The Reading Problem Most People Have
Most people who want to read more don't have a motivation problem — they have a friction problem. Books get started and then left on nightstands. Good intentions collide with a full schedule. The solution isn't to try harder; it's to make reading the path of least resistance.
Strategy 1: Always Have a Book Within Arm's Reach
The single most effective change you can make is environmental: keep a book (physical or digital) wherever you spend time. Put one in your bag, keep one on your kitchen counter, leave one in the car. When a spare moment appears — a waiting room, a commute, five minutes before a meeting — you'll reach for a book instead of your phone.
Strategy 2: Reframe What Counts as "Reading Time"
Many people assume reading requires a long, uninterrupted block of time. In practice, consistent readers find pockets of time throughout the day:
- Morning coffee: 15 minutes before the household wakes up
- Commuting: audiobooks or e-readers on public transit
- Lunch break: even 20 minutes adds up to over an hour a week
- Before bed: replacing 20 minutes of scrolling with reading
Reading 20 minutes a day at an average pace works out to roughly 18–20 books per year. You don't need hours — you need consistency.
Strategy 3: Give Yourself Permission to Quit Bad Books
One of the biggest reading killers is feeling obligated to finish every book you start. If a book isn't engaging you after 50 pages, put it down without guilt. Life is too short, and the reading time spent grinding through a bad book is time you're not spending on a great one. A large, exciting reading list is more motivating than a sense of obligation.
Strategy 4: Read Multiple Books at Once
This sounds counterintuitive, but keeping two or three books on the go — perhaps a non-fiction book for mornings and a novel for evenings — means you always have something that fits your mood. Reading feels like a treat, not a chore.
Strategy 5: Use Audiobooks Without Guilt
Audiobooks count as reading. They're especially powerful for time that's otherwise unavailable for traditional reading: driving, exercising, cooking, or doing household tasks. If you have a long commute, audiobooks can translate into dozens of books per year.
Strategy 6: Make It Social
Even informal accountability helps. Some ideas:
- Share what you're reading with a friend and discuss it casually
- Join a local or online book club (even loosely)
- Keep a reading list on your phone and review it occasionally
- Track your reading with a simple notebook or an app like Goodreads
The point isn't to turn reading into a competition — it's to give it a little social weight so it stays on your radar.
Strategy 7: Curate Your Reading List Ruthlessly
A great reading list pulls you forward. Spend a few minutes each month adding books that genuinely excite you — recommendations from people you respect, subjects you're curious about, authors whose previous work you loved. When your list is full of books you're eager to read, picking up a book becomes a pleasure, not a task.
A Simple Weekly Reading Plan
| Day | Opportunity | Approximate Time |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays (x5) | Lunch + before bed | 30 min/day |
| Saturday | Morning coffee or afternoon | 45 min |
| Sunday | Relaxed reading session | 60 min |
That's roughly 4.5 hours of reading per week — without waking up earlier or giving up anything meaningful. At a comfortable reading pace, that's a book every one to two weeks.
The Real Secret
The readers who read the most aren't faster or smarter — they've simply made reading a normal, expected part of their day, like eating or brushing their teeth. Build the environment, lower the friction, and the reading will follow.