How To Double The Number of Books You Read This Year

This year I plan to read 50 new books. Last year I read less than 20 new books. In order to hit my goal this year I have had to take a hard look at the way I am using my time and consider other strategies to increase my reading time.

I decided on four strategies designed to facilitate the goal. You may wonder if they are working and I can tell you they are. As of February 19th I’ve finished 13 new books.

1. Learn to speed read. I took an abbreviated speed reading course in junior high. 15 years later I decided to recall the general idea and strategy. I’ve been working hard on the technique and its really paying off. I think there are a large number of courses available online or perhaps at a school in your area. You could even read a book about speed reading such as Breakthrough Rapid Reading

2. Listen to audiobooks. This is generally a well-known strategy. I no longer listen to music. In the car, you may have an auxiliary input for your smartphone/MP3 player or more likely you have some sort of Bluetooth option to pipe your phone's audio into your car speakers. The other wonderful thing about audiobooks is their availability. Many people associate a cost with audiobook programs but your local library has audiobooks available to you as part of your membership. Of course, CDs from the library are a bit antiquated so if you are willing to spend some money you should use Audible and Get A Free Audiobook Download with a 14 Day Trial. Choose from over 85,000 Titles.

3. Read several books at any given time. If you, like many people, find yourself getting bored with a book you may set it down without any great desire to finish it in a hurry. Decide to have several books on the night stand at once. Perhaps different genres of books will help you feel more engaged. I am generally reading a religious, business, and fiction book at any given time.

4. Listen to books when you workout. Since exercise is also a big part of my new years resolutions, and makes up part of a healthy lifestyle I find this an easy way to hit two birds with one stone. Most people are accustomed to either listening to music or watching TV during their workout. I would challenge you to try listening to a book. In addition to helping you read more this year, you may also find that a good book will also encourage you to workout more this year. I know it sounds weird but give it a try.

What other techniques do you utilize to read more books? Let me know in the comments below.