Antilibrary
Shelves holding more unread books than read ones, kept that way deliberately
Buying and shelving books faster than you get through them. The shelf ends up mapping what you have not learned yet. Nassim Taleb named the idea. You own the books rather than borrow them, keep them in reach, and write in them, and the unread spines stand as a list of open questions.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Shane ParrishDoes it
Writer · Farnam Street and The Knowledge Project
Built what he calls his antilibrary and keeps adding to it, reckoning he has read about a quarter of what is on the shelves. He wants to own a book rather than borrow it, so he can write in it.
Source: fs.blog: just twenty-five pages a day
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
Backed by 24 of 54 stacks: 22 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
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Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
Backed by 8 of 54 stacks: 6 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
Backed by 6 of 54 stacks: 4 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
Backed by 4 of 54 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Margin notes
Writing in the margins while reading, especially where you disagree with the author
Backed by 3 of 54 stacks: 2 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.