How to read more
My personal practices that help me read 100+ books a year
I am a reader through and through. Growing up my Mum and Dad would both read to me and they mutually encouraged my love and obsession with reading (though I was once grounded from reading!). I have been a consistent reader since I was five, though during college, pleasure reading occurred much less as I was required to read extensively in class. In grad school, I really rediscovered my reading passion and in the past three years, I have consistently read over 100 books and am on track for that this year.
Most years, I do not set out to read 100+ books , but instead focus on reading well and reading the books I do choose to read thoroughly. In the past, when I have set such lofty goals, I often felt like I have to choose shorter books to read to help me reach my goal. Now, if I hit 100 books great, but I tend to set a 75 book goal which is manageable for me. It encourages me to read, but not to make reading an arbitrary means to an arbitrary goal.
When people find out how much I love reading and how much I do read, I am often asked how I am able to do this. One element of this is prioritization. Reading is my favorite hobby and I will choose to do it over most other hobbies. I rarely watch TV or YouTube, so a lot of the ‘entertainment time’ I have is spent reading. Reading is also something I highly value for my own personal growth and learning. I live so many lives by reading and expand my views and understanding of the world. I am always quick to tell others that my high value of reading does not mean that others need to highly value reading. But for those who are trying to read more, I think there are some practical steps that can be implemented. Over the years, I have developed several reading practices that I believe have helped me to read as much as I do and I wanted to share them below!
Set aside dedicated time to read. Try to look at your day and find a pocket of 10-15 minutes where you can crack open a book and read a chapter or two. Do you walk the dog or commute? Try listening to a book during that time. Or if you find yourself reaching for your phone often (especially in the evenings like me), use that time to read a book instead. My barrier to reading is often just getting started, so if I can carve out space to intentionally read, it helps immensely.
Try reading multiple books at once. This may seem daunting but it can help you read more in the long run as you get tired of one book and can then pick up another and read it. At any one time, I typically am reading 4-6 books at once. Importantly, they are all different genres so I can keep track of them all in my mind. I will read a few chapters of a fantasy book, read a chapter of a Christian book, then a chapter from a history or science book. The only reason I can keep everything fresh in my mind is because the books are from different genres.
Place books in strategic places around your house. Think about where you spend the most time in your house and leave books in those areas. This goes along with #2 since if you are reading multiple books it can help to keep those books in physically separate spaces to mentally keep them separate in your mind. I keep books in my library room, the kitchen table, my Kindle, and my bedside table to encourage me to read when I have spare moments in those rooms or on the go.
Make a list of to-read books. Having a list or (even better) having a stack of books ready to go can help motivate you to read because it helps avoid decision paralysis. Personally, I am more of a mood reader, so I will often decide what to read next from my to-read book list based on what sounds like a good read or if a library hold comes through. My to-read stack is also right in front of my reading nook so I am always looking at the books thinking about what I will read next.
Create a reading nook. Having a dedicated place to read can really foster the reading mood. We do have a room in our house that we call our ‘library’ and I have a comfy chair, weighted blanket, and great view outside in that room. Being in that room really helps me enter into the reading mode. I often will try to leave my phone outside of that room as well to help avoid my biggest distraction.
My reading nook where I spend a lot of my free time! Consider trying different reading formats. I do not listen to audio books often, but they can be extremely beneficial when you have to work with your hands or drive long distances. When I worked in the lab, I incorporated audiobooks into my reading routine if I knew my week would be experiment-heavy . Kindle books can also be great to have on hand for on the go situations like waiting in a doctor’s office or arriving early to an event.
Stop reading a book if you are not interested in it 25% through. Life is too short to read bad books. If you struggle to put down a book even if you are not enjoying it, then think about how many books you could realistically read in the rest of your lifetime and ask if your current book is worth continuing. I adopted this rule a few years ago and it has helped me free myself from the guilt of not finishing a bad book. Sadly, there are quite a few books I have read recently that were pretty awful, but they were interesting by the 25% mark and it was not until 50% through that I realized the book was not for me. At that point, I felt that I had invested too much to stop and did end up finishing the book.
This list of reading practices is not exhaustive, but they are some personal practices that have served me well and has helped me consistently read 100+ books. I would love to know some personal reading practices that you incorporate into your reading life!
Additionally, if you are interested in the practice of reading and and reading deeply, I highly recommend this new release by three English PhDs titled: Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of Our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age. The authors strongly emphasize the value of reading deeply, rereading, and establishing practices to help read more. It is geared towards a Christian audience as they discuss Christian worldview, but their practices could apply to anyone. The book was slightly more oriented towards those teaching English at a college level, but I still received so much from it and was delighted to find others who had a similar reading philosophy to me.