How To Read 1,000 Books

Summary

The author describes their journey of reading over 1,000 books by leveraging audiobooks during everyday activities.

Abstract

The author shares a personal transformation from a book collector to an avid reader, detailing how they overcame the challenge of not reading the books they owned by discovering audiobooks. During a busy medical residency with little free time, the author turned to books on CD and eventually to Audible, which significantly increased their reading pace. They emphasize the convenience of audiobooks, the effectiveness of listening at increased speeds, and the strategy of listening to multiple books simultaneously. The author attributes their substantial intellectual growth to this habit and encourages others to adopt audiobook listening as a life-changing routine.

Opinions

The author believes that audiobooks can be enjoyed in various settings, making it easier to consume books regularly.
Listening to audiobooks at accelerated speeds (2X or higher) is recommended for faster completion and increased learning.
The author advocates for listening to multiple audiobooks at once, contrary to the common advice against multitasking, to maintain engagement and interest.
Nonfiction audiobooks are preferred by the author for personal growth, while fiction is reserved for visual entertainment.
The author is convinced that consistent audiobook listening has significantly increased their intelligence and altered their worldview.

How To Read 1,000 Books

It’s not as hard as you think

I have always loved books going back to childhood. I would read anything by Dr. Seuss to the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I loved the way books smelled as a kid when you were in the public library. I love how the cover of a book can hook you as you walk by and make you turn back to pick it up.

Fast forward to college and I started buying books on a regular basis. I would make my bookshelf look pretty and make myself “look” very cultured. I felt like a genius and so sophisticated. There was one big problem. I would either never read the books I bought or never finish any book I started.

Then something magical happened. When I was 29 I was doing my medical residency training. I was working up to 100 hours per week sometimes. I had no free time, but needed a way to relax. I went to the public library to kill some time one afternoon and found a section with books on CD.

That was the beginning of my journey to reading over 1,000 books. I first checked out 1 book on CD. Then it turned into 5 at a time. I started going weekly. I “read” or rather listened to hundreds of books this way. I would just drive to and from work listening to books. I was hooked. It felt effortless.

I could tell I was getting smarter and seeing the world in a whole new way. I couldn’t go a day without listening to a book. I managed to do this while working crazy hours as a resident physician. Then about 6 years ago I discovered Audible. That was a game changer for me and I’ve never looked back. Here are 3 ways I used to read over 1,000 books.

1. Listen to books anytime you “find” time

With a physical book you have to find a place to sit down. You need good lighting and you have to concentrate fully. With audiobooks you can listen anywhere. If you’re in line at the grocery store, walking on the treadmill, or driving to work you can always listen to an audiobook.

Even if you have 10 minutes to kill it takes way less effort to listen to an audiobook vs a physical book. You can also devote 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening to audiobooks. This alone will get you through an audiobook very quickly.

2. Listen to books on 2X speed…or higher

This one trick has gotten me to the point where I can get through one audiobook per day. This has been my routine for the past few years. At first it may seem weird, but you adapt pretty quickly. I will listen to some books at 2.2X or 2.3X depending on the speed of narration.

Even if you feel comfortable listening at 1.5X that alone will have you finishing an audiobook in a few days. Obviously if an audiobook has a length of 16 hours that will take longer, but audiobooks that are 6 hours or less you can power through quickly.

3. Listen to multiple books at the same time

I know everyone says not to multitask, but when it comes to audiobooks it pays off. I sometimes have 20 different audiobooks going at once. I may listen to one for 30 minutes then take a break. I will switch to a different one and listen for 20 minutes. Then I keep doing this until I’ve listened to 5 or more different books.

There are times when I may be engrossed in one audiobook and will only listen to that one for the day. When you have multiple books going there are days when you get to see the word Finished on several books. Below you’ll see I’m chipping away at several titles at once.

Screenshot by Author

Final Thoughts

Anyone can read over 1,000 books with time. I have probably “read” or rather listened to close to 2,000 audiobooks at this point in my life. Consistency is key along with a love of knowledge. I only listen to nonfiction audiobooks and leave my fiction entertainment to tv or movies. I can wholeheartedly say I am not the same person I was when I first started on this journey. You will start to notice yourself getting incrementally smarter as each day passes. This one habit has been the most beneficial habit I’ve ever undertaken. Do yourself a favor and start today.