How to read with a learning mindset

Squiggly Careers

AmazingIf

Careers, Business, Management

4.9 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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 Need some more squiggly career support? 1.Download our free career tools 2.Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3.Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4.Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So are you ready to read like a pro?
0:01.6	I would like to read better.
0:03.0	So, number one.
0:07.8	I think sometimes books meet you where you are or in a moment of need.
0:11.6	Yeah.
0:12.0	Great books are like a great conversation.
0:14.7	This week, we are borrowing brilliance from Ryan Holiday and a video that he did called How to Read Like a Pro. Oh, I bet you loved that. You were like, click. Yes. I love making a mess of a book. Yeah. I like fold new pages, filling it with post-it notes, putting highlights everywhere. I love it. Yeah, I absolutely love it. I feel like until I've done that, it's just a book. We'll create our own rules. Yeah.
0:40.9	If you're listening to this and you haven't actually read a non-fiction book in ages,
0:44.5	start off with, well, what am I almost trying to get better at,
0:46.9	or a problem I've got, or what do I want to achieve?
0:49.3	If you're going to do one thing differently with your reading after today,
0:49.9	what's it going to be?
0:55.5	Going back to something that's resonated and rereading, I will do that. Mine is to keep going with my new system.
0:56.6	Of your course, it is.
1:00.5	Hi, I'm Helen.
1:01.4	And I'm Sarah.
1:05.7	And this is the Squiggly Careers podcast where each week we borrow some brilliance and turn that curiosity into action that can help you in your career.
1:09.7	And this week we are borrowing
1:11.4	brilliance from Ryan Holliday and a video that he did called How to Read Like a Pro.
1:17.3	Oh, I bet you loved that. You were like, click. Yes. Um, though I was like, oh, the irony,
1:22.0	the irony of watching something about reading. I was like, wasn't lost on me. Well, so I think you are
1:27.0	one of the best readers I know, if not the best reader I know. I was like, wasn't lost on me. Well, so I think you are one of the
	...

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