Reading, on the contrary, was never my thing growing up. I just felt like it always required a lot, some of the things in the lines of the attention I know I did not have. Quite frankly, I felt as though I would be doing other things than that, but I revisited the idea a few years ago, and I finally came around to it, better late than never, as the saying goes.
But Also,
“Books are the cheapest way to get the world’s wisest people to talk to you.”
-Glo Atanmo
Every year I find new ways to read more books, and this year is no exception. I have decided to finish two books each month for the rest of the year, and I will share how I plan to read more this year. Now it could be more or less, but at least a book a month has to be read and done.
1. Using your hand, finger, or pen as a guide.
Eyes usually jump around the page, and what this does is guide your eyes and keep them focused on the material you’re reading. It improves focus but also increases your reading speed. I am the type of person that reads while making notes, and between doing that and reading slow, I find myself spending an enormous time on a book. If you are a slow reader like me, give this method a try.
2. Finding a reading buddy and keeping each other Accountable.
“Alone you can’t, together we can.”
There are so many ways to hold each other accountable, but my favorite one is having an accountability buddy, as they call it. What is this exactly? It’s getting someone who has the same goal and plans as you, and then you both decide to do this thing together, checking in with each other, sending reminders, and so on and forth. I got an AB on this, and we chose to read for 30 minutes each day and check-in with each other, and on weekends we Facetime and do our reading together virtually. Many people do this differently to put things on the line if they don’t get through with doing the specific thing they told themselves they would do.
For example, my partner sends me $10 each day he doesn’t get to go on the stairs to exercise. In other words, it costs you, or you get to lose something each time you don’t follow through on your specific habit. In a way, it’s a form of motivation.
3. Increasing the speed while listening to Audible books
I am usually the kind of person that listens to Audible books at the default speed. And I know some people might read this and be like “WHAT,” and yes, I do not know what to tell you, but I am not doing that anymore. If you start on audible, I would like to mention that don’t stress about this. Listen to whichever book at the speed you’re most comfortable with, but as you get familiar with it, this is when you start to experiment with different speed levels in the hopes of finishing a book faster.
4. Find other ways of getting the reading done.
There are a few ways out there to get reading done. But today, I will share these three ways that you can expand your reading by
1. Physical book
I think this the traditional way and most common way people get their reading done. Having a physical book has its sense of governance and advantage, but I strongly urge you to have other ways to get your reading done than just the physical book method, thus if you want to get more reading done and are struggling in that area.
2. Get A Kindle
I love the Kindle because one can read it in the dark at night before bed. Instead of having your phone and scrolling through the destructions, you can opt to read something from your Kindle instead. The same thing goes for the mornings. If you’re the kind of person that reaches for your phone, first thing, you can reach for the Kindle instead and read a chapter or two of a book before starting your day. Owning a Kindle has its advantages, but one of my favorites is traveling. It’s easier to travel with a kindle than a physical book if you are the kind of person who loves to travel light. Kindles are convenient, and that is a good thing. And highlighting as a form of notes is pretty easy to do on there and dictionary meanings of words.
3. Audible
There is no better, fun, and faster way to get reading done than having someone read to you, which is Audible. You can decide to listen to a book anywhere as long as you have you’re audible accessible. I would be cooking, exercising, taking a walk, you name it, and I will decide to catch up on an audible book. And let’s face it, some of the readers are very entertaining and engaging, which keeps things interesting. I usually listen to Memoirs, Bios, fictions, or Novels on Audible, basically, something that doesn’t require me to make a lot of notes.
Find the kind of books that fit the three categories and try outsourcing your reading in hopes of getting more reading done. Books that would require you to take some notes as you read along would recommend having those as physical books or on a Kindle. Storytelling and entertainment, I usually go for Audible on those.
In conclusion, this year, I want to finish two books a month for the rest of the year, and ways to help me archive this are two;
- Reading faster
- Utilizing the methods that are available for outsourcing my reading (Physical book, Kindle or digital, Audible)
If you want to join me or are curious to find out the books on my list this year, you can check out my books in a year page.
Let’s do this again soon. Thanks for reading!
-Sema
