Dongeun Paeng

Reading Triage

How to Juggle 8 Books at Once

Too Many Books on The Plate

There are always too many books to read, and more keep showing up. Currently, I'm switching between eight books.

What I'm Reading by Location

In my office

  1. Carl Sagan, Cosmos

At home

  1. Jordan Ellenberg, How Not to Be Wrong
  2. Chris Miller, Chip War

In bed

  1. Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Dutch Light
  2. Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods

Walking or in the car

  1. J.D. Rockefeller, The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son
  2. Charlie Munger, Poor Charlie's Almanack
  3. 김대식, 인간 vs 기계

Although I'm managing to keep up with all of these, without a bit of triage, a few will sit on the shelf for far too long.

The Triage

Here's my triage. At home, I'm prioritising Jordan Ellenberg. I usually save Chip War for bedtime. After I turn off the lights, I read Dutch Light on my Kindle. If it starts to drag, I switch over to Against the Gods.

When I'm out walking, I listen to Charlie Munger or J.D. Rockefeller. And if they start feeling repetitive, I jump over to 김대식 instead.

Juggling eight books isn't easy, but it's probably inevitable. Setting a constraint that stops me from starting a new book might help—if and only if it actually works. I'd rather build a proper triage system that accounts for my urges.