How to Read a Book Every 2 Weeks
This is a reflection on the system I currently use to meet a goal of completing a book every two weeks. It’s been my most preferred system from reading 110+ books over the years.
My system:
Pick a book you’re curious about. Seems obvious but I think many people read books others tell them to.
Read every day after your morning journal. I make it an immediate to-do after on most days.
Set a timer for 60 minutes. The point is to read for at least 60 minutes or how long it takes to read a chapter (whichever is longer).
Set phone on airplane mode. No distractions. No laptop open either.
Read indoors. Being outside is distracting because I tend to people watch inadvertently when thinking.
Play rain noises on headphones to block out outside noise for solitude.
This has worked for me. When I execute it every day, I’ll finish most books within two weeks.
Sometimes 1 hour means I can’t even finish a chapter because of how dense the book is, the amount of marginalia notes I take, the amount of thinking I need to do etc… But I stress finishing a chapter so I can write a summary at the end of the chapter to close off on an idea. Leaving it mid-way leads to me forgetting most of it by the next day.
Some books I will breeze through… at rates of 40 pages an hour. That’s awesome. I can be little loose with this because there is no friction with the reading. But some are a little dull and I need to force myself to sit down and give it complete attention. These are the ones I immediately read after my daily journal so I don’t slack off on it.
Past systems that haven’t worked:
Learning to speed read. I don’t retain much. What’s the point?
Reading a book while listening to the audiobook. Thought taking up 2 sensory points would make it even more effective but I like to control my reading pace. I don’t read in a constant pace but its more of a rhythm of fast and slow. The voice is also distracting.
Reading 10 pages every day. I end up ending with incomplete ideas.
Asking myself in my end-of-day journal if I ‘read enough’ for the day and if I didn’t to read a few pages before bed. Too much friction. Wasn’t sustainable
A goal of one book a month. It felt too distant and lack of daily practice pushed it further away instead of on top of mind.
Going by feel. This is how it started with reading all the investing books out there. But it’s like a short-term drug hit that wasn’t sustainable.
My current system has by far been the best one I’ve had in regards to reading. I’ve felt amazing doing this. I love the pace, I love how I feel after reading an hour every day, and I love knowing I’ll be able to get through my stack of unread but pre-bought books.
Maybe this will be of value to you.
Disclaimer - I’m writing this for myself. For my past, present and future self. Much of what I write is my opinion. If it somehow ignites agreement in you then great, I’d love to hear about it. If it sparks disagreement in you, don’t reach out because I don’t care for it. There always are obvious exceptions and the flawed person in me hasn’t considered them all.