Reading is one of life’s greatest hacks.
Nonfiction offers you the ability to learn about any topic from the best and brightest minds in the world. Fiction provides hours upon hours of entertainment for less than the cost of a monthly subscription to Netflix.
Unfortunately, most people don’t read much, but here are six easy ways to increase the number of books you read.
Listen now and learn:
- Why building habits is more effective than trying to reach a specific goal
- 6 easy ways to build your reading habit
- The single biggest hack for reading more
Listen Now
Show Notes
Reading is one of life’s greatest hacks.
Nonfiction offers you the ability to learn about any topic from the best minds in the world. Fiction provides hours upon hours of entertainment for less than the monthly cost of a Netflix subscription.
I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know – but I usually hear more people say they wish they read more than I hear people say they read all the time.
Build Reading Habits Rather Than Set Specific Goals
In my opinion, people focus too much on the goal of reading more and not enough on the habit of reading itself.
Many people set a goal to read one book per month, or a certain amount of titles in a year. I suggest committing to reading a certain amount of minutes per day instead. When my own habit started, the rule I set for myself was no entertainment (via TV, social media, internet, and so on) until I had read for at least 20 minutes. I set a timer on my phone, and I was only allowed to put down my book once the timer went off.
There are a few obvious benefits to this approach. A habit is easier to achieve than a massive goal. Reading for 20 minutes only takes 20 minutes. It’s also more concrete and easier to act on than “read one book a month.” Missing one day of reading 20 minutes is much easier to recover from than falling behind on a goal of one book a month.
Habits are also better than goals because the habit is what makes it possible to exceed the original goal. Sometimes, I call it quits after I read for 20 minutes – but more often than not, I find myself reading for over an hour.
Here’s the coolest thing about habits: it only takes about 30 days of practicing a habit until it literally rewires our brains to make so that it feels easier to complete the habit than to not do it. Once you are in a good habit – whether it’s reading, writing, exercise, eating well, or any other positive behavior – the benefits of that consistent repeated action can compound into amazing results.
True change doesn’t come until a habit takes form and becomes part of your identity. In other words, the goal isn’t to read a certain number of books, it’s to become a reader.
And there’s no barrier to entry on becoming a reader. You don’t have to read a certain kind of book to consider yourself a reader, or get through a certain number of books in a year. If you want to be a reader, all you need to do is read.
This holds true with any habits we are looking to instill in our lives. All it takes to be something is to do it. The more you repeat the behavior, the more it will simply become a part of who you are.
Here are six ways to build your reading habit:
1. Increase Your Access To Books
The biggest obstacle to reading more is not having a book available when you have time to read.
Keeping books in a variety of locations makes it much more likely you will pick it up and read. It also helps if you have access to both physical and electronic books.
2. Make A List of Books You Want to Read
Keeping a reading list helps you stay motivated to read because there’s always something you’ll want to read next.
Every time I hear about a book that sounds interesting, I add it to a list in Amazon. If you’re starting from scratch, walk through a bookstore to browse the featured titles to get an idea of where to start.
Here a few of my favorite fiction and non-fiction books. You might also consider checking out 22 Books That Will Make You A Better Investor and 5 Personal Finance Books That Influenced My System For Building Wealth.
3. Buy a Kindle Paperwhite
If you’ve never tried reading electronically, it’s time to give it a try, even if you prefer the feeling of a physical book.
I suggest the Kindle Paperwhite because it’s perfect for reading in bed. The real pro move from there is downloading the Kindle app on all your devices so that you can read anytime and anywhere.
4. Ditch Books You Don’t Like
There is no shame in ditching a book that you’re not enjoying or finding useful.
If you feel a book is starting to get repetitive or is veering off into subject matter that just doesn’t resonate with you, you’re not obligated to read it cover to cover. Pick up another book and keep reading instead.
5. Read Multiple Books at Once
Most people don’t have a problem with watching multiple TV series at the same time – each show meets distinct cravings, moods, and interests.
There’s no need to treat books differently, and you shouldn’t hesitate to start reading a new title even if you’re not quite finished with another.
6. Try New Genres
It can be hard to jump into a new genre, but you might consider asking a friend or someone at the bookstore for recommendations and gravitate towards the titles that are in a genre you wouldn’t naturally choose.
You could discover a genre that you like to read as much as others, which greatly increases the number of options you can add to your reading list. Plus, you may also find that you prefer certain genres at different times.
Resources
- See a list of my favorite non-fiction books
- 22 Books That Will Make You a Better Investor
- 5 Finance Books That Influenced My System For Building Wealth
- Purchase a Kindle Paperwhite Reader
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About the Podcast
Long-term investing made simple. Most people enter the markets without understanding how to grow their wealth over the long term or clearly hit their financial goals. The Long Term Investor shows you how to proactively minimize taxes, hedge against rising inflation, and ride the waves of volatility with confidence.
Hosted by the advisor, Chief Investment Officer of Plancorp, and author of “Making Money Simple,” Peter Lazaroff shares practical advice on how to make smart investment decisions your future self with thank you for. A go-to source for top media outlets like CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN Money, Peter unpacks the clear, strategic, and calculated approach he uses to decisively manage over 5.5 billion in investments for clients at Plancorp.
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