I Read a Book a Day for 30 Days. Here’s What Happened.
To give you a backstory, I published my first book, The Quantified Fortune, when I was 16 years old. Until then, I had only read one book to completion, and that was my own. Despite the irony, books never worked for me because I preferred reading an article, watching a video or a movie to scratch my itch. It was just so much more time efficient.
Regardless, I always heard it from people I looked up to that I should read more. So, one day it hit me. I’m once again going to go on the extreme, from no reading at all to reading one whole book every day. I have to say, this is also overkill, I only did it to experiment. I wouldn’t recommend spending so much time reading every day. Even if you have the time, make better use of your time. Overdoing anything is bad, even learning.
Since I abhorred reading, I figured there is no point in my reading for pleasure. So, I strictly stuck to non-fiction books on topics that interested me. And fine, I lied. I technically only READ a few books in those 30 days. I LISTENED to Audible audiobooks on most days instead.
Anyway, without further ado, let me tell you about the effects this experiment had on me.
1. Increased General Knowledge
Stating the obvious, I know; but it’s incredible how much your general knowledge improves from reading. I personally respect a person much more when I see them demonstrating a high level of general knowledge on various topics. Imagine we’re talking about economics, and I suddenly pull something like:
“Shock Therapy was used by Germany in the 1940s and Bolivia in the 1980s to liberalize their economy which was relatively successful. However, when Russia implemented Shock Therapy, many exploited the opportunity to amass great wealth, which lead to the rise of many oligarchs and increased the power distance in the country.”
You get the point.
2. Broadening My Technical Knowledge
Good books contain a great deal of technical knowledge that can help you excel in your career and daily life. Because of my interests, most of the books I read were on topics like startups, business, entrepreneurship and investing. To my surprise, a considerable amount of my knowledge on those topics today actually comes from this 30-day experiment.
3. Higher Discipline
Even if you find reading genuinely pleasurable, there are always more “fun” things to do. Dedicating time towards bettering yourself requires discipline and can build habits you will be grateful for. Especially in the world we live in, it’s so easy to get distracted that giving all your focus to one specific task can build tremendous discipline alone. At least that’s my experience.
4. Improved Focus
Expanding on my previous point, I used to struggle with focusing on one particular task and got distracted easily. Not just me, but the new generation generally has a very narrow attention span. While it might be difficult to focus on the book that you’re reading at first, overtime, you’ll find yourself being able to avoid distractions and concentrate on the task at hand much more effectively than before.
5. Improved Memory
I have also experienced improved memory since I started reading. I believe this too is a result of my improved focus and attention span. These days, I try my best to actually do what I’m doing. Sounds funny, but I try to give everything I do my 100% instead of my mind being occupied by something else. This has drastically improved my attention to detail and memory.
Not to get philosophical, but people, including me, tend to half-ass their commitments. When they are relaxing, they think of the things that they should be doing instead, and when they work, all they can think about is their break time. How can you expect to have a reliable memory of anything when you aren’t fully there half of the time?
6. Higher Motivation
I am definitely more motivated on days where I dedicate time to improving myself in any form, including reading. I feel better about myself, and I find it harder to waste my time when I’m already on a roll.
In addition, I find it that much of demotivation comes from confusion. You may simply be lost and clueless on how to progress, not particularly demotivated. Expanding your knowledge and mindset can provide a clearer line of thought and more opportunities to grow as a person.
7. Enhanced Conversations
I’ve noticed that I have a lot more to talk about with people as a result of the knowledge I’ve absorbed from the books I’ve read. I’m more educated on a variety of topics and can actually hold a valuable conversation with confidence. Besides, you never know when you’re going to find someone who shares the same favorite books as you. Damn, I hate sounding like a nerd.
8. Improved Vocabulary
Research shows that the average native English speaker only knows around 20% of all the words that exist in the language. You get exposed to thousands of words throughout the course of a book. Reading is a fantastic practice to improve your vocabulary and better your communication skills. I have found myself to become more articulate on a daily basis as a result of reading more.
9. Better Thought Process
Reading expands your horizons. You discover new outlooks on life and your approach to solving problems evolves. I find myself to have a clearer thought process, while taking into account factors that I never would have considered before.
Think of it like this, if you have no money, you don’t really have a choice for which restaurant to visit this weekend. It’s either McDonald’s or boiled eggs for dinner. Same applies to knowledge. The more you know, the more solutions you have to problems that you are faced with on a daily.
10. Learning From Others
The most valuable thing that I got out of this experiment was grasping the most important lessons from other people’s lives in next to no time. Authors live the course of their individual lives and inject their most valuable findings throughout the years into one book. Just reading one book can teach you about the worst mistakes another person has made in their life and how to avoid it.
Learning what took years for others to learn in a few hours? I’d take that trade any day.
Tips That Have Helped Me Read More
If you already love reading, this section is not for you. For those who have a difficult time reading, just start. If you find it boring, no advice is going to change that. I still don’t particularly enjoy the process of reading, or listening to audio books for that matter. It’s the effects after I’m done reading that have changed my view on reading forever.
Try to find “your style” of books. For instance, I prefer books that are more about the author’s view on a topic than generic information that can be obtained from a simple Google search. I find people to be more fascinating than words.
If you are still struggling to commit to a book, then find other forms of expanding your knowledge, like I did with audio books. While I am now more inclined to read, I still often choose an audio book, a video or even a short article over a book since it’s more time efficient.
In Conclusion
You might think that there is no “disadvantage” to reading. I mean, what can go wrong, right? But there are always both benefits and drawbacks. The time you spend reading is your opportunity cost, which is why I would not recommend reading as much as I did in those 30 days.
However, even if you’re Elon Musk, you can find a couple of spare minutes to expand your knowledge and improve your lifestyle. Even if you’re not interested in books, find other methods of expanding your knowledge that work for you. Talk to new people even; there is so much to learn out there.
The effects have been so significant for me that dedicating some part of my day towards learning something new is part of my daily routine. I can say with confidence that this has significantly improved my quality of life, and I know that I will be thanking my current self in a decade from now.
