Books and Marathons
Every year more than 800 marathons are held around the world. And every year, thousands of people join them with the goal of finishing the race.
At times, we may find ourselves engaged in private marathons as we try finish that book. Or get through that online course. Regardless of whether we're enjoying or deriving any additional learning from it.
But the point of reading a nonfiction book or taking a course is not to reach the end or to get a gold medal.
We want to be able to solve problems and get knowledge we can put to good use tomorrow. So, we should use books as maps.
When we use books as maps, we take our time to prepare and define where we want to go. We know what we are trying to get out of the content we're about to engage with. And say no to visiting the streets that do not get us there.