The Simple Way to Read 2 Books This Month, Even If You're Exhausted From Work
And Retain The Information
Book enthusiasts often point to Warren Buffett when lobbying for more readers. You can’t buy a better spokesperson, so to speak. He’s one of the wealthiest people on the planet and attributes his success to reading 500 pages a day.
“Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.” — Warren Buffett speaking to students at Columbia University
Personally, I would like to nominate Lin Manuel Miranda as the book nerd CEO.
This guy goes on vacation after an exhausting stint on Broadway with “In The Heights.” Before leaving, he buys a thick biography called Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. “I was just browsing the biography section. It could have been Truman,” he later told a reporter.
From Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Twitter Feed
While chilling on the beach, Lin devours the book and draws a connection that only he could. “Hamilton is Tupac, Hamilton is Biggie, there’s something here.”
He writes a musical, and the rest is history.
Why Read?
Reading is an investment, a continuation of your education journey that’s exclusively yours. It’s also good for your brain. Studies show that reading improves memory and focus, which means you can recall concepts with ease and increase your vocabulary when communicating with people.
And sometimes, as in the case of Lin Manuel Miranda, you discover an idea that changes the world for the better.
But there’s a problem. Reading takes time and involves deep, complex cognitive functions; it can be an exhausting exercise. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do when I come home from a long day is crack open a book from Warren Buffett’s reading list.
What to do?
Start Your Day With 10 Pages
I first heard about this routine at work. Inspired by a James Clear blog post, a few of our executives had started a club that pushed themselves to read for 20 minutes first thing in the morning.
A light bulb went off!
I’ve heard of 5 am workouts, but an early morning routine that includes learning?
It’s a simple, proactive approach to reading. Knock off 10 pages before the world wakes, before distractions come crawling into your headspace, and, most importantly, before mental fatigue sets in at the end of the day.
Try This:
1.) Wake up. Plan on waking up 30 minutes earlier than usual.
2.) 10–20 minutes of light exercise. Activate the body to help wake the mind. I usually do a 20-minute Yoga class on the Pelaton app.
3.) Read 10 pages (should take about 15–20 minutes). I’ll read with a cup of coffee as a reward.
If you keep this routine for a month, you will have read 300 pages — that’s at least one book! Once you’re comfortable with 10 pages, stretch that to 20 pages, and you will have had 2 books in a month.
Hidden Benefits
Completing 2 books in a month is a great feeling, but this simple exercise’s benefits go even deeper.
Small Wins:
10 pages a day is doable for anyone. In other words, it’s a small win, but an influential keystone habit. Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit says small daily wins can spill over and positively influence other areas of your life.
“A huge body of research has shown that small wins have enormous power, an influence disproportionate to the accomplishments of the victories themselves.”
Small wins are significant because they provide a sense of accomplishment. It’s difficult to solely focus on big goals like “I will read one book this month” because we feel like we’ll never get there. Small wins keep us going and teach your brain to incorporate good habits in other areas.
“Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win.”
Retain Information:
I’ve been working this routine for the past 3 weeks, and I’ve noticed I’m at least 40% more locked-in when I’m reading during the morning hours than reading at night. I’m more engaged, which allows me to take better notes and retain the information.
Try this exercise and let me know if you feel more engaged.
Thank you for reading, and good luck!