Interleaving books

Here's why you should read multiple books at once.

Interleaving books
You don't have to read one book at a time. Image generated using AI

Introduction

While focusing on a single book at a time, we sometimes get stuck and have to rely on our willpower to continue reading up until the end. But sometimes we give up. This happens for a variety of reasons, good and bad. Some books are dense, hard to read, complex, or simply boring at times (whether you consider fiction or non-fiction ones).

When we slow down to a crawl and stop making progress, we get demotivated. When that happens, giving up the book might be the right decision. But we might also be missing out, and it's not always obvious right away... Worse still, sometimes the motivation hit is so bad that we even stop reading for a while, which is kind of sad. To avoid that, you may want to try interleaving books.

Reading multiple books at once is a ton of fun. It's also helpful to remain motivated, and actually finish the books you start reading. . Image generated using AI

What do you mean by interleaving books?

Interleaving books is the idea of reading multiple books at a time (e.g., 3-5) and switching regularly between them in order to remain interested and motivated.

When we read multiple books at once, it's ok to put one down for a while, and switch to another one that we are currently reading. It's not about multitasking; when we read a book, we can still stay 100% focused on that activity. The obvious benefit is that we can avoid getting demotivated by renewing our interest thanks to the context switch.

I've been experimenting with this approach for a while, and have found that my motivation to continue a book that bored me a bit usually comes back after 4-7 days. That happens unconsciously, but is probably related to the fact that I'm a "completionist".

How to do it?

There are no "rules" with this approach. You may pick up as many books as you are comfortable with, switch whenever you feel like switching, and don't feel bad if you end up abandoning some. I'm currently busy reading 5-10 books, and switch between those regularly.

One challenge with this technique is the fact that you may lose context if you leave a book aside for too long. I've found that consistently taking notes while reading non-fiction solves this almost entirely. You just have to rewind a bit, read your most recent notes, and you'll quickly get back to where you left things off.

Note-taking alone is helpful, but having a Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system is much more powerful, as you'll be able to not only capture book notes, but also to extract concepts, ideas, mental models, and connect everything together with the rest of your knowledge base. Check out the references for more details.

I personally put most of my books on my e-reader, and switch between those when I feel like it. I take notes using my ReMarkable, where each book has a dedicated notebook. Once I'm done with a book, I convert those "analog" notes to digital ones (using the method in the references section), and import everything into Obsidian, where I have a specific system for handling book notes. By the way, my whole system is available for purchase:

Obsidian Starter Kit and community
Who is this for?You are just getting started with note-taking or you’ve recently switched to ObsidianYou wonder how to take smart notesYou want to know how to properly organize your notes and avoid creating an overwhelming messYou want a solid system that scalesYou wonder what Zettelkasten, the PARA method, and the Johnny decimal system areGetting started with Obsidian is not the hardest thing in the world, but it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out how to structure and organize your knowledge base. You have a busy life, and you don’t want to spend weeks or even months figuring out the “right” approach.Note that this product is included in the Knowledge Worker Kit.What is this?This is NOT just a template. It’s a complete system with a detailed user guide.I’ve been passionate about information, knowledge management, and PKM for more than 20 years. As an author, blogger, knowledge worker, and entrepreneur, I needed solutions to store and organize an enormous amount of information.Over the years, I’ve explored, used, and advocated many tools but have been using Obsidian extensively since 2020. With the Obsidian Starter Kit, I offer you the result of my own research and experimentation. It’s like a cheat code to jump straight to stress-free note-making.I’ve spent months refining and perfecting my Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system, and have spent countless hours tweaking my system. I’ve published a few articles to share some ideas about this. My system combines the Zettelkasten approach, the PARA method, the Johnny decimal system, and other ideas to create a solid basis for my work as an author, blogger, and content creator.The Obsidian Starter Kit is a ready-made Obsidian vault that includes my recommended organization system and plugins, as well as example notes to help you get started. It also comes along with a user-friendly guide.What’s included?If you buy access to the Obsidian Starter Kit, you’ll get:The Obsidian vaultA comprehensive and solid structure with support for Journaling and ZettelkastenLeveraging the PARA method and the Johnny Decimal systemMany recommended plugins to boost productivity and automate actionsA clear system for Journaling, Meeting Notes, Periodic reviews, etcMany templates to improve consistency and productivityA powerful dashboardMaintenance notes (e.g., find duplicate and orphaned notes)Automation rulesVarious examplesThe user guideLifetime access to the Personal Knowledge Management community for support and knowledge sharingIn addition, you’ll also get free access to all future updates. Over time, I’ll expand it step by step to include tutorials about the various aspects; from exploration/curation to summarization and reuse.What’s in the user guide?The user guide is a growing and evergreen knowledge base about how to take smart notes. It includes:Installation instructions.Details about the contents of the Obsidian Starter Kit (i.e., Obsidian vault structure, key design principles, included plugins, etc.)A clear overview of Obsidian and its core concepts (everything you should know and care about)Clear explanations about...The Zettelkasten methodAtomic notesProgressive summarizationThe PARA methodThe LIFT principleThe Johnny Decimal systemJournalingMaps of Content (MoCs)Periodic reviewsWhy and how to tag notesTemplatingThe Markdown syntaxWhy you need a single source of truth for everythingThe collector’s fallacyThe Inbox Zero principleHow to capture informationHow to capture quotesHow to capture information about persons of interestHow to extract knowledge from daily notesHow to save mental contextsObsidian tips and tricksWhat’s in the video course?The Obsidian Starter Course is a video course (~2h20) of content covering:Obsidian: installation, user interface, key features, plugins, automation, tips and tricks, etcThe Markdown syntaxYAML metadataPersonal Knowledge Management techniques and principles: the Johnny Decimal system, the PARA method (e.g., the Zettelkasten method, the LIFT principle, Atomic notes, Maps of Content, knowledge capture & extraction, etc)JournalingPeriodic reviewsTemplatesAutomationTask managementBest practices and recommendationsHands-on explanationsand more!Evergreen contentThe user guide of the Obsidian Starter Kit is expanding day after day, week after week. It will soon include:More theoryDetailed processes (e.g. when to take notes, how to use Zettelkasten in practice, daily notes, periodic reviews, ...)Additional how-to guidesMore tips and tricks...The Obsidian vault also evolves over time:The structure improvesNew templates are addedNew plugins are addedetcRefunds policyIf you’re not 100% satisfied, then just let me know, and I’ll issue a full refund. I’ll only ask you a single question: How can I improve the product?If you think about asking for a refund, then consider reaching out to me with your issues, questions, and remarks. I’m always available and happy to help. My goal is to help you succeed.Testimonials”Finally clickeđ how awesome @Obsidian is! Thanks to your excellent Obsidian Starter Kit!”— Cal Desmond-Pearson (@CalSocialHermit)“Off and running w/ @obsdmd. I’ve installed the app & have @dSebastien Starter Kit & my own fresh start Vault open. Learning from former & putting into practice w/ real content in latter. So far, so good”— Raymond D Sims (@rsims)“Great content - got me up to speed with what I was looking for fast ! Sébastien answered some questions by mail also which was much appreciated ! Thanks”— Sam Gonzales”As someone who has bounced around trying to find the right Knowledge tool, I’ve realized that many of my issues have been related to the complexity of the tools and the processes. The structure, design and explanations provided in the Obsidian Starter Kit have finally given me the foundation I’ve needed. 100% worth it”— Michael Aaron (via e-mail)“I absolutely love your kit and it has been so immensely helpful”— Ashwin Appiah (via e-mail)“Thanks for making the product. I’m making efforts to start using Obsidian more in my daily workflow and having a place to start makes the task much less daunting!”— Liam Weight (via Twitter DM)“I’m very new to PKM, but the Obsidian Starter Kit has been a tremendous help in getting me started”— Fredrik Nordström (via the PKM community Slack)“Sebastien’s Obsidian Starter Kit is a powerful tool for those looking to dive into the world of Obsidian without being overwhelmed. It’s a comprehensive solution that significantly shortens the learning curve, providing an impressively structured way to start capturing notes and facilitating daily journaling. The kit’s integration of automated tasks and pre-designed templates are a boon to beginners, alleviating the initial intimidation of starting from scratch. If you’re new to Obsidian and need a solid starting point, this starter kit comes highly recommended. It doesn’t just help you navigate Obsidian, but also empowers you to harness its full potential right from the get-go.”— Lubos KolouchFredrik (via the PKM community Slack)“Just to thank the work and content that allowed me to discover the background of a custom vault. It was a real boost for me and given the price, it was a real investment of time and learning.”— Trobrillant

Interleaving books does imply finishing each book later on, but that shouldn't be an issue in most cases. After all, reading must remain a pleasurable activity, not a stressful one.

Interleaving books brings back the fun. Image generated using AI

References