25 Proven Ways To Read More — A Lot More
Build sustainable reading habits.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
— Dr. Seuss
Reading has always been one of my favorite activities. To be honest, I didn’t read as much as I should have in the past. Reading improves your knowledge, attention, and perspective.
It is the right time to dive in and share practical ways to read a lot. Here are the top 25 ways to read a lot this year.
Time
This is one of the major obstacles that people always complain they do not have time for reading. I would simply ask how you would find time to play with your kids, spend time with friends and family, or find a time to watch new series.
It’s all about priorities. You find a time slot in your busy schedule. Therefore, you can spend time with your kids, family, and friends.
You need to devote some time to reading. Every successful person on the planet devotes at least 5 hours to reading.
Trick: There is a possibility you are wasting a lot of time on your cellphone. Try to reduce your leisure screen time max 90 minutes per day.
Always have the next book ready to go
I like to keep a record of all the books I am reading or would like to read in the next few weeks in my Notion app.
You can get a glimpse from the screenshot below. As you can see I have 4 different columns to track my reading: need to buy column, reading column, done column, and available column. I also have another column of recommendations.
Notion is a free app for individuals. I highly recommend boosting your productivity.
Different books
You don’t need to get stuck with a boring book. I always start to read three different books at any given time. I always prefer to read nonfiction material.
Sometimes, I get a boring book that doesn’t intrigue me after 10–20 minutes. Most of the time, books are written in a really dry language, with no humor, etc.
In that case, I switched to another topic, a bit straightforward and easy to ready. For example, recently, I read my book by Indra Nooyi, Ex-Pepsi & Co CEO.
Indra wrote the non-fiction book in such a curious way. I literally finished the book on a weekend. There are a lot of case studies to learn from her. I highly recommend giving it a shot.
Take notes
Take notes if you like to; I use Kindle and highlight the material or sometimes use the paperwhite app to store all the notes in one spot.
Mix up the genre
One of my goals this year is to read at least one novel. I never read a fiction book. This is a new one I am willing to do.
Mixing up the genre helps you to avoid getting bored.
Set a reading goal
Always set a reading goal. I set a reading goal in 2021 to read 24 books. I am happy to say that I traversed the goal and read 27 big books.
Digital Bookclub
Recently I joined Goodreads, and I must say there are many experts to give you advice on reading or help you to find your next book.
Real or in-person book club if it’s possible amid a pandemic
This one is a really great option to keep you on track. A book club helps you be accountable and always helps you share your reading success story with fellow readers.
Start again
I have been trying to read this book Philosophical Investigations by Ludwing Wittgenstein for the past 6 months. But every time after reading 5–7 pages, I put the book down then forget for a good 2–3 weeks.
It’s really a dry subject, and I do not have much interest in philosophy. I also believe that the book always provides me with different perspectives. After a couple of weeks, I start to have to start again.
Read on how to read
I recently bought a book — How To Read a Book by Mortimer and Charles (Amazon affiliate link). I know it’s pretty simple to pick the book and start reading. will share a detailed experience in the next couple of months.
The book is one of the best sellers on Amazon.
You don’t need to finish every book
It is possible that you started a book, and it’s nothing but fluff. Or maybe you did not like it for any reason.
There is no need to finish the book. You switch to another book.
Reading challenges
A reading challenge always helps you to stay motivated. I read this great article on how to join an A-Z reading challenge.
kindle or carry a book everywhere
One sentence: Kindle is a life-changing experience. You will be able to carry as many books as you want.
However, many people still prefer to read a physical book. You can literally carry a book with you. I take my Kindle Signature Edition (Amazon Affiliate link) when I go to the cabin/cottage to spend a week without internet. I work from home even before the pandemic.
Read what interests you
I love to read bio/autobiographies about successful people. Recently I finished Elon Musk’s biography by Ashlee.
If you want to develop a sustainable reading habit, start reading what intrigues you.
Always read whatever you are passionate about; that’s the only trick you will stick to reading in the long run.
Reading benefits
I don’t think I need to share this one. Reading has tremendous effects on our mental health. For me, reading plays a pivotal role in getting financial freedom in the next couple of years. It’s all about learning and applying.
I always read on the topic which I want to improve my knowledge. I believe that reading should be purposeful. A simple Google search will help you to find more in detail. Here are some benefits of reading.
- reading improves your mental health
- boost your focus in life
- reduce stress level
- lower your blood pressure
- study shows that reading also helps you to sleep better
Pomodoro technique to train your attention span
I can understand that no one can pick their first book and start reading for hours and hours. Everyone has a different attention span. You can easily improve your focus by using these techniques.
I started to develop my attention spam using a simple Pomodoro technique. I started to read for max 15 minutes without any distraction. Now I can proudly say that I can be ready for a good couple of hours without distraction.
Tip: Start small!
Audiobooks
Audiobooks have been getting popular in the past couple of years. You can simply register your account on Audible to start a couple of free books to see if you like this kind of method to acquire knowledge.
I do not have an Audible account but an ad-free youtube account. There are plenty of good chances to share audiobooks. If I am driving or cooking, I am trying to build this habit of listening to audiobooks.
Find recommendations based on your interest
The best way to find recommendations is Quora and Goodreads. Always try to follow your favorite author on social media platforms; they always share new books.
The recommendation helps you to pick your next book. You can also check gatesnotes to see Bill Gates recommendations.
Read whenever you feel low or bored
Sometimes, it’s inevitable to get bored. I developed this habit to start reading when I am bored. This one is one of my favorite ones.
I do not have enough interest to watch TV. We do have a Netflix account or Youtube ad-free account, but I will never be able to watch anything longer than 20–25 minutes.
Books are the best source to help me to fight back my loneliness.
Reading is professionally important for me to keep tuned in to what’s being written in my genre, let’s not lie. But that’s not the reason I read. I read for my own emotional and mental health. If I stopped reading, I’d probably just die.
— Patrick Rothfuss
Exchange your books
If you love to read physical books, you can always ask friends and family to exchange books. It’s the easiest way to help someone give books in case they cannot exchange any book, or you did not like the book they wanted to trade.
Read multiple books daily
I think I already briefly mentioned this one. I always have 3 books in my reading mood if I get bored with one topic.
I usually read nonfiction material: entrepreneurship, finance, productivity, and mental health.
Buy used books or on sale
I love this one. I sued to have a $50–100 budget just to buy physical books before the Kindle. Now I buy books on Xmass or any special holidays. Amazon is the best source to buy books; they always send me recommendations and also mention that the book is on sale.
It’s a win-win situation; I have around 126 new books in my Kindle. I did not read all of them. But I still keep buying, but I don’t spend $100 per day the way I used to.
I am focusing on finishing the current stack and buying more in the near future.
Skim if you want to get a glimpse of the book
There is the possibility that sometimes you get stuck with fluffy material or a nonfiction author is explaining too much about the case study. It’s perfectly fine to save time, skim and move on.
Make sure you get a glimpse of the page before going to the next page.
Read physical books
I can understand that a new reader or even more experienced readers love to read physical books. My mother-in-law always prefers to read a physical book because that is how she can feel the book turn pages and get attached to it.
I prefer digital books because of the portability factor. I suggest trying both and choosing which one you prefer. In the ned, you are trying to develop a reading habit to read a lot.
Thank you for reading and let me know what are your reading habits?
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