So you want to read more?

A guide to succeeding at your new years resolutions to read more.

In 2016, I read 3 books. By 2018, my number increased to 48 books. This guide is all the tips and tricks to how you can do the same.

1 — Start with why

Before you start building the habit of reading, you need to have that internal conversation about your motivations to read. An honest answer here will provide guidance for picking the right books that you will actually want to finish. Try and get a deeper motivation than “reading a lot sounds impressive” or “successful business people do it, so I should do it.” You need to be sure your motive is personal. If your motive is fueled by the desire to impress others, you will fail in your reading goal because it is not your expectations that you are trying to meet.

Here are some example motivations that I personally choose:

• I want to continue learning (especially in regards to a specific field).
• I want to hear stories from people with different life experiences than me.
• I want to learn about topics deeper than an internet article.
• I want to talk to people about books.
• I enjoy how reading expands my imagination.
• I want to read good writing.

In summary, I made the goal in 2016 to read more because I was nostalgic. I had always been a lifelong reader, but I feel out of the habit during college due to a lack of time. I missed the feeling of being so engrossed in a good book that I couldn’t put it down. I wanted that feeling again. In addition, I wanted to continue learning. Just because I finished university didn’t mean my education had to stop. These two reasons became my main motivation to pick up books again.

2 — Pick books based on your motivation

In 2016, when I first started trying to read more, I kept running into a wall. I would never finish the books I was reading. It took me over a year to realize the issue. I had been reading the wrong type of books.

Rather than picking books that interested me, I was picking books everyone else was reading. These were books that were supposed to make me look smart, but honestly couldn’t keep my attention.

I personally love fiction books and have trouble finishing non-fiction books. Yet my first year I only tried to read non-fiction books because I thought they were the books I should be reading. Once I understood my motivation, and sought out books that aligned with it, I had much more success finishing the books I started. This is why understanding your why is so crucial.

3 — Seek well written books

With so many books in the world, it is more efficient to spend your time reading only good books. However, simply picking books aligned with your motivation won’t guarantee a good read. It only helps narrow down what subjects to read. Great writing is crucial for a good read; it keeps the writer engaged and portrays the story in a clear way.

Here are 4 ways I find well written books:

• Goodreads Reviews

Goodreads, a social media site for readers, is my secret weapon for finding good books. In general, I strive to only read books 4 stars or above per Goodreads reviews. I find Goodreads reviews to be a more accurate indicator of a good book than Amazon reviews because the Goodreads platform is filled with readers. Thus the reviews are from people who are more critical when it comes to reading. This strategy isn’t full proof. If a book has too few reviews, the rating doesn’t imply much.

Note- This strategy was learned from fellow Medium writer and avid read, Kelsey Breseman. You can read her full strategy here.

• Read Award Winning Authors

Writing Award lists are essentially book recommendations from the most critical readers. There are many awards for all sorts of genres so I suggest you pick whatever award suits your taste or genre.

My favorite award lists are from the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer, the Man Booker Prize or the Hugo Award. I currently have a goal to read at least one book by every Nobel Laureate in Literature. Not only have none of these books disappointed me so far, most even go on to become my favorite reads ever.

• Don’t follow best sellers lists

In contrast to the previous bullet, best seller lists are not reliable indicators for good writing. Instead, they just reflect a book’s (or author’s) popularity. This explains why so many best seller lists are saturated by celebrity ‘authors.’ (A lot of best sellers by celebrities are ghost written, which is why I have the word author in quotes). Most of the worst books I’ve read in recent years have come from bestseller lists.

• Read older books

If people are still talking about a book more than 100 years later, it is mostly likely that the content is good. It’s difficult for bad writing to stand the test of time.

4 — Don’t be afraid to quit a bad book

Give yourself a grace period for testing a book out (mine is 50 pages or the first chapter). But if you find it uninteresting after the grace period, don’t continue. Just stop.

I used to have a pet peeve that once I started a book, I had to finish it. Yet, this would led to a viscous cycle that discouraged reading. I wouldn’t finish my current book because it was boring, but I also wouldn’t start another book because I still in the middle of this book. Once I gave myself permission to just abandon a bad book, I freed myself to move on to better, more interesting reads.

Please note that ‘interesting’ is a personal metric. There can be New York Times bestsellers that everyone loves that you find to be the most boring book in the world. No matter how many other people rave about the book, if you are not captivated after a certain amount of pages, then it’s a bad book for you. Be ruthless and abandon it. There are too many interesting books out there for you to waste your time.

5 — Don’t be a snob about the book format

Paperback. Kindle. Audiobook. Library book. The form doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are consuming content in a meaningful way for you.

You will learn that some forms are better for certain types of consumption. For example, I find I am a lot more likely to finish a non-fiction book if it is an audiobook. I have friends who are the polar opposite, needing physical copies of non-fiction books so that they can annotate and take notes. Experiment with different forms, and use what works for you.

Sidenote— I personally love listening to memoirs/biographies as audiobooks because they are often read by the author, which adds personality to the story. It’s for this reason I highly recommend the audio book of Obama’s Dreams of My Father.

6 — Be patient with the rewiring of your attention span

Technology (specifically phones with social media) have been slowly rewiring our attention spans to be shorter, making it harder for us to consumer long-form media like books. Any goal that involves reading more will unintentionally involve rewiring the attention span as well.

When I first started, I couldn’t go more than 10 minutes before stopping to look at my phone. Thus my first hurdle to reading was teaching myself to sit still long enough to read for 30 minutes. Here are a few tricks I used to achieve this.

• Physically place your phone in another room. Specifically, I would charge my phone in the kitchen so it won’t distract me when I try to read before bed. Having a phone out of sight makes it significantly less distracting.
• Use silent modes/do not disturb modes when reading on your phone/electronic device. This prevents meaningless notifications from appearing only to steal your attention away from the story.
• Read good books you are interested in (per recommendation #2). Finding a good book encourages you to read for longer periods because you become engrossed in the story before you know it.
• If you are reading before bed time, start at least an hour before you normally go to bed. If you don’t start earlier, it’s likely you’ll fall asleep after having read very little. It is difficult to maintain attention when tired.

7 — Find your reading habits

If you want to read a lot of books, you must make reading a habit. Your reading habits will define when and how you find time to read. Experiment, find what works for you, then stick to it.

Here are some example habits for reading:

• Listening to audiobooks when commuting, exercising, driving or doing chores such as cooking and washing dishes
• Reading a book during the commute to work (if not driving)
• Reading a book before going to bed
• Always having a book on you (or your phone) to read during waiting periods (like waiting at a bus stop)
• Reading while traveling (like planes and trains)
• Setting time aside on the weekend to read in spot you like

Often your habits will change as your routine changes, but keep building new habits and you will find time to read.

8 — Surround yourself with books

It’s easier to be randomly tempted by books if there is always a stack readily available. Since I made my reading goal, I’ve always had a stack of books by my bed or on the living room table, constantly taunting me for not reading them. Here is how I keep myself constantly surrounded by books essentially for free.

Physical Books & Audiobooks

• Go to the public library — A no brainier! Libraries are still great places to get books and audiobooks.
• Borrow from a friend
• Buy (used) online- I prefer Thriftbooks to Amazon
• Buy in a physical bookstore

Note — I prefer buying used books in person or online because 1) they are cheaper and 2) they are better for the environment.

Digital Books

• Scribd — By far my favorite app for reading on my phone. I pay a monthly subscription of $8.99 to have unlimited access to the ebooks and audiobooks on the app. Of all the book subscription apps, I think it has the best collection thus far. The collection is largely made of popular contemporary reads. In other words, those bestseller books you have been eyeing are probably on this app. However, there are many other subscription services to consider such as KindleUnlimited or Audible.
• CloudLibrary/ Libby/ Overdrive — You might not know this, but most public libraries have an app where you can check out eBooks or audiobooks from their collection instantly, for free. All you need is a valid library card and the app on your phone. For the San Diego Public Library System, that app is CloudLibrary. But I think for most American public library systems the app is Libby or Overdrive. Ask your local library to be sure!
• Search the web for free PDFs /Audiobooks— If the book isn’t new, it’s possible to find a free version of online. For classics, ProjectGutenburg has free eBooks and LibriVox has free audiobooks. I got most books for assigned school reading free from those two sites.
• Kindle/ IBooks / GoogleBooks/ any online eBook store — When I can’t find a book on Scribd, CloudLibrary, or the public library, then I might buy it online (usually $10.99 each) from Apple, Google or Amazon. Where doesn’t really matter. Pick your own poison. I consider this a last resort, and obviously the most expensive method.

Other Apps for Reading

• My local library app — Most libraries are embracing technology and have an app to search if a book is available, to monitor due dates, to renew checkouts and to place holds. You know basic library things. Local libraries are awesome and you should use them.
• Goodreads — Social media for readers. Although I don’t actually read books through this app, it is my most used app for reading. I use Goodreads to keep track of all the books I’ve read, currently am reading and want to read. Anytime someone recommends a book, I search for it on Goodreads. In addition, I credit the reading challenge feature as a big motivator for why I achieved my reading goal (I get to compete with myself!).

8 — Set a monthly reading goal

Setting a goal gives you something to strive for. A weekly goal doesn’t give you enough flexibility for the variability of life. A yearly goal allows you to procrastinate too much. A monthly goal allows you to be flexible while still being held accountable. Be realistic with this goal. Start small with maybe one book every month or two, then increase from there.

9 — Practice forgiveness when you fail

There will be a month you don’t achieve your reading goal. In fact, my first six months I barely read a book month (my goal was 3). Don’t let those months discourage you. Instead forgive yourself, then let them be a source of reflection. On the months where you underperform, asking the following questions:

• Are you achieving your overall goal? I.e. — Are you reading at all? Are you reading the books you want to? Goal back to rule 1. Are you reaching your why?
• Why are you under preforming? There can be many reasons for this. You lied to yourself about your why, so you are reading the wrong type of books. You haven’t experimented enough to find the right habits that stick.

The answers to these two questions should provide context on the adjustments you need to make to achieve your goal next month. Remember, the monthly number is just an arbitrary number. That’s why it’s bullet#8. Bullet #1 is the real goal you want to achieve. Progress towards reading the books you want for the reasons you want is the real metric for success. Constantly strive for that!

If you follow these tips, you will achieve your reading goal before you know it. Happy Reading!