How to Read a Lot More and Make Sure You Get The Most Out of Reading
By: Eric Sangerma
Tags: Productivity, Learning, Self Improvement, Reading, Books

How to Ignore the World and Just Read More

Reading is a habit like any other.

So if you want to read more and you feel stuck, take the same steps you’d use to get into a new diet or exercise routine:

Start small, set achievable goals, don’t berate yourself too much if you miss a day.

But there are also some reading-specific ideas that worked great for me. I hope some of them can help you become the diligent reader that you want to be.

1. Pick a Book That Will Help You Solve a Problem

“Learn both from your teachers and from the books which you read, only those things which you really need and which you really want to know.” — Leo Tolstoy

People are natural problem solvers. It brings us a thrill and a sense of accomplishment.

If you can think of reading as a problem-solving activity, you’ll be less likely to get distracted while you read.

That’s how I got into reading in the first place.

After I decided to run an online business remotely, I read The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. It answered all the questions that were troubling me, and it opened my eyes to new possibilities.

From there, I moved on to various business books, self-help books, and philosophy was the natural next step. At the same time, I looked into the writers I liked as a teenager and worked up a bigger appetite for fiction.

When the lockdown hit, my beloved Stephen King books were a great distraction. But I also found solace in Stoic philosophy. It gave me the answers I needed at the time.

2. Or: Pick a Book That Someone Else Loves

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Maybe you just don’t feel like solving problems in your free time.

Fair enough! Reading should bring you pleasure of some kind, and I understand needing a break from your worries.

One of the best ways to get in the mood for reading: listen to someone else get enthusiastic about a book.

Sure, the recommendations you receive won’t always match your taste. But your reading slump might disappear if you try out new genres or authors you’ve never heard of.

If the love of literature isn’t enough to hold your attention right now, try to rely on curiosity instead.

3. Or: Start With the Classics

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” — Henry David Thoreau

If you read one book per week starting today, you will be able to read maybe 2000–3000 books in your lifetime.

When you consider the vast number of books written each year, you may get disheartened. If there are so many books you’ll never check out, what’s the use of reading anything?

If you’re prone to that kind of nihilism, I strongly suggest that you skip the latest NY Times hit and focus on the classics first, for two reasons:

These books have stood the test of time. Most classics are genuinely great, and they can teach you something about yourself. The essential truths about life haven’t changed over the centuries.

Most classics are genuinely great, and they can teach you something about yourself. The essential truths about life haven’t changed over the centuries. Reading isn’t a competition. Getting too caught up with the bestsellers list is counterproductive. You might end up planning to read a bunch of highly-praised, alluring things but by the time you get around to it, something else is trending. This leads to book FOMO and it won’t actually fuel your desire to read.

4. You Don’t Have to Finish Every Book

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” — Mortimer J. Adler

It’s okay to put a book away if you don’t like it or if it’s putting you to sleep.

I recommend sticking with it for roughly the first 100 pages. That’s enough time to find out whether the magic is going to happen. If not, snap it shut and reach for the next book.

There’s no reason to get stuck, and you won’t win a prize if you force yourself to go through a book you hate. Your time will be better spent on reading something else.

5. Vary the Length of What You’re Reading

It’s important and useful to read longer books. Experts say that book immersion improves your ability to focus, and many of the world’s most captivating books are very long. Great stories need time to unfold.

But don’t discount the power of a good article (or Medium post) on a topic you care about. And remember: short stories can be more life-changing than novels.

You can stay mentally fresh if you vary the length of your reading material. Don’t go straight from one dense, fact-packed non-fiction book to the next. Instead, zoom through something shorter in the intermission. If you prefer fiction, check out some short story anthologies or poetry collections.

6. Arrange Your Schedule Around Reading, Not the Other Way Around

To go into deep reading mode, I need at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time.

When I first started reading, I would leave this to chance. Whatever, right? I must have 30 minutes of free time somewhere in my day.

This led to many abandoned reading sessions, and it made it difficult to focus on the book in my hand. Getting interrupted all the time turns reading into a frustrating experience instead of the joy it’s supposed to be.

Deliberately give yourself uninterrupted reading time, and put those reading sessions into your calendar if necessary.

Once you have committed to your reading time, pick a quiet place where you know you won’t get disturbed. Don’t keep your phone next to you, or at least switch it to airplane mode.

You may prefer to read in silence, while others like to put on some music or soothing background noises. This could even become a part of your depth ritual.

7. Read Multiple Books Simultaneously

This piece of advice may be unorthodox but it worked great for me.

I usually keep 3–4 books on rotation. I like to read philosophy in the morning to fuel some profound thoughts. I prefer business or self-help books in the afternoon to inspire me. In the evening, I’ll crack open some fiction or a biography. This is part of my evening routine and it helps me set aside the worries of the day.

Mix it up to avoid burnout or boredom.

Challenging books make reading worthwhile, but you need time to process them fully. After you finish something heavy, pick up some pure entertainment.

8. Go Wild With a Pen in the Margins

… And this one is even more unorthodox. There’s probably a reader out there who got an eye-twitch the moment I implied you should besmirch your book by writing in it.

I respect books a great deal. But ultimately, the physical form of the book is just a tool for transferring ideas. While reading, I will happily highlight a passage, or fold the top or bottom corner of the page and write down my thoughts or ideas.

Here’s how Maarten van Doorn explains it in his guide to effective reading:

‘Marginalia’ are when you mark out thoughts, questions, and connections to other ideas’ in the margins. The goal behind doing this is to digest what you are learning and make it your own — make associations, draw connections, play with it, hold it in your mind.

Note-taking can be an exercise in creativity, and it helps you retain more of what you read. Plus, if you’re the type to fidget while you’re trying to focus, the pen might help satisfy your need to multitask.

9. Keep a Reading Journal

“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

For some, reading is an experience in frustration because they can’t take in much of what they read. As much as they want to pay attention, the words simply don’t leave much of an impression.

Books are only fun if you let them leave a mark on you.

Journaling can help with many of life’s problems, including this one.

Consider writing down your thoughts and feelings about each book you finish, even if you don’t keep a personal journal. You can also scribble down your thoughts as you read, or start your own quote collection.

Google Keep is a fine app to use for this. You can also use something like Postepic, which lets you photograph a physical book and share a quote with others.

Personally, I prefer the old-fashioned handwriting approach. If a good sentence stands out to you, why not write it down? When you revisit those notes later, you might discover something new about yourself.

10. Make it Ridiculously Easy to Reach Out and Grab a Book

“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” — Roald Dahl

I’m not one to complain about changing times, but we can’t deny that TV and the internet replaced books in many lives.

There are various reasons for this, but one we don’t talk about enough is convenience.

Life is full of little moments when you’re not doing anything important. If you’re waiting at the doctor’s office, or you want to rest after a hard day’s work — well, it’s easier to grab your phone and just start scrolling.

The solution? Cut down on the preparation you need to do before you can start reading.

I know this sounds silly, but the most enduring habits start with small adjustments.

Always keep a book (or an ebook reader) with you when you leave the house. Also, consider adding the Kindle App to your phone. Short story collections, quote collections, etc. are a great choice for this.

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” — Dr. Seuss

Seriously — the more books you have lying around your home, the more you’ll be tempted to dive in. Keep one on your nightstand, one next to your couch or favorite armchair, one in the bathroom next to the tub…

Use bookmarks in every book. Don’t overthink this. A scrap of paper will do.

Invest in a good bedside lamp.

These details will make a big difference at first. Once you’ve gotten into the habit of reading, it will be much easier to just keep going whatever the circumstances. In my experience, one book will always lead to another.