For the last few years, I’ve tried to read a book per week. That didn’t quite happen in 2014, but I’ve found two keys to getting close to that goal.
1. You have to actually read.
Most of us like the idea of reading more than reading itself (myself include, at times) and planning to read versus actually reading are about as similar as being an armchair quarterback and an actual quarterback.
If you can:
- read a half hour per day, every day
- squeeze in some extra reading time on weekends (an extra half hour or hour)
- and you’re reading a book around 200 pages
you can tackle a book in a single week. If you want to cheat a bit, start with shorter books to build up your pace and confidence.
If you’re a slow reader, take heart! Other smart people are slow readers. The more you read the faster you’ll get (to a certain extent), so don’t give up, and shoot for finishing a book every other week.
2. Make a plan for what you’ll read.
This is the biggest motivation for me to start another book–knowing that once I finish, I have another book I can’t wait to read. That’s a large part of where I went astray in 2014–I didn’t have a solid plan for what I would read. I often reached for whatever was on my shelf instead of getting recommendations, planning ahead, and purchasing books that I was hungry to read.
Another key to this working is not starting multiple books at the same time. I used to meander through three or four books at a time. It’s too difficult to finish a significant amount of books this way. Get good recommendations, put those on your shelf (virtual or otherwise) and knock ’em down one by one.
Finally, don’t give up on a book too early. I heard a formula for deciding when to give a book the boot:
100 – Your Age = Pages to Read Before Giving Up on a Book
I envy all the centenarians who can simply judge a book by its cover.
Good luck on making this year the one in which you read (and learn) the most.