Four Thousand Weeks
Oliver Burkeman
The rare productivity book that argues against productivity. Changed how I think about finite time.
Reading
Books that shaped the thinking
This is not a performance shelf. These are the books that gave me better questions, changed how I see work and life, or stayed useful after the first read.
Why reading is here
The books are part of the source code.
Essays are where I work ideas out. Reading is where many of those ideas begin. A good book gives language to something I felt but could not explain yet, or challenges an assumption I did not realize I was carrying.
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Current stack
This section is intentionally separate so the reading page does not pretend every shelf is the same kind of attention.
Recently Finished
Recent books with notes still close at hand.
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
Money behavior beats money knowledge. Short chapters, long half-life.
Range
David Epstein
A well-argued case that generalists thrive in wicked domains, comforting and challenging at once.
Most Influential
The books that permanently changed the furniture in my head.
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl
Meaning is not found, it is chosen, even in circumstances no one would choose. I reread it every few years.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
The user manual for my own cognitive biases. Made me permanently more suspicious of my confident moments.
Deep Work
Cal Newport
The book that convinced me attention is the real scarce resource of a knowledge career.
Recommended
What I hand to friends, depending on the conversation.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
The title aged badly; the content did not. Still the best practical book on caring about other people, on purpose.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Eric Jorgenson
Aphorisms on wealth and happiness. Best consumed slowly, argued with often.
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Cal Newport
The antidote to follow your passion. Skill first, passion follows.