you want the depth of the knowledge so as to become an expert, go to the source. Just remember what Russ Roberts said about your limited time to consume information.

Follow an idea or person down the rabbit hole.

If you are really interested in learning about a particular topic, one good way to get a comprehensive treatment of it is to find the person who leads in that field and follow them through their journey. See what books they’ve written, what podcast interviews they’ve done, what shows they’ve created, and what lectures they’ve given (YouTube has a million of these). Consume their ideas across this range of durable information mediums. It’s great to hear how they describe their ideas across the different media. You see how they twist the ideas for different audiences and how differently they work the ideas when writing a book to the world versus how they expand and pivot when being challenged by a smart podcast host. This is a great way to go down the rabbit hole on a given idea.

Don’t get stuck deciding.

This is perhaps the most important point here. Whatever you do, don’t let yourself get blocked by analysis paralysis. Use the tools above to take step 1 and I guarantee that step 2 and beyond will present themselves to you. Take an options approach and remember, you don’t have time to waste!

-Chris

Help us all improve!

I hope you found this framework useful and apply it to your own pursuit of knowledge and growth. If you have other methods you use to prioritize your focus, I would love to hear from you. Send your ideas over through our contact form and if anything sticks, I’m happy to amend this post.