How To Read More Books in 2022
It’s the new year and every entrepreneur has had the same thought – “I want to read more this year.” There’s something about the beginning of a new year where we make resolutions like this, but how many of us actually stick to them. I’m a huge fan of reading so this is close to my heart. In this post, I’m going to show you how to read more books in 2022. Are you ready? Let’s dive right in!
Set A Realistic Goal
Life is busy. Reading should be enjoyable and not a chore or something on your to-do list. You know better than anyone what your general workload and family commitments are like. If you want to read more, then let’s first set a realistic goal.
I’d always start with how many books you managed to read in 2021. Use that as a baseline and let’s try to improve on it. Don’t set yourself up to fail. Set a goal that’s a little bit of a stretch but won’t send you into a shame spiral and ultimately quit.
Curate Your Book List
Have you ever struggled to find something to watch on Netflix? That’s a common issue in our house. There’s so much choice! The same is with books. You can easily spend more time trying to find a book to read than actually reading it!
Start with choosing your genre – business, finance, true crime, communication, sports. Whatever you like. Then do a quick Google search on the top books in those genres. Read the summaries and create a list of the ones that tickle your fancy. It’s that simple.
Make Reading A Part Of Your Daily Routine
Whenever my clients say they don’t have enough time to do something, I always reply with – “You do have the time. You just haven’t made the time to do it.” If something is important then we will always make time. I make time to spend time with my wife and kids – because it’s important. I make time to exercise – because it’s important. If you analyse your day truthfully, you’ll see hours wasted on all sorts of things (the most likely culprit will be something like checking social media or watching tv).
I always advocate setting a solid morning routine. In my online course, I show people how to set a good morning routine which has reading as one of the key points.
If you’re wanting to know how to read more books in 2022, then this would be my golden tip. Set a morning routine and do it in the morning.
Leverage The Compound Effect
Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took consistent effort over a period of time. The same goes for reading. If you rush through reading as many books as you can, you won’t get the full benefit. I’d advocate reading a small amount per day. If you read one chapter a day (roughly 20 mins a day), then the compound effect over a week, month, quarter and year will be staggering. Don’t rush. Read a tiny bit every day and let the compound effect do the rest. The added bonus of reading a little bit per day makes it more manageable and you therefore will be more likely to keep this daily habit.
Consider Listening To Books
I will admit, I mainly listen to books. The reason is because of my routine and schedule. I have a dog which I walk twice a day. That’s an hour to an hour and a half a day I have of listening time. No wonder I get through so many books! I also like to listen to books when I’m cooking or doing some housework. Again, the compound effect is staggering! In a day I can easily find 2-3 hours of listening time. I personally use Audible as my book listening app of choice. It’s very inexpensive at £9.99 a month and has a great selection of exclusive listens.
