It's not about efficiency, it's about effectiveness. Sequential reading may be more efficient, but it's infinitely less effective if you never pick up the book

It's not about efficiency, it's about effectiveness. Sequential reading may be more efficient, but it's infinitely less effective if you never pick up the book to read the next chapter. It's a workaround for the 'I started this useful, interesting book, read 50% of it, then never touched it again, for no good reason' bug. You solve the problem by nerd-sniping yourself with an exercise. If you don't experience this bug perhaps it's not good advice for you. My 'technique', if I want to read a particular book, is to carry it, and no other book, in my backpack. I'll inevitably read it in my down times.