How to read more

Why it usually falls apart

Most people who want to read more already have the time. It goes to the phone. The book is on a shelf in another room, the phone is in your hand, and reading feels like effort at the end of a long day. Reading more comes down to making the book easier to reach than the phone at the moments you have free.

How to read more

1. Read ten pages a day

   Set a small daily target. Ten pages takes around fifteen minutes and adds up to roughly a dozen books a year.

2. Keep the book where the phone was

   On the bedside table, on the sofa, in your bag. The phone goes elsewhere. Swap what is in reach.

3. Read at a fixed time

   Before bed, on the commute, with the morning coffee. A fixed time turns it into a routine.

4. Quit books you do not enjoy

   If a book is a slog after fifty pages, stop and pick another. Forcing yourself through makes reading feel like homework.

5. Use audiobooks

   Listening counts. Audiobooks fill commutes, chores and walks.

6. Have the next book ready

   When you finish one, have the next waiting. Gaps between books are where the habit gets lost.

What to track

Track the smallest version you would still count on your worst day. A row you can clear when tired is a row you keep:

• Ten pages a day
• Book on the bedside table
• Audiobook on the commute

Print a tracker with these 3 habits or open them in a spreadsheet.

Your first week

1. Day 1. Pick a book you are excited about.
2. Day 2. Put it where you usually use your phone.
3. Day 3. Read ten pages before bed.
4. Day 4. Read ten pages at the same time.
5. Day 5. Try an audiobook on the commute.
6. Day 6. Read ten pages.
7. Day 7. Choose the next book now.