Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Choose a Book and Write Chapter Notes for the First Half
3–4 weeks (reading pace)
Choose one of: Martin Seligman's Flourish, Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence, Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score, or Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. Read the first half and write notes on each chapter using exactly this 3-part format: (1) core claim, (2) how it challenges existing thinking, (3) one question it raises for you.
Proof required
Submit your reading notes for the first half of the book, with at least 3 bullets per chapter following the 3-part format.
What gets checked
- Reading notes cover chapters from the first half of the book with at least 3 bullets per chapter
- Each note follows the 3-part format: core claim / challenge to existing thinking / question raised
- Questions show genuine intellectual pushback — not just curiosity or chapter summaries
Common mistakes
- Summarising each chapter without following the 3-part format — the format is designed to produce active reading, not passive recall
- Writing questions that are purely curious ('I wonder what he means by X') rather than challenging ('This contradicts what I believed about Y')
- Skipping chapters that feel slow or dense — the 3-part format applies to difficult chapters too, and those are often where the real engagement happens
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Ask the submitter to explain the core claim of Chapter 3 (or equivalent) without looking at the notes. Ask: 'What was the question you found hardest to answer after reading that chapter?' These cannot be faked from sparse notes.
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Finish the Book and Write a 500-Word Reading Report
3–4 weeks
Complete the second half of the book with the same 3-part chapter notes. Then write a 500-word reading report structured as: the book's central thesis (1 paragraph), 3 claims you found persuasive and why (3 paragraphs), 2 claims you found unconvincing and why (2 paragraphs), and 1 specific thing you plan to try from the book (1 paragraph with method and duration).
Proof required
Submit your complete chapter notes for the second half of the book plus your 500-word reading report.
What gets checked
- Complete chapter notes for second half of book with same 3-part format consistently applied
- 500-word report names at least two unconvincing claims with specific reasoning — not just positive engagement
- The 'one thing to try' is specific: named practice, with a duration and method
Common mistakes
- Writing a reading report that is entirely positive — no serious book is entirely persuasive to a critical reader
- Listing the 'one thing to try' without specifying duration and method — 'practise gratitude' is not a plan; '3 Good Things journaling, 10 minutes each evening for 2 weeks' is
- Treating the chapter notes as optional once you have the report — the notes are the proof of genuine reading, not a supplement
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Ask: 'What was the weakest claim in the book and why did it not persuade you?' This cannot be answered by someone who did not read critically. Ask: 'What specific thing are you trying based on the book?'
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Try the Practice and Teach the Book's Ideas to Someone Else
2–3 weeks
Implement the practice you named in the reading report for 2 weeks, logging each session. Then explain the book's core ideas to one other person in a 10-minute conversation. Ask them 3 questions about the ideas and record their questions back to you.
Proof required
Submit your 2-week practice log plus the name of the person you taught and the 3 questions they asked you during the conversation.
What gets checked
- 2-week practice log has genuine per-instance entries showing variation in what was noticed
- Three teach-back questions are specific enough to indicate a real conversation happened about the book's content
- Submitter can explain the book's central thesis in one sentence without notes when asked
Common mistakes
- Practice log entries that are identical across all 14 days — genuine practice produces variation in observation, not uniform outcomes
- Recording the other person's 'questions' as generic positives ('She thought it was interesting') rather than actual questions they asked
- Sending a summary article instead of having a real conversation — the teach-back is where the synthesis becomes real
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Ask the submitter to explain the book's central thesis in one sentence without notes. Ask: 'What did the person you taught find hardest to understand?' The answer reveals whether a real conversation happened.
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