It sounds almost absurd. Of course we know how to spend money — we do it every day. But that’s precisely the problem. Spending is so constant, so automatic, that most of us have never examined why we spend the way we do.

The Core Insight

Housel’s central argument is this: most spending isn’t driven by what you actually value. It’s driven by what you think you should value — shaped by social comparison, lifestyle creep, and the quiet assumption that other people are paying attention to your choices. They’re not. Everyone is too busy worrying about their own.

The result is a strange paradox. People work incredibly hard to earn money, then spend it in ways that don’t meaningfully improve their lives. Not because they’re reckless, but because they’ve never paused to ask a deceptively difficult question: what do I actually want from my money?

Why This Matters

Lifestyle inflation is the silent killer here. No single upgrade ever feels excessive — a nicer flat, a better gym, one more subscription. Each is perfectly reasonable on its own. But stacked together, they create a treadmill where spending always catches your income, and financial progress feels like an illusion.

Housel doesn’t preach austerity. His point is simpler and more powerful: the person who spends lavishly on travel but drives a decade-old car isn’t being inconsistent. They’re being intentional. And intention — knowing what genuinely makes you happy and having the discipline to spend accordingly — is the rarest and most valuable financial skill of all.

The Takeaway

In a world obsessed with earning more and saving more, The Art of Spending Money makes a compelling case that spending well is where the real game is played. Not spending less. Not spending more. Spending better — on things that actually match who you are rather than who you think you should be.

It’s a short book with a long shelf life. Worth reading, and worth revisiting.

Publicly declaring these titles is my way of staying committed to the process. This isn’t a rigid contract — if a book doesn’t capture my interest, I’ll swap it for another — but it serves as the roadmap for my growth this year.

The 2026 List (Current Selection)

• Process Over Magic: Beyond Vibe Coding by Uberto Barbini A guide to moving beyond “vibe coding” (blindly trusting AI) to build reliable software through disciplined, AI-assisted workflows.
• System Design Interview by Alex Xu An authoritative resource on the architecture of scalable, robust, and high-performing large-scale systems.
• The Mahabharata (Vol. 1) by Bibek Debroy (Trans.) The first volume of a modern, unabridged translation of the great epic, exploring complex themes of dharma and human nature.
• AI Engineering by Chip Huyen A practical handbook for software engineers on building real-world products using foundation models and engineering discipline.
• The History of Ideas by Peter Watson A massive survey of the most significant intellectual breakthroughs in human history, from the discovery of fire to modern thought.
• Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman A collection of essays on the art of storytelling and the narratives that shape our understanding of the world.
• Feel Free by Zadie Smith A wide-ranging collection of essays dissecting pop culture, politics, and the contemporary human experience with wit and empathy.
• A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf A seminal text exploring the social and economic requirements for creative freedom and the history of women in literature.
• The Complete Essays by Michel de Montaigne Timeless reflections on human nature and self-knowledge from the father of the modern essay.
• The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman Short works and interviews highlighting the Nobel physicist’s infectious curiosity and his love for scientific discovery.
• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown An exploration of how vulnerability and the courage to be “in the arena” lead to more authentic and connected lives.
• Ultra learning by Scott H. Young Strategies for self-directed, intense learning to master difficult skills and accelerate career growth.
• Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman A philosophical approach to productivity that encourages embracing our limitations to focus on what truly counts.
• Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman A challenge to rethink our careers and use our talents to address the world’s most pressing global crises.

Room for More

This list currently stands at 14 books, which means I have at least six slots left to fill. I’m keeping these open for serendipitous finds or recommendations that come my way throughout the year.

I’m looking forward to the challenge of moving through these diverse subjects and seeing how they influence my thinking.

What are you planning to read this year? I’d love to hear your suggestions for the final spots on my list!

But this past year, I failed that challenge. I didn’t push myself to finish books that didn’t pique my interest, and my total count dropped.

Originally, I felt guilty. But looking back, I realize I traded that reading time for something far more valuable: a shift from passive consumption to active involvement. And the catalyst for that shift was AI.

The Trap of “Cognitive Offloading” We hear about AI everywhere, and I know “AI fatigue” is real. But we need to talk about how we use it.

There is a concept called cognitive offloading. In a nutshell, it’s when you stop problem-solving and rely too heavily on external assistance. We do this with calculators and GPS, but AI presents a new risk. Because AI is right 9 out of 10 times, it is very easy to let it do the end-to-end work.

If you let AI do the thinking, it makes you “dumb.” It serves you answers that would otherwise require your own brainpower to synthesize.

The Sweet Spot: Active Consumption However, if you draw a line, AI becomes the ultimate tool for active consumption.

• Don’t use it to write the code for you; use it to explain why the code works.
• Don’t use it to write the essay; use it to brainstorm the counter-arguments.

This year, I used AI to learn faster, brainstorm deeper, and act responsibly. I stopped just reading about things and started doing them.

Looking Ahead to 2026 I believe 2026 will be the “Year of the Side-Hustle.” We are going to see many people launching projects, but the ones who succeed will be those creating real, lasting value — not just AI-generated noise.

My plan? Balance. I am going back to my reading challenges because deep reading is necessary for the soul. But I’m also going to write more code (time to brush up on my Java skills) and build new things.

I am definitely not going back to just passively consuming.

The Problem: Errors of Ineptitude

The author argues that in our increasingly complex world, failures often stem not from a lack of knowledge (errors of ignorance), but from our inability to consistently apply what we already know (errors of ineptitude). We miss steps, forget crucial details, and make avoidable mistakes.

He quotes a number of examples from his own profession i.e. medicine and other fields that deals with complex procedures like aviation.

The Solution: Checklist

Author proposes maintaining a Checklist can act as a simple tool designed to ensure consistency and catch potential errors. He demonstrates how well-designed checklists can:

• Combat human fallibility: Even experts forget things. Checklists provide a safety net.
• Promote teamwork: Checklists encourage communication and collaboration among team members.
• Improve efficiency: By standardizing processes, checklists reduce wasted time and effort.

Key Takeaways:

• Complexity is here to stay: Modern professions are incredibly complex, and we need strategies to manage that complexity.
• Simplicity is powerful: Checklists don’t need to be complicated. The most effective ones are often short and concise.
• Humility is essential: Even the most skilled professionals can benefit from a simple reminder.

Why This Matters:

Gawande’s book isn’t just about checklists; it’s about a fundamental shift in how we approach work. It’s about recognising our limitations and embracing tools that help us perform at our best.

Whether you’re a doctor, a pilot, a business owner, or anyone dealing with complex tasks, “The Checklist Manifesto” offers valuable insights into how to improve your performance and reduce errors.

In essence, this book proves that in a world that is becoming ever more complex, sometimes the simplest of tools, can provide the most profound of results.

Tired of endless project cycles that yield underwhelming results? Ryan Singer’s “Shape Up” offers a refreshing alternative to traditional project management methodologies. This book outlines a unique approach to product development used by Basecamp, focusing on defining problems, betting on solutions, and building autonomy within teams.

What sets Shape Up apart? It ditches the rigid timelines and detailed roadmaps in favour of flexibility and focused execution and delivering real value to the users. Instead of fixed deadlines, teams work in six-week cycles with clearly defined goals and the freedom to shape their solutions.

“Shape Up” is a surprisingly concise and engaging read. It cuts straight to the point, delivering valuable insights without unnecessary fluff. Don’t just take my word for it — experience the “Shape Up” method firsthand.

Key Insights and Phases

Shape Up revolves around three core phases:

1. Shaping: Instead of handing developers fully-defined tasks, senior leadership shapes potential solutions by:

• Defining the problem clearly: What user need are we addressing? What are the constraints?
• Roughing out a solution: This isn’t a detailed spec, but a high-level concept with enough direction to guide the team. Ryan asserts why its important to go deep enough to identify any unforeseen problems or complexities that can derail a project and cause it to go over time and budget (Rabbit Holes) but leaving it abstract enough for developers and designers to exercise their own creativity while actually building.
• Setting boundaries: Define the “appetite” for the project — how much time and effort are we willing to invest? Basecamp has been using and recommends 6 week cycles that has some clear benefits.

This empowers teams to own the “how” while leadership focuses on the “why”.

2. Betting: Like placing bets in a casino, leadership decides which shaped projects to pursue in the upcoming six-week cycle.

This involves:

• Reviewing pitched projects: Teams present their shaped solutions.
• Prioritizing based on appetite and risk: Which projects offer the most value within the given constraints?
• Allocating teams: Assign teams to the selected projects.

This process ensures that everyone is working on the most impactful projects.

3. Building: This is where the development team takes the reins. With a clear understanding of the problem and a rough solution outline, they have the autonomy to:

• Make detailed design decisions: The team figures out the specifics of implementation.
• Collaborate and iterate: They work together to bring the shaped solution to life.
• Deliver a finished product: Within the six-week cycle, the team aims to ship a complete and usable feature.

This fosters a sense of ownership and allows for creative problem-solving.

Why Shape Up Works

Shape Up addresses common pain points in traditional project management:

• Reduces wasted effort: By focusing on shaping solutions upfront, teams avoid building the wrong things.
• Increases autonomy: Teams are empowered to make decisions and own their work.
• Improves focus: The six-week cycles create a sense of urgency and minimize distractions.
• Promotes collaboration: Leadership and development teams work together to define problems and shape solutions.

If you’re looking for a more effective way to build and ship products, Shape Up is definitely worth exploring. It’s a practical framework that can be adapted to various team sizes and industries.

Want to learn more? The book is available for free online reading here.

Then came Pocket, back in the days it was not owned by Mozilla. While it didn’t declutter pages directly (for reasons unknown!), it did something even better: it allowed me to save articles for later, killing two birds with one stone. A few days with Pocket, and I was hooked! Now a loyal subscriber, my account overflows with articles saved effortlessly thanks to Pocket’s universal support across all my devices.

Last year, I stumbled upon Readwise and its companion Reader app. While intrigued, I ultimately decided to stick with Pocket (it didnt offer me a strong reason to switch plus I have a bias for Mozilla).

This year, I started writing book summaries on Medium. My current workflow involves juggling Kindle, Google Play Books, O’Reilly Safari, and capturing Evernote/Google Keep (Evernote’s resurgence deserves its own post!). While my notes help me revisit key insights and write summaries, this process is incredibly manual. Unfortunately, there’s no single app that seamlessly integrates with all my reading platforms and captures highlights, let alone from articles in Medium or Pocket.

A few weeks ago, I rediscovered Readwise (perhaps through a Tim Ferriss or Shane Parrish podcast?). It was a revelation! Readwise seamlessly integrates with my workflow, finally bridging the gap between my various reading platforms and note-taking apps. Like Pocket, it’s universally available, but with the added power of robust connectors.

Readwise connects to all my essential platforms: Medium, Kindle, Pocket, Twitter, and even Goodreads! Now, all my highlights are centralized in one convenient location. While the Google Play Books and O’Reilly integrations aren’t as seamless (relying on imports for now), I’m confident they’ll improve over time.

And here’s the kicker: even though with Readwise in workflow I don’t need a note taking app (I need Evernote, just not here in this workflow), it also offers an Evernote integration!

Lastly I also like the way it organises books and articles. It has a reader app that works as well as Pocket. That’s not all! It also has a very clean RSS reader.

The subscription is costlier than Pocket but Readwise a lot more for now.

Yuval Noah Harari, returns with Nexus. This time his thought-provoking work delves into the relationship between information and truth, and how information networks have shaped human history, painting a captivating (and at times scary) picture of our potential future.

The term Nexus embodies the merging of entities — biological, technological, and digital — into a seamless network.

To drive his point Harari starts by explaining the role of information in society and how information has been used by different societies and political systems to achieve their goals.

The book then highlights the risks of technology and how technology poses risks to information networks, and the decisions that need to be made to safeguard information, power, and truth.

YNH talks about Future of AI or to put it differently our Future with AI and the urgent choices that need to be made now to survive and thrive in the face of non-human intelligence. His main point being how AI will take driving seat in the Nexus, giving rise to collective networked consciousness.

He asserts how AI revolution/Nexus is different from other revolutions that we have witnessed in the past. Harari leverages his deep understanding of historical trends to construct many persuasive arguments.

The key point being as Nexus grows, traditional notions of individuality might dissolve. Historically, individuality has been a cornerstone of liberal humanism — the belief that each person has intrinsic value, rights, and agency. However, in a Nexus-driven world, decisions might be increasingly delegated to algorithms and networks that understand us better than we understand ourselves.

For example:

• Algorithms might predict our desires and make life choices for us, from career paths to romantic partners.
• Biometric sensors could connect directly to a global system, relaying real-time emotional data and physical health metrics.
• The concept of “free will” might come under scrutiny as algorithms leverage predictive analytics to shape our behavior.

While such a network could enhance global collaboration and innovation, it also raises profound ethical and philosophical questions about agency, privacy, and equality.

The Nexus raises critical questions:

1. Who controls the network? If the Nexus becomes centralized, power dynamics could shift dramatically, leading to digital totalitarianism. We have seen in the past totalitarianism have risen and failed due to our inability to deal with vast amount of information centrally but that might not be the case with AI.
2. What happens to those left out? Harari warns of a “useless class” — individuals who are excluded from the network and its benefits.
3. Can consciousness scale? While technological integration may enhance connectivity, it remains uncertain whether shared networks can replicate the depth and nuance of individual consciousness.

The book like Sapiens takes readers on a journey from the Stone Age through to the present day, covering topics such as the canonisation of the Bible, witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism. (I still consider Sapiens to be YNH’s best work).

Chatting with a friend about Nexus, he mentioned it sometimes felt like a recap of Sapiens and Homo Deus. I kind of see what he means as YNH draws upon a lot of his previous work.

The Attention Crisis is Real

Book’s central argument is that our collective focus is being systematically stolen. It’s not just about our individual willpower or lack thereof; there are powerful forces at play designed to capture and hold our attention. From the relentless notifications on our smartphones to the addictive algorithms of social media, we’re constantly distracted.

It’s Not Just About Tech

While technology plays a significant role, the book digs deeper to uncover other culprits. He examines the impact of sleep deprivation, the rise of the “attention economy,” and the role of the food industry in contributing to our distracted minds. The key insight from the book is revealing that the attention crisis is a systemic problem with far-reaching consequences.

Key Takeaways to Reclaim Your Focus

“Stolen Focus” is not just a doom-and-gloom diagnosis; it also offers hope and practical solutions. Here are some key takeaways:

• The Switch-Cost Effect: Every time we switch tasks, there’s a cognitive cost. Multitasking is a myth; it actually makes us less productive and more prone to errors.
• The Flow State: Deep focus, or “flow,” is where true productivity and creativity lie. We need to create space for this kind of focus in our lives.
• The Attention Diet: Just as we need to be mindful of what we eat, we also need to be mindful of what we consume mentally.
• The Power of Community: Rebuilding our attention spans will require collective action. We need to create social structures and environments that support focus and discourage distraction.

A Call to Action

“Stolen Focus” is a powerful reminder that our attention is precious and worth fighting for. It’s a call to action to reclaim our focus, both individually and collectively. By understanding the forces that are stealing our attention, we can start to take back control and create a world where deep focus and meaningful connection are once again possible.

1. Money is Emotional, Not Just Rational

While we often view money through the lens of logic and mathematics, our financial decisions are heavily influenced by emotions. Fear, greed, and anxiety can drive impulsive spending, while pride and guilt might push us to save or invest. Recognizing the emotional drivers behind our financial choices is the first step toward making more rational decisions.

For example, someone might stretch their budget to buy a house they love, even if it means taking on a mortgage that leaves them financially strained.

2. The Power of Perspective

People’s relationship with money is shaped by their unique life experiences. Someone who grew up during economic hardship may value security and be risk-averse, while another who has seen rapid wealth accumulation might be more comfortable with risk. Understanding your money “story” can help you recognize biases and make more balanced financial decisions.

For example People facing the same stock market downturn often react differently to the instability based on their perspectives — shaped by their upgringing — and make very different financial decisions.

3. Compounding and Patience

One of the most powerful concepts in finance is compounding, where investments grow exponentially over time. However, this requires patience — a virtue that is often in short supply in our fast-paced world. The psychology of money teaches us to value time and patience, recognizing that slow and steady growth often wins the race.

I dont think a lot of people understand how important the concet of compounding is. The earlier you start investing, the more time your money has to grow exponentially, making time one of the most valuable assets in building wealth.

4. Wealth vs. Richness

Wealth is not just about having money; it’s about having control over your time and life. Many people equate wealth with being rich, but true wealth is more about freedom and peace of mind than about the amount in your bank account. Focusing on what money can do for your life, rather than just accumulating it, leads to a healthier relationship with money.

5. Behavior Over Knowledge

Financial success is less about knowledge and more about behavior. You can know everything about investing or saving, but if your behavior doesn’t align with that knowledge, you’ll struggle to build wealth. Cultivating good financial habits — like regular saving, disciplined spending, and thoughtful investing — is crucial. I wish this was emphasised enough in schools.

6. The Importance of Flexibility

Life is unpredictable, and so is the economy. The ability to adapt to changes — whether they’re market downturns, job losses, or unexpected expenses — is a vital part of financial health. Building a buffer, whether through an emergency fund or diversified investments, allows you to be more resilient in the face of financial challenges.

7. Avoiding the Comparison Trap

In today’s world of social media, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. However, this can lead to dissatisfaction and poor financial choices driven by the desire to keep up with others. Understanding that everyone’s financial journey is different — and being content with your own path — can lead to greater financial peace.

Conclusion

The psychology of money teaches us that financial success is not just about numbers; it’s about understanding and mastering our emotions, behaviors, and perceptions. By gaining insight into the psychological aspects of money, we can make wiser financial decisions, build lasting wealth, and achieve true financial well-being

I finally picked it up. Book genuinely exceeded my expectations and lived up to the hype.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, penned "Meditations" as personal reflections, not meant for public eyes. Yet, these writings have resonated through time, offering profound guidance for navigating life’s complexities.

Key Themes:

• Focus on the present: Aurelius emphasized living in the moment, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
• Accept what you cannot control: Recognize that many things are beyond our power, and focus on what we can influence: our thoughts and actions.
• Turn obstacles into opportunities: Adversity can be a catalyst for growth and self-improvement.
• Live in accordance with nature: Align yourself with the natural order of things, accepting life’s impermanence and valuing virtue above all else.

Insights:

• Self-reflection is essential: Examine your thoughts and motivations to understand yourself better.
• Inner peace comes from acceptance: Letting go of things you cannot control brings tranquility.
• Virtue is its own reward: Strive for moral excellence, not external validation.
• Lastly, Life is fleeting, cherish each moment: Embrace the present, for it is all we truly have.