Prompt library
Prioritize a reading list by decision value
Sorting by connection to live decisions converts a guilt pile into an instrument, and the read-to-answer-a-question technique is the highest-leverage retention move available. The summary-instead pile prices books at their idea density, and the intake rule fixes the upstream habit that built the pile.
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
The prompt
Prioritize my reading list.
The list: {{list}}
What I am working on and deciding in the next 3 months: {{context}}
Method:
1. Sort every item into four piles with one-line reasons:
- Read now: directly feeds a live decision or project from my context.
- Read a summary instead: the core idea is extractable and the book is one idea plus padding (name the core idea as proof).
- Scheduled curiosity: genuinely valuable, no current hook; assign each a trigger ("when we start hiring, read X").
- Release: admit I will never read it. Owning the admission frees the shelf and the guilt.
2. For the read-now pile: the order, what question I should read each item to answer (reading with a question doubles retention), and the chapters to skip if the item is a book.
3. The intake rule going forward: the 2 questions to ask before anything joins the list, derived from what my own piles reveal about my acquisition habits.
4. State the pattern you see in what I hoard vs what I use; that self-knowledge outlasts this list.
Be blunt in the release pile; sunk shelf-space is not an argument.Run in idaptOpens a new chat with the prompt prefilled. Nothing sends until you press send.
Fill in the variables
| Variable | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {{list}} | The backlog | [paste your list of books, articles, and saved links] |
| {{context}} | Live projects and decisions | hiring my first two reports; launching a paid tier |