When I was in school I didn’t like reading. Textbooks, old plays and old novels didn’t really appeal to me.
If you’d asked me at age 7 or age 17 I would have said, “I don’t like reading.”
Things have changed.
Last year I read 54 books. Just over 1 per week.
You might not want to read 54 books this year but if you’ve read this far I’m imagining that you would like to read more.
Why Read More?
Maybe you want to read because you want to learn. Maybe you want to read because you feel obligated to by your spouse, parents or friends. Maybe you want to read because your boss reads. Regardless of the reason this blog post will help you understand how to read more.
There’s a scientific term for situations where what we DO and what we THINK WE SHOULD DO don’t line up. The term is cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance can have a negative effect on our mood, attitude, etc.
Therefore, if you’re feeling like you should read then you should probably figure out how to read. You’ll feel better.
So why don’t you read more?
Don’t get anything from reading? Not enough time? Books are too expensive? Not sure what to read? Stuck on an old book?
Let’s address each one of these individually.
Not Enough Time to Read
How Much Time Does it Take to Read a Book
Let me run some quick calculations to show you how little time you really need to read.
Most people read approximately 250 words per minute. That means if you read 10 minutes per day you’ll read a total of 912,500 minutes per year.
Read 60 minutes per day and you’ll read 5,475,000 minutes per year.
Let’s say an average book is 60,000 words. That means it’ll take you four hours to read a book (240 minutes)
10 minutes per day is equivalent to reading 15 books per year. (10*250*365)/(60,000).
60 minutes per day is equivalent to reading 91 books per year. (60*250*365)/(60,000)
How to Make Time With a Busy Schedule
Here are some tips for how to find time to read;
- Turn off the TV and read instead.
- Read eBooks on your phone instead of checking social media.
- Listen to audiobooks on your commute.
- Listen to audiobooks at the gym.
- Read eBooks in bed on a backlit eReader (Kindle Paperwhite is my choice)
The Real Cost of Books
How Much Do Books Cost
Hardback best sellers from Barnes and Noble often cost around $20 per book.
eBooks are often $10-$15 each. Some are as cheap as $0.99.
Paperback books from a used bookstore might be $3-10.
There are even ways to get books for free! Your local library has thousands of titles.
Many libraries are also implementing digital programs where you can “borrow” an eBook or Audiobook for a period of time.
Lastly, you can always borrow books from friends. Reading a book your friend read is a good way to build a bond over a shared experience.
How To Find Extra Money for Books
Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Additional expenses can be hard to justify. I TOTALLY understand.
Here are some other creative ways to increase the money you have available for books;
- Cancel Netflix or Hulu and buy a book each month
- Borrow a book from your friend
- Ask your boss if your company will pay for a book (works best if the book is related to your job)
- Get a book on personal finance – earning more, saving more and spending less can help you free up money for books
- Get a book on cooking – eating at home can save thousands of dollars a year
- Get a book on health and nutrition – going to the doctor is expensive
The Value of Reading (For the “I don’t get anything out of reading” people)
The Philosophy of the Value of Reading
Entertainment is an important part of enjoying life. All too often we over consume media for the purpose of entertainment. This temporary thrill is like a “band-aid” for our problems. We have a hard day at work so we come home and binge on Netflix for four hours.
Education is an equally important part of life but for a different reason. Reading allows us to find information that helps us get better. Imagine being healthy, having strong relationships, being a great leader and having financial security. The information you need just might be in a book.
Reading is generally one of the least expensive ways to learn. Conferences, seminars, college and even e-courses all tend to be more expensive and time consuming than reading a book.
The Practical Value of a Book
A book often has a price in dollars. However, for many people the price tag isn’t the barrier. Instead the opportunity cost prevents them from reading. They look at the four hours it’ll take to read and decide to do something else instead.
Here are some simple heuristics that I use to think about how to value a book.
Often books are written by people with years of experience in a certain field. They spend hundreds of hours writing a manuscript, working with editors and finalizing the book for my consumption. In four hours I get to consume information that took them years to learn. Seems like a good trade to me.
Books are like a gold mine. Sometimes you have to read through a lot of material to find one good idea but when you find it you’ve struck gold.
Here’s an example. Imagine that you buy a book on finances for $20, follow the instructions and end up with a $2,000 surplus at the end of the year. That means the book returned an enormous return. The results get even better if you stick with it over time.
Books on other topics might be harder to quantify but can have similarly meaningful impact. Imagine a book on nutrition that saves you from getting diabetes which saves you thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime. A book that helps you maintain a strong marriage can save you from the pain, heartache and financial hardship of divorce.
What to Read and Not Read
How to Pick Books to Read
Part of the challenge of developing a reading habit is that you have to unlearn habits that were developed in school. School teachers have a curriculum that they follow so that you can meet a standard set by your state. That means they choose the subject; math, history, science, etc.
In order to develop a strong reading habit you have to read books that YOU care about. You have to pick! Don’t read books just because a friend, a colleague or family member recommended the book. Only read things that interest you.
- Pick books that interest you
- Stop reading a book if you don’t like it (without finishing)
- Find information online about other books you may enjoy
As I’ve established a strong reading habit I’ve realized that it is important to know what to read. I will create big wishlists of books on Amazon by category of book (Business, Finance, Health, etc). Amazon’s book categories and recommended books are a great place to find books that are similar to a book you’ve already read.
How to Judge a Book (hint: not by the cover)
One challenge with purchasing books is that we judge them by their cover. I’m just as guilty of this as the next person. There’s a catchy title, a cool picture and “New York Times Best Seller” written on the front so I buy it without much thought.
Unfortunately, none of the criteria I just listed mean that it will be a good book. Best seller means it sold a lot but doesn’t guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
In order to get a better gauge on whether or not you’ll like a book I’d recommend the following;
- Read the Title and Subtitle
- Read the Description (or the flap with a synopsis or information about the author)
- Read the Table of Contents (this will give you a good overview of the book’s contents)
- Read 1-2 Pages from the First Chapter (this will give you a sense of whether or not you like the author’s style/voice)
- Read Reviews (generally the 3-star reviews will be the most honest about what they like and dislike)
Obviously this takes more time than just looking at the cover. However, spending 10 minutes to disqualify a book is WAY BETTER than reading 1-2 hours of the book before determining you don’t like it.
How to Get Unstuck
I’ve found that when reading I can get stuck. Once I’m stuck I’m not really motivated to continue reading. This can be a major disruptor for my reading habit.
Here are some things that have worked for me.
Do Something Else – We aren’t meant to sit around all day reading. We need to talk to people, exercise, eat, drink and enjoy life to the fullest. Sometimes if you’re getting bored with something you’re reading you’ve simply been reading too long and need to do something else. You can always come back and read later. Developing a reading habit takes time so celebrate a few minutes today, a few more minutes tomorrow and soon you’ll be reading more than all of your friends.
Read Multiple Books – When you have multiple books that you’re reading at the same time about different topics there’s variety. If you get bored or stuck on one topic you can switch to another topic, keep the reading habit going and come back to that book at some point in the future.
Quit That Book – It was really helpful when I read that it was “okay” to start a book and not finish it. Remember, in school you had to finish a book because it was REQUIRED even if you were bored out of your mind. You’re totally allowed as an adult to stop reading a book. You can put it on your shelf and return at a later time or throw it away, burn it or run it through your paper shredder.
Stray Thoughts About Reading
You can read a book in four hours. Half a day. Binge reading feels much better at the end than binge Netflixing.
Books have pages which are like built-in progress trackers. Kind of cool.
GoodReads is a social network for book nerds. I like it. 🙂
Taking notes can help you retain information you’ve learned. They can be bullet points, sentence fragments or even chicken scratch. Just do what works for you.
Your friends that tell you audiobooks don’t count are wrong.
Books (and Kindle Paperwhite) can be taken nearly anywhere; coffee shops, the beach, a lake, etc.
Reading can be very relaxing and getting consumed in a book is a safe mental getaway from the stresses of life.
