Build a reading list in the right order

Get a staged learning path of book and article types, from first intro to advanced, with what to look for in each.

Change note: Initial version

Prompt

Design a reading and learning path for {{topic}}. My background: {{background}}. Goal: {{goal}}. Time available: {{time}}.

Give me:
1. **Stages**: 3 to 5 stages from orientation to advanced, each with a purpose, what I should be able to do at the end, and an estimated time.
2. **For each stage**: 2 to 3 recommended resource types and, where you are highly confident they exist, well-known titles and authors. Mark any title you are less than certain about with "(verify)". Never invent titles, authors or links; describe the kind of resource instead when unsure (e.g. "a recent introductory textbook with worked exercises").
3. **How to read each**: what to skim, what to read deeply and which exercises to do.
4. **Criteria** for judging whether a resource is good: authorship, date, evidence, reviews.
5. **Checkpoints**: a short project or self-test at the end of every stage.
6. **Search tips**: where to look (libraries, open courses, review articles) and good search phrases.

Keep the plan realistic for my time. If you are unsure about a fact, say so plainly. Never invent citations, quotes, statistics or URLs.

Variables

• {{topic}}Topictextrequired

  Default: behavioral economics

• {{background}}Your backgroundtextrequired

  Default: I have a business degree but no economics beyond the basics

• {{goal}}Goaltextrequired

  Default: understand the field well enough to apply it at work

• {{time}}Time availabletextrequired

  Default: 3 months, 4 hours a week

Example output

**Stage 1: Orientation (weeks 1-2).** Purpose: get the core ideas and vocabulary. Outcome: explain loss aversion, anchoring and nudges in plain terms. Resources: a popular, well-reviewed introduction (Daniel Kahneman's *Thinking, Fast and Slow* is widely recommended; verify the edition) plus a short open course. Read fully for ideas; skip long anecdotes.
*Checkpoint:* write a one-page summary of five key biases.

**Stage 2: Foundations (weeks 3-6).** Outcome: understand how experiments test these effects. Resource type: an introductory textbook with worked exercises. Do the problem sets; skim the math boxes at first.
*Checkpoint:* design a small experiment on a workplace decision.

**Stage 3: Application (weeks 7-10).** Outcome: apply the ideas to pricing, defaults and choice design. Resource type: review articles and case collections from respected journals.
*Checkpoint:* analyze one of your company's decisions.

**Stage 4: Critique (weeks 11-12).** Read about replication debates to see which effects are robust.

**Judge resources by:** author expertise, date (some findings failed to replicate), evidence, not just stories.
**Search phrases:** "behavioral economics introduction", "replication", "choice architecture".

Notes

Admitting uncertainty through "(verify)" tags keeps the list honest, and staged outcomes make the path measurable. Ask for a follow-up covering one stage in more detail.