8 Ways to Read More Books

I’d be honest.

I was always a nerd.

But I wasn’t a bookworm. Well, up until 2014.

I actually started reading books and novels by the end of 2014. And in the past 4 years, I have read close to 200 books.

That’s quite a lot of books at such a time, right?

My current reading average is around 30,000+ words every day.

Well, you can do it too.

Disclaimer- This is not going to happen overnight. Please be noted.

Here are top 8 ways with which you can read more books this year:

Set realistic goals

If you have read 3 books in 2018, and you are setting your goal to read 100 books in 2019… well, let’s be honest. That’s total bullshit. You will only be sabotaging your self-esteem by setting such an unrealistic goal.

While setting goals, you need to break the overall goal in smaller parts. Reading 12 books a year sounds too much. But reading 1 book a month sounds good enough. (Source – Superhuman by Habit)

Even if you are not a reader, yet want to develop a habit of reading books, keeping a goal of 12-15 books would be a realistic one. With dedication, anyone can easily read at least 1 book a month.

Start humbly

Remember when you set a goal last time?

We have full motivation while setting up a goal. Our dedication is at peak. And then it drastically falls down in a couple of days.

Here’s the key. Plan for developing “small habits”.

Rather than trying to read 1 book a day, start with reading 1 page a day. Your commitment must be too easy to resist.

Graph Source: Habit Guide by James Clear.

Take help from Goodreads

Goodreads.com is a bookish platform that primarily helps you keep a track of your reading progress. You can virtually create shelves – where you can keep a log of the books you have read, the book you’re currently reading, and the books you have finished.

When I was getting started with making reading my habit, I used Goodreads as my trigger. I made it a point that no matter what, I’ll read at least one page from a book every day, and I’ll update it on Goodreads before sleeping. Sounds silly, right? But it helped.

Apart from keeping a log of books, you can also write book reviews on the site and can connect to other book lovers by sending them a friend request.

What are you waiting for?

Visit goodreads.com and signup on the site.

Manage your schedule

I prefer reading before going to sleep. Our brain works even when we sleep. That means whatever we think of just right before sleeping will be in our head the whole night, and we’d be having thoughts and dreams about it only. So it’s better to fill in your brain with good thoughts before sleeping.

That’s my philosophy.

A lot of early birds prefer reading in the morning when they feel fresh and can consume heavy content too.

You have to manage your schedule and allow a fixed time for reading.

Pick interesting books

You might initially love urban romance fiction authors like Chetan Bhagat or Ravinder Singh.

Heck, I started my reading journey with 2 States too. And people are going to judge you anyway, on what you read, what you wear, what you eat, or even how you breathe.

But it’s always recommended to read easy and hooking books first.

For someone who is about to start his reading journey, I’d suggest following five books to start with –

1. The Fault in Our Stars (Buy link)
2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (Buy link | Book Summary)
3. Life is What You Make it (Buy link)
4. Rich Dad Poor Dad (Buy link)
5. How to Win Friends & Influence People (Buy link)

Write book summaries

The best way to retain a book is to write a summary about it. That’s why I write summaries about the books I read.

You need not have a blog to write book summaries. You can keep it private in a diary, or maybe post it on Goodreads to keep a log.

Keep in mind one thing – your review on Amazon, Goodreads, and other social media platforms encourage the author to write more.

Connect with other avid readers

So far, you must have heard only bad about “peer pressure”. But when you are aware of a situation, you can, in fact, make it work for you. You need eu-stress (good stress) to make things work for you.

Join Facebook, WhatsApp groups with communities of book lovers. There will always be someone who must have read a good book, that you haven’t even heard of yet. So, in this way, you can use peer pressure to achieve your goals.

Always have a book with you

We have kindle app nowadays – for the people who aren’t able to afford a Kindle device. Otherwise buying a Kindle device is a wonderful investment, if you want to be serious about reading.

Anyone who seriously wants to do anything- will have an excuse to do it. Period.

If you need book recommendations, here are the Top 16 books I read in 2018.

Gracious!

Disclaimer:

Bear in mind that the links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I’ll totally blow on buying and reading more books.