The benefits of voracious reading come in all shapes and sizes, from improving empathy and brain function to reducing stress and anxiety.
Still, according to the Pew Research Center, 27 percent of Americans did not read a single book in 2015. Of those surveyed, the average number of books read in the past 12 months was four.
It is a book every three months..
However, when we look at the habits of high achievers, like CEOs and prolific creators, there is a clear trend toward binge reading. Warren Buffett spends up to 80 percent of his reading for the day. Bill Gates reads 50 books a year. In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg read a new book every two weeks.
In light of that, "I don't have time" ceases to be a viable excuse. It's a matter of priority..
Author and entrepreneur Ryan Holiday says that treating reading as a necessity It is what allows you to read hundreds of books a year..
According to Holidays, “The key to reading a lot of books starts with stopping thinking of it as an activity you do. Reading should become as natural as eating and breathing to you. It's not something you do because you feel like it, but because it's a reflex, a defect.”
You should not ignore this advice if you want to devour more than 50 books per year. But that doesn't mean you should be reading every free second you have.
James Clear, for example, developed his insatiable appetite for reading with just 20 pages a day. Like the holidays, reading for Clear became a priority. He explains, “Usually I wake up, drink a glass of water, write down three things I'm grateful for, and read 20 pages of a book.”
This is the only reading habit he has stuck to, and he sees him finish over 30 books each year..
To increase that to more than 50 books per year, you'll need to aim for 30 to 40 pages per day. That's about 45-60 minutes of reading each day.
Author and podcaster, Darius Foroux, stick to a similar schedule. This sees him finish over 100 books per year. To do this, he aims to read for "at least an hour a day on weekdays, and even more on weekends and holidays."
Let's say you read fairly slowly at 40 pages per hour. With an average book length of 250 pages, an hour of reading per day would see you finish 58 books per year.
The challenge isn't as daunting as it once sounded, is it? All you have to do is develop the habit of reading 45-60 minutes each day. To keep you motivated, you might even want to start a Goodreads Reading Challenge.
You can take this reading during the first hour you wake up. If that's not possible, read on your trip. When you're standing in line. When you're in the bathroom. When you would otherwise be watching Netflix or browsing Facebook..
Everyone Can Find a Free Hour in Their Schedule Squeeze an Extra Hour Out of Every Day With These 10 Quick Tips Squeeze an Extra Hour Out of Every Day With These 10 Quick Tips Some simple habits can help us weed out inefficient ways and increase our reservoir of time by doing the things that matter. These ideas can give you an extra productive hour each day. Read More Just make reading a priority over your other time, it sucks.
This means always Keep a book close at hand. In the words of blogger Gretchen Rubin, “I never go anywhere empty-handed… I'll never be caught without something to read. It is a great consolation.” After all, it's all too easy to get sucked into a social media vortex if you've left your book upstairs. Keep it with you at all times and take it out when you get the chance.
When it comes to a reading challenge, it's important not to forget the point to read After all, this is not a speed reading exercise. It's also not a reading exercise, so you can say you've read 50 books this year.
Vacation explains, “The purpose of reading is not just raw knowledge. It's just part of the human experience. It helps you find meaning, understand yourself, and improve your life.”
If you feel like you're not getting these benefits from a book, don't be afraid to stop reading.
Rubin agrees:“I used to take pride in finishing every book I started. No more. Life is short. There are too many wonderful books.”
When you drop a book, make sure you have a plethora of other books you're itching to get stuck into.
Foroux advises you to “Choose books that are related to your profession or hobby. Read books about people you admire. Don't read a book just because it's a bestseller or a classic if it doesn't mean anything to you.”
In other words, don't wait until you've finished one book to pick up the next one. Go ahead and buy the books that interest you. The knowledge it contains makes these an investment..
If you're worried about the cost of these books, many of the best non-fiction books Read the World's Best Books for Free with Harvard Classics Read the World's Best Books for Free with Harvard Classics Harvard Classics is a multiple volume Collection of the best books in the world. Compiled by Dr. Charles W. Eliot in the early 20th century, they are now completely free to download. Read More and fiction books, can be downloaded for free. There are plenty of free audiobooks, too.
Having a list of books waiting for you like this also serves as motivation to keep going. Rubin herself says that she “reads a lot more when I have a stack waiting for me.”
Finally, read books simultaneously. Most people will have a long list of fiction and non-fiction books How to Organize Your Out of Control Reading List Right Now How to Organize Your Out of Control Reading List Right Now A reading list has many functions:From practical to inspirational. But it can also get out of hand. Using these tips to manage your reading hobby can do wonders for your life. Read more to read. They will have heavy and light reading options. Many voracious readers therefore choose to tackle more than one book at a time.
You can fall back on a heavy book in the morning and lighter fiction before you go to bed. If one day you don't feel a book, there should always be another one you can turn to..
As you can see, there is no deep secret here. Reading 50+ books a year sounds like a daunting challenge, but it doesn't need to be.
It's a matter of prioritizing reading over other things. All you have to do is spend time reading for about an hour a day. Choose books that excite you. Stop reading the ones that bore you. Read books at the same time.
It really can be that simple.
How many books will you try to read this year? How will you make the time to reach that goal?
