One thing I frequently hear from people, especially Scrum Masters and other Coaches, is that they have a crazy long list of things to read. I know that world all too well. In fact, a little over a year ago I decided to actively to solve that problem. After several attempts and a good amount of research related to reading and note taking, the wins came when I reframed the problem from a rate of reading problem (too many books and not enough time) to a harvesting information problem (how can I locate the most valuable info that’s stored in the book – the nuggets). What evolved works well for me and I frequently share it with anyone that is struggling to slay their reading pile dragon.
Why I Named it Pareto Reading
I named the approach after Vilfredo Pareto. He’s the Italian engineer, sociologist, economist, political scientist, and philosopher who is best known for the Pareto Principle (commonly called the 80/20 rule). In simple terms, the principle states:
For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
With that principle in mind, I made the assumption that 80% of the nuggets of good info in a book would come from 20% of the reading. I told myself that if that was true, then the rest of the content was simply a delivery mechanism for the nuggets I was seeking. This reframe was key to challenging my own assumptions about reading. To be clear, I’m not trying to diminish books or insult authors everywhere. I simply wanted to show that in order for me to get what I want, I needed to change my assumptions, lean into some new behaviors, and see what I experienced. This has parallels to what we ask a company or team to do when adopting Agile. What I ended up creating was an approach that helps me locate that 20% faster and solved my harvesting information problem.
How to Do Pareto Reading
Step 1:
Before I read a book, I write down my goal(s) for reading the book on a sticky and put it on the cover. If I can’t come up with a good goal, I don’t read the book or I put it at the bottom of the book pile. Yes, I treat my book pile like a Product Backlog. When I’m done with a book, I can see if I can check off my goals as complete.
Step 2:
I reframed reading as “an invitation to a conversation” that the author wants to have with me. I can’t interact with the author like I would in a conversation so I write down any questions that come up as I go along on a note card that I use as my bookmark. Those questions lead to additional research solved by the book or through other sources. At times, the questions have actually taken me to connecting with the author to have the real conversation. That’s a wonderful thing.
Step 3:
I use a large note card as a bookmark. I’m not one for writing in books (my Mom was a librarian and that was frowned upon), but I do take notes. The note card gives me that space and allows me to have quick reference card when I’m done.
Step 4:
Enter the Pareto Reading part. It’s basically an iterative and incremental approach that helps me locate what I’m looking to find. As I go through the book, I flag any items that catch my attention. I use tiny 3M stickies for this. When the book is closed, I can see if the nuggets are emerging. Another benefit I get from this approach is that it allows me to fit reading into small 15-30 minute timeboxes. Something my schedule really appreciates.
Here’s the process:
- Read the TOC.
- Make a first pass through the book reading just the 1st and last pages of each chapter.
- Make a second pass and read any section headers and the 1st paragraph of those sections.
- Make a third pass through the book reading any sidebars.
- Make a fourth pass and find any tables and or figures. Locate the paragraph that calls out the table or figure, read it to get context, and review the table or figure.
If at any point something really catches you attention, read it through.
Step 5:
I review what I flagged, my takeaways, and any questions that I listed. With that in my head, I look at the sticky on the front of the book and see if I met my reading goals.
Give it a Try
I’m not rigid about reading this way all the time and it doesn’t work well for fiction, but the Pareto Reading approach definitely helps when I need to consume and apply information. I’m able to get through my reading backlog quicker. Making multiple passes through the book improves the anchoring and recall. As an additional benefit, when I’m done reading the book is now completely accessible for finding those key pieces when I want to reference them or share that nugget with someone.
Give it a try and let me know what you find out. You can reach out to me via email at FrankS@FreeStandingAgility.com.
Thank you for reading.
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