how i read so many books

If I have to guess, the question I get asked the most in life is “How do you read so many books” and I mean, I understand.

At the moment that I am writing this, I have read 102 books and there will probably be at least 2 or 3 more before I have it published. In 2017 I read 320 books and that was while either in school or working full time. These numbers are sometimes even crazy for me and I am the one doing the reading.

Now I know that some of the reasons behind these numbers are just that I am a fast reader and that is not really something that you can learn or implement, but I do feel like the more you read, the better you will be at it and the faster the pages will turn. Besides that however, I do believe there are a few ways that everyone can implement more reading and a higher number of books read.

1. Don’t be afraid to give up on a book

   My life became so much better when I realized that life was too short for crappy books. I am assuming that you are all out of school and don’t have books that you are required to read so nobody is going to judge you for putting that book down. If a book is really dragging for me and I am not excited to read it, it shouldn’t even be a part of my life. Reading should be something that brings you joy and excitement and if it doesn’t, change it up. I generally give a book between 50-100 pages (depending on its length) and if I don’t care about what happens to the characters at that point, I move on to something I am excited to read.

2. Carve out time in your day to read

   You have time to read, don’t lie to me. Maybe it is when you first wake up in the morning and you usually grab your phone and scroll for 20 minutes through social media. Maybe it is the end of the day when you crawl into bed and watch Netflix. Maybe it the lunch break that you take and you really just don’t want to talk to anyone else. You have the time to read, you just need to make it priority. I am a person who doesn’t like to be working on the same task for too long so in the middle of writing a paper or working on a big project I will take a break and read for a little bit. This helps me get energized to keep working on that task and also gets me a few pages further in my book.

3. Always have a book on you

   It is very rare that you would ever find me without a book in my hands. I take the bus a lot so I am always reading on the bus, but even in the few minutes that I am waiting for a class to start, or waiting in a long line at the bank or anywhere else, instead of taking out my phone I grab my book. There are fewer excuses if I have it right on me and have a few minutes to get a chapter in.

4. Different types of reading is still reading

   I have an e-reader and don’t get me wrong it doesn’t compare to physical books, but man is it convenient. It has tons of books in a space that is smaller than one hardcover so if I finish a book on the go I can right away move onto my next book. (Because nothing is worse than finishing a book and having nothing to start for the entire rest of the day). I am also a huge proponent of Audiobooks and if I had a long driving commute I would totally use them. In my mind someone reading a book to you is the same as reading it yourself so if you need something to do in the car, while cleaning the house, or on a long walk, put on an Audiobook.

5. Don’t feel like there is anything you “have” to read

   This goes a bit back to my first point. You are not a failure of the human race if you haven’t read “Pride and Prejudice” or “Moby Dick” and no one has the right to judge you over the books you are reading. Classics are lauded for being the best, but they have turned so many people off reading. Reading is personal and your reading journey doesn’t have to include any book that you don’t want it to. Also if you want to see a movie without reading the book, go ahead (and sometimes the book isn’t even better). Read what makes you happy and makes you want to read.

There you have it, my tips and tricks to tackle that long to-read list. I also love reading on the bus and on long car journey, but I know not everyone can do that (great time for an Audiobook though!). So spend some time with a book today and make a part of your daily habits.