How a Tsundoku sparked my entrepreneurial journey and inspired me to read one book a day
Are you a Tsundoku?
I grew up in a household that looks pretty much like the photo above. Millions of bahts worth of books, left unread and gathering dust in the shelves. Most people would see this as a waste of space and money but let me tell you a story how a Tsundoku like my father actually inspired me to become an entrepreneur.
Boredom
While most nerdy kids growing up were usually bored staying at home, during the modem internet era when your connection was down, or just got tired of playing video games all days. Wandering around the house looking for something fun to do, I decided to pick up a book off the shelf with an interesting “title” for a 14 year old.
Sir Richard Branson’s story of overcoming dyslexia, being an entrepreneur in school, breaking the law, succeeding, failing, adventuring, almost getting killed, buying an island and building his dream was mind-blowing to the young me who was brought up to study hard, get good grades, and work in a large corporate. Thanks to the Tsundoku-in-residence a.k.a. Dad, I was hooked to the dream of entrepreneurship and never looked back since. And that’s also when I realized the benefits of boredom, and the benefits of surrounding yourselves with books which acts as a priming effect whereby just by close proximity to these unread books, it trigger a respond from the stimuli (an interesting book cover).
So how to read a book a day?
As we grow older, the less time we have to read books that might change our lives and help us grow and thrive, especially in these days and age. So how do you change yourself from a Tsundoku into a Power reader? Here are some of my tips:
1. Try before you buy on Blinkist (or a similar app)
Thanks to my brother Frank Wasupol Sutassananon, I now carry my Airpods with me and an Annual Blinkist, book-summarizing subscription service. Everyday, I make it a ritual to listen to at least one summary, of a new book or an old one that I wanted to be reminded of some key points. Whether I am driving, on the train, in the gym, or waiting for my wife to finish shopping, Blinkist is a great way to make you hit your goals, in 15 minutes or less in voice or text. Once I finish these Blinks, I usually decide whether I want to read the full version if the book was really good, or if the summary doesn’t do justice to the full text.
2. Make your Kindle your phone and take it everywhere
While I still buy books and enjoy the texture and smell of paper, it’s pretty heavy and not very convenient to lug around everywhere. That is why I recommend everyone to get a Kindle, and load the app to your phone, laptop and tablets. Make sure you pack it everywhere and take it out when you are on the plane, waiting on a queue or right before bed. Rather than interrupting your sleep cycle with a bright screen of your phone, soothe your way into bed with a small habit of reading 10–20 minutes a day. That way, you always have access to your books everywhere and have no excuse in saying that you forgot your book or don’t have time. To make your reading habits stick, you need to make it easiest to read as possible and make it a routine.
3. Set a challenge on Goodreads and see what your friends are reading
On Goodreads, you can see what your friends are reading, recommending and set goals of how many books you want to read a month (mine is a full book every 2 weeks) Making these goals public and to see how your peers are making progress is a good way to motivate you to crush your goals.
4. Make Bill Gate (and your best friends) your Librarian
Many thought leaders like Bill Gates have a published reading list and it is a great hack to see what’s trending. But it doesn’t have to always be such a celebrity. Whenever I meet friends anywhere like my coach Oko D, I always ask them what they are reading and make notes of books that I should be buying next. Many friends and industry leaders publish blog posts of books to read, and there are always great book review online. Keep adding to your wishlist.
5. Pro-tip: Try Immersive Reading with Kindle + Audible
Immersion Reading is a technique I use when I really want to read an internalize a book. This functionality allows you to read a Kindle eBook and listen to its professionally narrated Audible companion Audiobook simultaneously. By engaging both senses at the same time, I have found that Immersion Reading allows me to read and retain information better.
In summary, don’t be guilty of being a Tsundoku, but don’t let that stop you from starting. These hacks help me break the habit and kept me feeling like I am always learning and review what I read every day. At the end of the day, the books on your shelves don’t read themselves, and it’s the content that you internalize and apply that counts. So what are your tips to read one book a day?
