Objective #4 Strategic Reading Plan

So at this point I've covered the 3 primary objectives of my plan - now lets talk about the secondary/supportive objectives.

One of those is something I'm calling a 'Strategic Reading Plan.'

If you've been following the blog so far - you know that unrelated to my growth work; I set a goal at the beginning of the year to read 100 books in 2025. 

I committed to this goal before I had a formal development plan. It was mostly just aspirational - an attempt to shock my system into re-establishing reading as a hobby.

Now I've retrofitted that goal: I'm still reading 100 books, but I've built a curriculum within it. Some books are chosen deliberately to support my objectives. Others are just for pleasure or curiosity.

The 100-book goal creates volume. The curriculum creates value.

 

Don't get me wrong - I'm still reading plenty of books just for entertainment, but I'm being more deliberate about introducing more books to my "To Read" list that have a meaningful connection to the person I want to be and the knowledge I need to become that person.

Out of the 73 books I've read this year - there have been probably 20 that are strongly related to my objectives, and maybe another 10-15 that bear some mild connection. The other half of the books have been just for fun (and most of the books I have planned for the rest of the year fall more into the fun category).

As a matter of fact - you could probably break all my reading this year into about 5 categories.

1. Direct Support of Core objectives
• Books that specifically support my PMP, BA, and Process Management objectives
• Examples:
• Making Things Happen - Scott Berkun
• Thinking in Systems - Donella Meadows
• The DevOps Handbook - Gene Kim
2. Indirect Support of Objectives
• These books impart practical wisdom that supports my core objectives - but are not necessarily specific to those fields. This category would also include many of the historical case studies.
• Examples:
• The Goal - Eliyahu Goldratt
• Brave New Work - Aaron Dignan
• Skunkworks - Ben Rich
3. Adjacent Knowledge
• These books are not necessarily related to my core objectives - but offer insight that provides worthwhile context to the bigger picture of what I'm trying to achieve.
• Examples:
• Thinking in Bets - Annie Duke
• Freedom's Forge - Arthur Herman
• How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
4. Not Quite Entertainment, Not Quite Relevant
• These books weren't exactly page turners meant for pure joy; but covered topics interesting to me that may or may not be related to my current work.
• Examples:
• A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
• Chaos - James Gleick
• Space to Grow - Matthew Weinzierl, Brendan Rosseau
5. Pure Entertainment
• These books were 100% just for fun and enjoyment.
• Examples: 
• Chronicles of Narnia (6/7 - should read the last one tonight) - C.S. Lewis
• Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
• The Green Hills of Earth - Robert Heinlein 

A quick look at my Goodreads suggests the distribution is something like:
1. 10%
2. 20%
3. 20%
4. 30%
5. 20% 

 

 Now you might be asking - how do I treat the 'strategic' books differently than the non-strategic books?

The truth is - I don't really treat them any different at all. 

I generally follow the same basic method for reading non-fiction: 

1. Identify a book worth reading - I've used different methods to find books. This year I've been leaning on AI tools for a lot of my more strategic recommendations, but I also keep an eye on my LinkedIn feed for recommendations from people who I look up to.
   
   
2. Acquire the book. I started the year with a decent book budget and a pile of Audible credits. Now that it's December, I'm tapped out. In 2026, I'll lean more heavily on my local library and free apps like Libby.
   
   
3. When I'm reading - I take notes. Typically I make an effort to write down quotes or ideas that resonate with me. I also like to keep track of other books that are referenced so I can 'go down the rabbit hole' and try to work my way towards the origins of a certain way of thinking. Sometimes this leads to really dry and dense psychology books from the early 20th century. Other times it will lead you to fantastic pieces of literature that are absolute must reads. Either way it's worth pulling the thread.
    
4. While I'm reading it and after I finish - I tend to talk about the books with my wife. I'm sure more often than not she wishes I wouldn't. The number of times I've responded to something she's said with "I actually just read about something like this..." must be maddening - but my sharing the things I'm learning it helps me codify the knowledge in my head.
   
   
5. I try to apply what I've learned. Sometimes applying the knowledge makes me feel like the asshole Harvard student in the bar at the beginning of Good Will Hunting; like I'm just regurgitating this week's lesson in the hopes I sound smart. Other times it feels like I've opened my eyes and have a brand new perspective on issues that have plagued me for months.

The whole point of all this reading is to try and use other people's experiences to fast-track my own knowledge. I don't need to spend 10,000 hours on something to become an expert when I can just read 250 pages written by someone who has already committed 50,000 hours and end up in the same place. 

I think this is why I consistently feel like an imposter - because I didn't earn this knowledge through 10,000 hours of my own pain and failures. I'm just borrowing someone else's scars..

But I remind myself - by learning how others have managed to put out fires - I can become the kind of person who knows how to prevent them from ever getting started.

What books actually changed how you work - not just what you know, but how you think?

I'm always looking for recommendations to add to my list.

Thanks for reading. 

CHG