How to Read More Books in 3 Months Than You Have in 3 Years.
My straightforward book-reading tips to overcome bibliophobia or reading apathy/laziness.
I am trying to rekindle my reading habit, could you help me do that, please?
I’ll write an article on how to read more books, I hope that helps…
The above is the conversation between me and a friend that led to this article. I hope it helps her find her way back to reading books and also anyone who struggles with it or has lost it.
To begin with, we are more of a generation of readers compared to the previous five generations before us. I may be wrong, but I believe with the volume of content we consume daily — weekly basis via our mobiles, pads, tabs, laptops, etc., there is no way we could be very far from that.
Fun fact — a scientific study shows that we are bombarded by the equivalent of 174 newspapers of data a day.
The summary of the study indicates that every day the average person produces six newspapers worth of information compared with just two and a half pages 24 years ago — nearly a 200-fold increase.
But then, what do people mean when they say, ‘I have not been reading or that I struggle to read?🤷♂️’
It simply means when you find yourself not reading enough or at all the things your inner curiosity demands from you.
In my observation, which I believe if I research further, I’ll find is scientifically backed, is that our curiosity/brain works like our body which has appetites.
Below, I provide personally proven ways to read more books in 3 months than you have in three years, even if you have bibliophobia.
By the way, I hate those personal development strategies that are too harsh and near impossible to achieve. I kept it simple here: even someone who had never finished a book before could start by completing this article.
1 — Start from a place of interest and passion
Yes, interest and passion are essential in pursuing any goal. No matter how small or big. But the problem is that we often buy into hype and trends when it involve books.
Books are not like newly released films that everyone is rushing to get a feel of. And, even if we are to compare this scenario, I believe you had had several movies that a friend hyped, but when you started watching them, you discovered it is not your kind of movie and, in some cases, could not even finish it.
Before I was bitten by the bug of book worming, I remember that I had a friend that was into geography and history books. I tried them, but I was never able to finish any. Now I read vast and almost everything, however, of course, things that interest me.
So, the first approach is to ask yourself the genre of books you would wish to complete in the next three months. Once you have figured them out, go and get them…
2 — Spice it up with a mix
Monotony kills interest! But when it comes to reading books, I don’t think enough people bring this up into reasonable consideration.
As a starter, let’s assume you would want to finish two or three books (depending on their volume) in the next three months; I suggest you should not go for the same kind of books. This kills interest, period!
Imagine being served your ‘favourite’ delicacy every day for three months. Of course, you will be bored. That food might even seize being your favourite at some point. This example happens when you, out of the desire to rekindle your reading habit, go for a similar topic (finance, personal development, fiction, nonfiction, etc.).
Each year, noted bookworms and celebrities Barack Obama, a former president of America, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates release a list of books they have read. I will provide you with links to these lists to see for yourself — 1. Barack Obama, and 2. Bill Gates.
On both lists, you will find a spiced-splash mixture of interests. You, too, can do the same!
A bonus tip on book selection — read the cover page to see what hypers said about the book and who those hypers were. You can also perceive a summary of the book from this.
3 — Page counting and deadline, boom!
This is the point it starts getting a little bit difficult. Because this is where the need for discipline steps in.
Page counting is something I learned from my father. He counts the number of pages a book has before he starts reading them. This enables him to set a deadline to complete that book.
A breakdown of how you can do this — Assuming you managed to settle for 2 or 3 books to complete in three months. Let’s say their average is 235 pages (I just got that number from a book I am currently reading, smiles 😁). As a starter, you can read five pages daily, no matter what.
Two books with an average of 235 pages are 470 pages in total. In that case, you should read six pages every day to finish these books in three months. Three months is approximately 84 days.
However, don’t forget to spice it up. You can read three from this and the remaining three from that. You can also read this and this and this for a week and that for just a day.
No matter how you choose to go about it, if you are dedicated, you will find both finishing almost the same week. Although, the one that interests you might finish before the other. In that scenario, start a new book alongside the unfinished one. The cycle goes on. At the end of the day, who is finishing numerous books? Youuu…
4 — Go mobile
Going mobile is a trick I use to read more books quickly by simply having their softcopies downloaded on my phone. So when I am too lazy to draw out a book and read or on a busy public transport, at least I can read from my phone. Another advantage is that you can play and listen to the audio.
Reading the book yourself is like eating the fruit, listening to it is like making a smoothie — unknown
A point that came to my mind is that you might not be able to find a free pdf copy of a book, and no one wants to pay twice for a book. To overcome this, you could take pictures of the number of pages you want to read that day from the books.
They are also softcopies so that you can go mobile with them. Then you can come back to highlight sentences that resonate with you on the hardcopy.
Bonus tip: Finishing any book you start is not a must. If it bores you, dump it and go for another one. By the way, you might come back to that same book later. But for now and always, stick to a book that interests you! Most often, the desire to finish a book that you don’t find captivating simply because you have started it negatively affects people’s reading habits.
5 — Be accountable to someone
This last bit is not easy to tackle. However, I have some tips you can use to overcome this:
Form a book reading club with friends or search for one (book reading community or group) online and join. Since most people are interested in reading but need more zeal for it, finding a friend that is happy to join, especially when you introduce it as a challenge, might be easier. Although, you have to become that friend that brings the needed energy that pulls everyone along.
Post on your social media status and keep updating your viewers. Write on your status what you have embarked on. State that you will be summarising your readings daily or weekly. You can even do this as a video, which might lead to vlogging or the next YouTube channel. Who knows?
Practice journaling. Simply by summarising your readings or writing down lessons or even new words, etc., in a personal journal weekly or daily. This practice is personal. However, it is difficult to maintain since it is just you answering to yourself. But at the end of the day, just like all the tips I have listed (including every other personal development habit), you need self-discipline and dedication to conquer.
I hope these reading habit tips are as concise and helpful as I wished for them to be, dear friend.
Feel free to add personal tips or questions in the comments or, just like me -make a post on them. Also, don’t forget to tell me if you have tried any or going to try any. Cheers😁 !
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My fervent wish is for the personal growth of everyone and the success of all young professionals who put their hearts and souls into finding their purpose in life.
Copyright © Ekene Moses, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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