How to read more books.

I read 25 to 30 books a year. That’s roughly 2.5 books a month.

By the numbers: 30 books is roughly 9,000 minutes of reading.

9,000 divided by 365 days = 25 minutes per day.

Now considering an average person spends 5+ hours on their phone daily. 25 minutes doesn’t seem a lot compared to that.

So the excuse of “I don’t have time to read” is already proven wrong.

You just need to make better, conscious choices and replace those 25 minutes of scrolling with reading.

This article isn’t about convincing you why you should read books.

If you’re here, you probably already want to read more, you just can’t find the time, or keep making excuses. So that’s what we’re focusing on today.

But if you still want a reason, here it is:

I believe, reading books is the best way to acquire knowledge on any subject.

Because unlike watching a video, you can’t just zone out while reading. Your focus has to be 100% on the page, otherwise you won’t understand a single thing.

And secondly, books are usually written by people with years, sometimes decades, of experience in their field. So the explanations are deeper and more thorough than most other sources.

If you want a quick summary, sure, YouTube it or ask ChatGPT. But if you want to actually understand something and retain it, books are the way to go.

Now, let me show you 5 ways, plus a bonus, that will help you read more books:

This sounds obvious, but I’ve seen a lot of people do otherwise.

When someone hears “books,” the first thing that comes to mind is self-help books. Those time-management and productivity ones.

And I get it, I started my reading journey with those too.

But honestly, most of them are a complete time-waste.

They just repeat the same ideas in 100 different ways. You’re better off asking ChatGPT for a summary.

And no matter how many times you read that stuff, nothing changes until you actually take action.

So don’t start there.

Pick something you’re genuinely curious about learning.

Right now I’m reading Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.

I’ve always wondered why some people handle pressure and relationships so much better than others, and this book gets into exactly that.

I’m almost halfway through and I can completely understand why this book is so popular.

I also still have a stack of Data Analytics books I bought three years ago while preparing for my job.

When you read books on topics you’re genuinely curious about:

• you actually look forward to picking the book up

• you retain the information better

• and you finish what you started

Read because you want to, not because you have to. Otherwise, you can never make reading a daily habit.

I usually read two books at a time.

One non-fiction in the morning, right now that’s Emotional Intelligence.

And a fiction book at night, which right now is Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney.

I might not have mentioned this before, but I’m a huge fan of mystery and thriller books.

Especially, Agatha Christie and Freida McFadden, if you haven’t read their work yet, you’re missing out.

But there’s actually a practical reason I read two books at once, not just personal preference.

Reading too much non-fiction leads to information overload.

And there’s no point filling your brain with more information if you haven’t even processed what’s already in there.

So I only read as many pages of non-fiction as I can actually absorb and make sense of in a day.

And for the rest of the time, I switch to fiction. It lets my brain relax while I’m still reading, which is kind of the best of both worlds.

We all know we shouldn’t use our phone before bed.

I’ve even talked about this myself a few times here on Substack.

The easiest way to make it happen is to just replace your phone with a book.

Don’t fight the habit, swap it.

Since I started doing this, two things changed pretty quickly: I fall asleep faster, and I wake up feeling a lot less foggy in the morning.

Honestly, this one feels like a cheat code.

You’re cutting out something that’s messing with your sleep, replacing it with something actually good for you, and getting more reading done in the process. Three wins at once.

Here’s a harsh truth you realize as you read more books: not all books are good.

And “bad” doesn’t always mean poorly written. Sometimes it just means it’s not written for you.

• maybe you don’t like the way the author explains things.

• maybe it’s too basic or way over your head.

• or in case of fiction, maybe the story just isn’t grabbing you the way you hoped.

That’s okay. Drop it.

Life is too short to keep reading a book that don’t serve you. Once you’ve given it 30 to 50 pages and it’s still not clicking, just move on.

There are thousands of great books out there waiting, don’t waste your time forcing yourself through a bad one.

Reading doesn’t have to be a lonely activity.

Back in college, a bunch of us in our friend group used to read manga together.

Just knowing there was someone else alongside us reading the same thing, made us finish it quicker. And we used to have a lot to catch up on once we finished.

I think this is the best way to make reading fun, whether you’re a beginner or even an avid reader who enjoys discussing books.

If your current friend circle isn’t into reading, that’s fine. Jump on Discord or Reddit, there are tons of communities built around this.

Make a few friends, and start a small group among yourselves.

Yes, it counts as reading.

Look, most people don’t read any books. So if you’re listening to them, you’re already doing better than the majority. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The best part about audiobooks is that they fit into time you’re already wasting.

That 30 minute commute, your walk, your gym session. You don’t need to create extra time, you just make better use of what’s already there.

My advice: swap some of your music or podcast time with audiobooks.

Any format that gets you reading more is a good format. Period.

That’s all from me today.

Reading more books is not as hard as most people make it out to be.

You just need to find 30 minutes a day, the one you waste scrolling on your phone.

If even one of these tips made you think “okay, I can actually do this,” then this article did its job.

I’d love to know, are you currently reading any books? If yes, let me know in the comments. I read every reply.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in the next issue. Until then, take care and keep moving forward.