Just in case v/s just in time
Techie and investor, Naval Ravikant, on his podcast with Shane Parish, discusses his reading methodology. When Tim asks him how he chooses his books, Naval discusses the ‘just in case’ v/s ‘just in time’ rationale. He says most people pick books up from the NYT bestseller list irrespective of whether the book addresses the current answers that they might be after or not. Instead, he says, we should pick books that are themed around the critical questions that we are trying to solve for at that point in time. eg- It makes little sense to read a history book when we are trying to understand the world of cryptocurrencies. The history book will come of use at some point, maybe (just in case) but picking a book that summarizes the basics of cryptocurrencies is probably going to help answer your immediate question. (just in time).
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Definitely something to think about, as I pick my future books. Thank you, Naval! As always-timeless wisdom.
