Squiggly Careers How to read with a learning mindset
Build An Anti-Library
- Build an anti-library by deliberately reading books you'd normally avoid to widen your thinking.
- Helen read Unreasonable Hospitality despite initial biases and found transferable ideas for Squiggly Careers from hospitality examples.
Annotate Books With Post-it Notes
- Read with a pen and use Post-it® Notes and index tabs to capture reactions and questions as you go.
- Helen uses transparent Post-its for page notes and coloured flags for quick filing by theme like language or noticing.
Blue Plastic Spoon Story
- Ryan Holiday's 'blue plastic spoon' example shows tiny, costly touches create memorable experiences.
- Helen recalls MoMA ice cream spoons as an intangible differentiator that boosted the cart's success.
What if the way you read could transform how much you actually learn, remember and use? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Ryan Holiday's video How to Read Like a Pro — and add a few rules of their own.
From building an anti-library (the books you'd never normally pick up) to treating your books like they're meant to be used, not preserved, this is a practical and personal exploration of how to get more from your reading. Helen also unveils her new Post-it® Note system, and there's a genuine debate about whether folding a page corner is an act of ownership or an act of disrespect.
This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down — find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly
🎯 What You'll Learn
– What an anti-library is and why reading outside your comfort zone changes how you think
– How to read with a pen and Post-it® Notes in a way that actually sticks
– Why rereading a book you love can be more valuable than picking up a new one
– The five rules for reading nonfiction more intentionally — plus Helen and Sarah's personal additions
– Books Helen and Sarah would both reread and recommend right now
📚 Resources Mentioned
How to Read Like a Pro — Ryan Holiday (please swap in direct link if you have it)
Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara
Right Kind Wrong — Amy Edmondson
Uncharted — Margaret Heffernan
The Wonder Box — Roman Krznaric
Mash-Up — Ian Sanders
How to Have a Good Day — Caroline Webb
The First 90 Days — Michael D. Watkins
Essentialism — Greg McKeown
Toby Sinclair on LinkedIn
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com
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