For many people, reading 50 books in a single year seems like a pipe dream. After all, how can anyone get through this many titles?
Believe it or not, it’s something that a lot of professionals manage, even if they have full-time jobs. Think about some of the top entrepreneurs and investors in the world. Many of these people spend the majority of their time reading so they can absorb high-quality knowledge and put it to use in their lives.
How are you supposed to read 50 books in a year? That’s the topic of this guide. Here’s everything you need to know
Do the maths and relax
Reading 50 books in a year sounds like an extraordinary feat, but when you do the maths, it’s actually easier than it might sound. The average book is around 300 pages long, so if you read 50 books in a year, that’s one book per week, or around 60 pages per day if you take Sundays off.
How long does 60 pages take to read? Probably between 45 minutes and an hour, depending on how many words are on the page and the font size. Usually, that means if you want to read 50 books in a year, you need to spend 45 minutes to an hour reading. For many people, that’s doable, especially if you are reading because you want to improve at your work or profession.
Embrace audiobooks
You can make the process much easier for yourself by embracing audio books or using book summaries. With audiobooks, you can literally do other things with your hands while you’re listening. For example, let’s say you have to spend a few hours a week on chores. Instead of just listening to music, you can listen to your books at the same time as doing these.
You could also use book summaries. These massively cut down the amount of time that you need to spend reading by removing all of the fluff and simply giving you the book’s core ideas. Use this method if you’re somebody who likes rigorous and logical approaches to problems.
Carry a book around with you at all times
This is a life hack that can be extremely beneficial. The idea is to carry a book with you at all times so that you can fill any gaps in your day with some reading. You’d be amazed how often this comes in handy.
For example, instead of scrolling through social media while you wait for a dentist appointment, you could whip out a book and start reading or start listening to it on your phone. You could also use books to replace your doom-scrolling habit. Physical paperbacks can easily fit in your bag, or you can bring an e-reader with you, which is even slimmer and takes up less space in most cases. Another option is Kindle smartphone app.
Quick books that you hate
What you want to avoid is getting into a situation where reading feels like a chore. This can happen if you find yourself reading a book that you hate. Often, this happens when the book is boring, it doesn’t have any purpose in your life, or the challenge is too high for your particular stage.
Don’t allow a book to bore you. Instead, get into the habit of quitting ruthlessly and trying something else. Books should engage and inspire you. If a book isn’t doing that, then it’s a good sign that it’s not right for your life at this point in time.
Many readers, of course, don’t give themselves permission to stop before they finish the book. This can lead to burnout and discourage you from wanting to continue your reading habit in the future. The good news is that when you quit a bad book, it frees up your time and mental energy to choose a great book.Â
Scheduled dedicated reading time
If you’re not doing so already, you’ll want to schedule some dedicated reading time. The idea is to carve time out of your schedule intentionally so you don’t fill it with other things. After all, reading is something that often takes a backseat.
For example, you could schedule your dedicated reading time for 20 minutes in the morning while you read your coffee, or you could read during the period when you’d usually spend an hour watching television.
When you schedule reading to the exact same time every day, it makes it a non-negotiable. It’s just something that you have to do as part of your day.