8 Smart Ways To Read More Books by Tom Stevenson at Medium.com. Support our news coverage by subscribing to our Kindle Nation Daily Digest. Joining is free right now!
Warren Buffett, regarded as the best investor of the 20th century, estimates that 80 per cent of his working hours are devoted to reading books. If Buffett deems reading to be that important, it’s obvious it’s a habit more of us need to take up.
Reading is often seen as a chore. Nowadays, it’s easier to log on to Netflix and be entertained, rather than pick up a book and let your imagination run wild.
However, reading offers more benefits than a Netflix binge. Studies have shown it can increase our emotional intelligence due to the range of motivations and perspectives you need to digest while reading.
While mental stimulation has also been shown to reduce the onset of dementia too. Reading helps keep the brain active. As we read, we create mental simulations of the stories we are reading, which stimulates our neural pathways.
It is far from the passive activity it is seen to be!
Reading opens you up to new perspectives and ensures that you are constantly learning about new concepts as opposed to stagnating.
Developing a habit that is healthy is not easy. It’s easier to do something without thinking than consciously make an effort to add value to our lives.
With these 8 tips, you’ll be able to develop a habit for reading and enjoy it, in no time!
8. Quit Early
This may seem like odd advice, but bear with me!
I used to read books until the end no matter what. It didn’t matter whether I liked them or not, I kept reading. I felt I had to read every book I read until the end.
While this may sound like good advice, it’s actually not. If you’re reading a book and you aren’t getting any value from it, you should stop. You’re just wasting your time if you carry on.
I received a book from my brother this Christmas. On the surface, it appeared to be a good book. It was on a topic I’m interested in and I was eager to read it. However, a few pages into the book I realised it was not living up to my expectations.
I became bored and was eager to turn the page instead of savouring what was on each page. Eventually, I gave up and put it down. It just wasn’t worth my time to carry on and read the book when I felt like it wasn’t offering me anything of value.
If you feel the same way about a book, don’t be afraid to do the same. You are under no obligation to finish every book you read.
If you’re not feeling it, ditch it!
7. Read Two Books At Once
Again, on the surface, this appears to be bad advice. How the hell can you read two books at once, you ask?
Well, it’s easier than you think!
When I say read two books at once I don’t mean literally read two at once, that would be stupid. Instead, you have two books that you are concurrently reading. You simply switch in between them during the day and the week.
Sometimes, I like to read parts of one book one day and continue with the other one the next. This way I am able to get through two books much quicker than I otherwise would.
I often get engrossed in the books that I read, so when I have two on the go simultaneously, it can be hard to put them down if I’m enjoying them.
I often find myself reading more than usual just so I don’t feel like I’m missing out when I put it down for the other book!
Another benefit is that reading two, or multiple, books at once will keep your mind and thoughts fresh. If you get bored easily this is a great way to combat that particular demon!
6. Read 20 Pages Per Day
20 pages a day may not sound like a lot, and it isn’t in all honesty. However, if you’re just starting out, or looking to get back into reading, it’s a good place to start!
Reading 20 pages a day is a realistic goal that most people can achieve. The number one reason people fail at adopting new habits is that they set themselves lofty goals that are unattainable.
Are you really going to read 50 pages a day if you haven’t read for over a year?
It’s unlikely!
By starting off at a figure such as twenty, you’re giving yourself a good base to start from and not setting yourself up for failure in the long run.
Once you start getting into the swing of things, you don’t have to stick to only reading twenty pages a day. You can up the number of pages you’re reading daily.
Try reading thirty, once you’re comfortable push yourself to read forty and so on. This tip is about setting yourself up so reading becomes a long-term habit and not a flash in the pan!
5. Listen To Books
This tip is not strictly about reading more, but listening to books is an effective way to digest more useful information.
There are lots of times during the day when it’s not practical to read a book. Daily commutes can be crowded and sometimes there isn’t enough space to read without distraction.
If you drive to work, then there is no way you can read during your drive to work. This is where the benefits of listening to your favourite books come in.
You can subscribe to a service such as Audible, download your favourite books and listen to them while you go about your daily business!
This is a great way to utilise time that is often lost in the mundanity of life. Plus, you can listen to books quicker than you can read them!
If you set the speed at 1.5x the normal speed, you’ll be able to get through more books by listening to them than you would otherwise have thought!
It’s a simple hack that is easy to implement!
4. Buy Cheap Books
One of the things that put a lot of people off developing a reading habit is the cost of books. If you head into any bookstore, the prices can make your eyes water!
The premier bookstore in the UK is Waterstones, and the prices for some of the books can be expensive.
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