Key Takeaways
- Reading broadly is less valuable than reading deeply in your specific domain.
- The best books for entrepreneurs were not written for entrepreneurs.
- Reading without applying is collecting, not learning.
Saim Abbasi reads consistently and deliberately. Not broadly and not for the purpose of being able to discuss a wide range of topics. Specifically, for the purpose of improving how he thinks about the specific problems he is currently working on. The distinction matters.
Depth Over Breadth
The reading approach that builds genuine expertise is deep reading in a specific domain rather than broad reading across many. A founder who reads every book written about venture capital at a high level knows more about venture capital than most people. A founder who reads the same three books on venture capital deeply, works through the reasoning, identifies where the arguments conflict, and thinks hard about how the principles apply to their specific situation, knows more that is actually useful.
Breadth is good for conversation. Depth is good for decisions. Given the choice, Saim optimizes for depth.
The Best Books Were Not Written for Entrepreneurs
The books Saim has found most useful for thinking about entrepreneurship and investing were not written as business books. Thinking about probability well requires reading about statistics and psychology, not productivity systems. Understanding how organizations change requires reading about institutional history, not management frameworks. The best mental models for business are distributed across disciplines that are not labeled "business."
Application Over Collection
The habit that makes reading valuable rather than just stimulating is immediate application. After reading something that seems relevant, Saim's practice is to write one specific thing he will do differently as a result. Not a summary of the book. Not a highlight in the margin. A specific behavioral change, however small, that he will implement in the current week. This converts reading from information collection into learning, which is the only form that produces actual improvement.
"A book that changes how you act is worth ten books that change how you talk."