Over the years, I’ve used Audible to enhance my book consumption. I like the service and have found it useful when I’m doing other tasks, such as driving or exercising on a treadmill. It isn’t the ideal way to consume all books, though, especially the ones I value most.

The books I value most teach me something new or enrich my understanding of something. This means I’m usually reading the thoughts of someone who understands a topic far better than I do. I need to maximize my understanding by taking notes, highlighting important sections, trying mathematical formulas with my own numbers, etc. This is best done when I’m singularly focused on what I’m reading, not multitasking. And it’s best when I have a way to capture my reactions to or thoughts about what I’m reading.

For these reasons, I consume this kind of book the old-fashioned way: I read the physical book. I get a lot of value from having it. Annotating the book improves my comprehension and makes it easy to find key concepts and refresh my recollection of them. It also means that I’m usually focused on reading the book and not doing anything else.

I think services like Audible and devices like Kindles are great, and I love them, but I get the most value from certain kinds of books by consuming them the old-fashioned way.

I enjoy reading nonfiction books. Books that recount historical events or people’s lives and books that enhance my understanding of complex subjects are my favorites. I’ve come to appreciate these books for more than just their content. Well-written nonfiction books can be great jumping-off points.

Most well-written nonfiction books take a long time to create. The authors spend lots of time researching their topic. They read and talk to people to make sure their facts and understanding are sound. The amount of information found and consumed during their research can be staggering. Identifying and accessing this information by applying their investigative skills can consume a material amount of time and energy.

What most people don’t realize is that authors often share their research process in their books. They cite the sources of facts and important concepts throughout the text. But more importantly, they often have a notes section at the end of the book that lists all the articles, books, interviews, etc. they researched and used in the writing of the book.

The notes section of a great book can be an overlooked gold mine. It gives me a list of additional vetted sources of knowledge about a topic I’m interested in. The author’s countless hours of research are summed up in one easy-to-read list. I’ve used the notes sections of books many times to find other wonderful writings and people I otherwise would have never known about.

When I finish reading a good book, I make a point of reviewing the notes section for golden nuggets and bread crumbs.

I was exchanging thoughts with an investor friend about other seasoned investors. These are investors with many decades of experience. They’ve typically been through multiple cycles and navigated them successfully.

My friend said he doesn’t believe in reading about the thoughts of seasoned investors. He wants to know what action they’re taking and what their strategies are—not principles or concepts. Because they don’t share their current actions or strategies, he doesn’t read any of their writings; to him, they’re not interesting or insightful.

I disagree with my friend. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect an investor to share his strategies or real-time investments. Doing so would likely mean more capital being deployed into those investments, which would raise prices and reduce returns. Why would anyone want that?

I also think there’s value in understanding the frameworks other people use to inform their actions. How they view and think about the world may be different and worth considering, even if you disagree with it. Lastly, there’s something to be said for the wisdom accumulated during decades of success. It’s taken these people a long time to figure out some of their insights. Even if you don’t agree, it’s worth listening them—it might take you decades to reach the same conclusion on your own.

I may disagree with elder investors’ views, but I actively seek out material in which they share their insights because I have respect for the wisdom they’ve accumulated over their successful careers. The wisdom might not be valuable at the moment, but it could be priceless at some point.

Clarity of thought is a key component of success as an entrepreneur (it’s also helpful in life in general). Some people are better than others at clearly communicating their thoughts. The good news is that clear thinking is something that can be improved.

Just like anything else you want to improve, you must practice it. So how do you go about practicing clarity of thought?

In my experience, writing is the best tool to improve clarity of thought. Writing about a topic forces you to focus your thoughts and organize them coherently so others can understand your points. I like to think of it as a mental workout. The more you write, the more practice you get at clarifying your thoughts.

If you want to think more deeply about something or improve your overall clarity of thought, consider picking up the habit of writing. My takeaways from publishing my daily writings for over three years are here.

I’ve developed a habit of starting my day with physical activity. Walking, weights, etc. Getting my blood flowing and working up a nice sweat. It’s been a great way to get the day going, and it gives me energy throughout the day.

I’m a morning person. My brain is firing on all cylinders when I first wake up. I have my best ideas and clearest thoughts early in the morning when it’s quiet. Knowing this, I didn’t always feel like I was getting the most out of my most productive time, since I was exercising instead of thinking.

I want to be intentional about reading more long-form pieces as part of my daily learning habit. I usually do this in the evening. Sometimes I’m tired, which affects how much I absorb. And I tend to put off reading anything that requires deep thinking.

This week I decided to tinker with my schedule a bit. My goal is to figure out what the right activity is for my most productive early-morning hours.

I’m going to experiment with starting my day reading long-form writings. I plan to focus on things experts have written about topics I want to learn more about and on dense business materials (e.g., white papers and reports). The idea is to be able to think more and absorb more of what I’m reading because my brain will be fresh. I’ll keep reading in the evening too, but I’ll focus then on stories and autobiographies where I just need to follow along. As for my workouts, I’m aiming to do those at lunchtime.

I’m curious to see how this experiment works and what I learn from it.

I try to acquire knowledge daily using a variety of methods and sources. The most effective way for me (not everyone) to get the most from this effort is to read long-form material—books, papers, articles, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube, and other approaches, but they aren’t as effective for me. I’m usually multitasking while consuming these mediums. They’re great in the sense that they help me maximize my productivity on the treadmill, walks, driving, etc., but I don’t gain as much as I do when I’m focused on reading long-form pieces.

I share my thoughts publicly every day and enjoy reading stream-of-consciousness pieces. I browse Twitter, blogs, and other places where people share their thoughts, but these mediums are most helpful for discovery. I tend to find golden nuggets there that steer me to long-form written content about a topic.

I’m still committed to acquiring knowledge daily and will keep using many methods, but I plan to be more intentional about making consuming long-form pieces every day a priority.

Today marks the end of my one-hundred-forty-second week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week one hundred forty-two:

• Recession – Discussions with a few friends and more headlines revolved around recession and the tough road ahead in 2023. I assumed that recession was a given for most, but it feels like the reality of it is hitting more and more people the closer we get to 2023.
• Fewer meetings – I was intentional about keeping my calendar clear, so I was more productive and focused. A few unexpected things happened, but they didn’t derail me. I plan to repeat this next week.
• Christmas – One more week until Christmas. This is the final push for the year.  

Week one hundred forty-two was a productive week. Looking forward to next week!

Today marks the end of my one-hundred-forty-first week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week one hundred forty-one:

• Duh – Sometimes what you’re looking for is already right in front of you. This week was a reminder of that.
• YouTube – If you want to learn from someone who’s somewhat prominent and not in your network, look them up on YouTube. They may share what you want to know in a video. Or better yet, they might drop their email in one of the videos. You can email them and refer to having watched their talk, which is somewhat flattering and better than a cold email.
• Home stretch – Two weeks until Christmas. I’m being more intentional about my calendar for the next two weeks. I want to stay focused on getting some important things completed.

Week one hundred forty-one was a focused week. Looking forward to next week!

Today marks the end of my one-hundred-fortieth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week one hundred forty:

• Investor perspective – Investors view the world and founders through different lenses. I participated in an event where a group of investors provided feedback on a few founders. It was interesting to see how each investor’s perspective informed their analysis of each founder and their market. Sometimes substance was overshadowed by other things; conversely, sometimes lack of substance was overshadowed. External validation also swayed some investors’ analysis of a founder, although I believe that wasn’t intentional.
• Home stretch – We’re in the final weeks of 2022. The year has gone by quickly. I want to make these last few weeks in the year count.

Week one hundred forty was a busy week. Looking forward to next week!

Today marks the end of my one-hundred-thirty-eighth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week one hundred thirty-eight:

• Truth – This week I thought about truth, which led to my post yesterday. Seeking truth isn’t something that most people do. I believe it’s one of the traits that separate the good from the great. Seeking truth allows you to make better decisions.  
• Networks – I started to think about network nodes. How can you create more nodes to increase the free flow of information at early-stage start-ups and the people who support them? Can creating network nodes increase early-stage network quality?
• Non-consensus  – This week I came across two great founders. They’re not in the right VC/start-up networks, and the problems they’re solving aren’t obvious (but they are painful). These founders are non-consensus and, in my book, great founders to back. They represent an opportunity for non-consensus alpha.
• Thanksgiving – Looking forward to time with family and friends!

Week one hundred thirty-eight was a focused week. Looking forward to next week and the Thanksgiving holiday!