Reading-list prioritiser

Ten candidate books, three scores each (urgency, fit-with-goals, effort-to-finish), one verdict per row. Then rank the “Read now” picks and assign each to a calendar month. Pair with the 12-month reading roadmap.

Pair with: 12-month reading roadmap

When to use this

When your candidate reading list has grown past what you’ll realistically finish.
Alongside the 12-month reading roadmap when planning a reading year.
Quarterly, to re-check whether Shelf rows should be dropped or promoted.

How to complete it

Score honestly. If a book scores high fit + low urgency, it’s a Shelf row — that’s the correct verdict, not a failure of the book.
Use the rule of thumb (R = urgency + fit ≥ 7 AND effort ≤ 3) as a starting point, then override for goal-critical reads regardless of effort.
Rank the R rows and pencil calendar months. Unassigned R rows quietly turn into Shelf rows.

Common mistakes

Treating ‘Drop’ as failure. It’s a signal that a book earned space when you added it and that space is now available for a better candidate.
Scoring based on prestige rather than fit-with-your-goals. Nothing about a book’s reputation makes it right for your specific year.
Filling all 10 candidate rows before running the ranking. Even 4-5 candidates is enough to make good decisions.

Reading-list prioritiser

Vinthony Academy · vinthony.com

1. Reading goals this year (1-3 lines)

e.g. “Get comfortable with statistics for work,” “Deeper Russian literature,” “Practical money once and for all.”

2. Candidate books

For each: urgency (1-5: relevant now vs later), fit-with-goals (1-5), effort-to-finish (1-5: 1 = quick, 5 = a real project). Verdict — Read now (R), Shelf (S), Drop (D). Rule of thumb: R = urgency + fit ≥ 7 AND effort <= 3, or a goal-critical read regardless of effort.

#	Title / author	Urg	Fit	Effort	R/S/D
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

3. Read-now pick order + calendar month

Rank the R rows in the order you'll read them, and pencil the month you expect to finish each. This is where reading intent becomes reading practice.

Rank	Title	Month
1
2
3
4
5

4. What to do with the Shelf and Drop rows

Shelf = re-check next quarter. Drop = delete from the list; that space earns a new candidate. Both moves matter; a list you can't finish is a subtle guilt-tax.