Read More Books with 10 Easy & Helpful Tips
You may have heard before that the average CEO reads upwards of 60 books per year. That’s more than one book per week! As children, we are encouraged to read more books. We’re told reading makes us smarter, and for good reason. Knowledge is power (or at least potential power), and when we read books, we are learning from people who:
- are experts on a certain topic
- have much more knowledge on what they are talking about than we do
- have usually done intense research or lived through fascinating life experiences to share that knowledge or wisdom with us
Even when we read fiction books, it’s been proven that reading can help with creativity, concentration and stress reduction.
So, if we know reading is so good for us, why is it sometimes so difficult?
This is something I struggled with for many years, and truthfully still do sometimes. I could never find a comfortable position to read in, I felt like I was too slow of a reader, and sometimes certain books just couldn’t hold my attention. This would result in me renting or buying a book, not finishing it, and ultimately feeling like a failure. But, reading doesn’t have to be like that! It’s not a difficult chore! It’s supposed to be fun and exciting and even something to look forward to, despite how we may have felt as kids or even feel now as adults.
Here are 10 tips to read more that actually work – without experiencing guilt, fear, or boredom.
1. Don’t hang onto every word
I think the mistake many of us make when reading a book is that we are treating the book like some holy object, that we must hold onto every single word the author bestowed upon the page. That’s simply not true.
First, it’s important to understand that most authors have quotas they need to hit for the length of their books in order to get them published. This means that some, if not most, authors are adding fluff into their books! Fluff is extra words, sentences, and paragraphs that are unnecessary to the overall story and to be honest, usually bores the reader. However, many times for authors it’s a requirement.
So, if an author is forced to make a book 200 pages, when he could have gotten his point across in 100, well that’s about 50% fluff! So, it’s okay not to be fully invested all the time in everything the author says. And now it makes sense why you are falling asleep on page 55 of that “best-seller.”
Most books will also typically give 2 or more examples when trying to get a point across. If one example does not resonate with you, move past it quickly. Don’t dwell on it, keep re-reading it and trying to make sense of it if it just isn’t your cup of tea. Focus on the other example that helps you understand the point the author is trying to get across and move on.
2. It’s OK to skip and skim passages
This ties in with tip #1. If a certain passage bores you, move past it! Why make yourself suffer to get through a paragraph, page, or even a chapter if it’s not necessary? You may enjoy the book but find one section boring. Then, skip that section and enjoy the rest of the book!
The same goes for skimming. Sometimes I get anxious when I am reading that I am moving too slowly, and I have too much to of the book left to go through. Skimming helps a lot with this. If you don’t think you’ll be able to retain the information from skimming, then just try it! You’ll be surprised at how much of it actually gets processed. I don’t have scientific evidence to back this up, but personally, I feel that when I skim books, I often retain more information because my brain is focusing more on the things that I find interesting and relevant.
3. You are a faster reader than you think
Continuing with the trend of the tips tying together, you can skim because you are a faster reader than you think! I used to think I was a slow reader but once I made an effort to read faster and skim more, it turned out I could! You don’t have to be the fastest reader on the planet, but odds are you can probably read more quickly than you are now. Don’t believe me? Watch this video for proof:
Extra pro tip: reading with your finger, or some kind of pointer like a pen, under the word helps you read faster.
4. It’s OK not to finish a book
As we established earlier, reading is supposed to be fun, NOT a chore. I think we sometimes feel it’s a chore because in school we were forced to read books that we weren’t always interested in. However, the beauty of reading outside of school is that you can read whatever you want and whatever interests you!
This means that if you start a book thinking that you will like it, and it turns out you don’t, then just stop reading it! Move onto a new book! Do this repeatedly until you find one that captivates you. The same can be true if you think you aren’t getting any value from what you are reading. If you feel like you captured the essence of the book in 3 chapters, then put it down! Move onto a new book.
I used to feel guilty if I didn’t finish a book I started. I even felt the same way if I didn’t finish a bad movie! If you are a completist like me, then this is totally normal. However, it doesn’t have to be this way! Give yourself permission to stop reading a book – whether that’s because it’s bad, boring, or you simply just don’t feel like reading it anymore! There’s never a wrong reason to stop reading a book midway through and starting a new one.
5. Set small goals each day
When you first decide to start reading again after a long layoff, it may be hard to follow through. Don’t overwhelm yourself with large goals like reading a book a week like a CEO does. Instead, start small. Maybe just read a chapter a week to start. Or even a page a day. Set goals that are so laughably small you have no excuse to not follow through. Then over time as you get more consistent with reading, increase the goals. For example, you might go from a page a week, to 10 pages a week, to a chapter a week, and so on, to eventually a book a week.
6. Read every day
Like anything new, we need to make it into a habit, or else we won’t follow through. The best way to form a habit is to be consistent. And to be consistent, we must do it every day. Again, we don’t need to read a crazy amount a day. Some days we may only be able to read one page or a few pages. On other days you might be inspired to read several chapters. Whatever you decide, just make sure to read every day to build up that habit.
7. Reward yourself
If you are really struggling to sit down and read, incentivize yourself with rewards! For example, say there is a new TV show you are watching that you really enjoy. Tell yourself that you will watch one episode of your favorite show after you read one chapter. This will associate reading with doing something you enjoy and makes your brain think more positively about reading.
This trick can work with pretty much anything. It’s similar to Pavlov’s dog and is a conditioned response to help you become more productive.
8. Get an accountability partner
Studies show that when we have somebody else to hold us accountable for our actions, we are more likely to follow through. So, if you are having a hard time bringing yourself to read more, even if you like the book, then try an accountability partner. This can be a friend, family member, or spouse that is tasked with the job of making sure you read.
To make it more fun though, the two of you can read the same book together and have a set time each week where you talk about it! Now you will have to read the agreed upon amount in time or fear letting down the other person.
If you don’t think anyone in your life would be interested in doing this, you can also try joining a book club. A book club is like a big accountability group and talking about the book after will help you retain more information. You might even make some good friends out of it.
9. Audiobooks
I love audiobooks. It makes reading so much more convenient for me. With audiobooks you can “read”, when you are driving, at the gym, grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and so much more. This is a great way to help you zoom through and read more books. The only downside I have noticed from audiobooks is that you do not retain as much information as reading a physical copy. I would suggest, if possible, trying to take notes with audiobooks to help overcome this.
I use the audible app and highly recommend it.
10. Use a Kindle
A kindle is also extremely helpful to get you to read more. It’s like carrying thousands of books on one small device. The kindle was designed specifically for reading books so it would be a good bet that using it will help you read more. It allows you to highlight passages, so you won’t feel guilty about “vandalizing” hardcover books with your notes. And its screen light allows you to read in bed without having to get up to turn off the light when you’re ready to go to sleep. Since it was made specifically for reading, it has a lot of cool features that can help enhance your overall reading experience.
Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still get the kindle app on your phone or tablet device.
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I now encourage you to pick up a book you are interested in and to try using 2 – 3 of these techniques to start. Gradually over time try them all. Let me know the results!
What book are you currently reading? Drop a comment or email me personally at eric@ericgolban.com.
Not sure where to start? The Shower Habit and The Four Agreements are 2 books I reviewed that I recommend reading.