I read a lot of books. I don’t “set aside time” to read. I don’t “set reading goals.” I don’t take much of the typical self-help advice. But I read a lot.

I’m writing this article because a lot of my friends have asked me how I read so many books. So I thought I’d spell out my thought process and routines.

I also wanted to write this article because I find most of the advice on how to read more either useless or just bad.

1. Reading more is not about reading faster. You win no awards for reading more or faster.
2. Basic advice like “set aside time” or “read 20 pages a day” isn’t helpful. You’ve already thought of that. Status quo bias — the tendency for us to not change — pulls us back to our old habits.

Here’s My (Mostly) Unconventional Advice For How to Read More

Before I get into my best tips, I want to share what not to do.

1) Don’t Read Fast

Huh? Don’t read fast? Aren’t we trying to read more and if we read fast won’t that mean we’re reading more?

I like to read because I enjoy reading. Making it a race takes that away from me.

I like to pause, highlight, and make notes. Sometimes when I’m reading a book I get an idea for how the story connects to an idea I have for my writing. The reading process is a true joy for me and my brain, a time when I can escape to stories and characters and allow my curiosity to run.

One of my favorite nonfiction authors, Ryan Holiday, explains this well. He wrote in Reading Isn’t a Race “Smart readers do more than just comprehend words. They ask questions, they take notes, they look things up, they make connections, they produce marginalia.”

Any rushing or attempts at “speed reading” take away from why I like to read in the first place.

A Lesson Borrowed From Chess Books

One genre of book that drove this point home for me is the chess book. Chess books often contain puzzles that take several minutes to solve and more to understand. If you try to flip through the puzzles, doing the bare minimum on each, you are wasting your time.

If I open a chess book, I know it’s more gratifying and helpful to spend my time on a single puzzle. I may never flip the page.

2) Don’t Set Goals

I didn’t realize I read over 50 books last year until I started writing this article and went back to my reading list. (This lives in Notion and allows me to transfer notes and takeaways from books in one place, but this is a process for another article.)

I don’t win anything for reading 50 books. If you only read ten, but you engage with those ten, you take their knowledge and connect it to your existing thinking, that’s far better than reading 50.

Reading one book and relating to it deeply, putting your presence into the text can change your life. (If all you do is read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker, you will have a greater understanding of 20th-century U.S. city planning.)

Setting an Arbitrary Quota Is Noise

The goal of reading is not to have read. This includes the number of pages to read per day, which is why I don’t like advice like “read 10 pages a day.” What if a page stops me in my tracks? I would rather reread the one page and understand it.

Forget All About Reading More

If you’re caught up trying to read more, you lose the point of reading, which is to enjoy yourself. Sitting down with a book, unrushed and without anything else to do, is one of the greatest joys of life as far as I’m concerned.

Okay, now let’s get into what I do do.

3) Make Reading Your Default Activity

My “secret” to reading books is that I read as my default activity. If I have a few minutes waiting for a subway train, I read. If I have 20 minutes before a work call, and it’s too soon to start a new task, I read. If I have a Sunday afternoon with no plans and I’m lying around, I’ll read for hours. When I’m on the Amtrak or waiting to board a flight, I read. When I eat lunch, I read.

Stephen King in his book On Writing: A Memoir of The Craft said, “Reading at meals is considered rude in polite society, but if you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects.”

That sums up how I think about it. I will read whenever it’s appropriate, and sometimes when it’s not. This is not because I’m trying to squeeze in every moment with reading, but because I’ve built the habit of doing so, and because I love reading, I always do it when I can.

Choose Books You’re Excited By

Don’t be afraid to ditch a book if you’re having trouble “getting into it.” If you’re trying to build a habit, eliminate friction where you can. (I reject this advice for those who already read regularly.)

When I choose the books that grab me, the content or story is at the top of my mind, so I want to dive back into it.

Stop Checking Your Phone

The biggest block to reading even more for me is the addictive device in my pocket: my phone.

The times in my life when I deleted all social media apps from my phone, I read more. That’s because the spare moments when I used to scroll social media, I replaced with more reading.

I still scroll on social media, especially because I post TikTok videos almost every day. I enjoy Reddit. I’ll admit it. I don’t want to smash all of social media. But the problem is the thoughtless, indiscriminate checks, and then all of a sudden 45 minutes have passed.

• Put my phone on airplane mode during work times. If I’m working I put my phone on airplane mode. It’s a simple solution. If you need to take your phone off airplane mode before checking TikTok, I won’t. It’s a pause that short-circuits the thoughtless dopamine loop. This means I get my work done faster, and have more midday time for reading. Hooray.
• Put my phone somewhere I can’t reach. When the work day is over, I like to an hour before dinner reading without getting bothered. I put my across the room. It’s on do not disturb and the people in my life know to call twice if something’s important.

If you break your phone addiction, you’ll read more.

I Don’t Really Watch TV

It’s annoying to say “I don’t watch TV.” It’s more accurate to say that I hardly do. I will if there’s a specific show or movie I want to see. I will if my girlfriend wants to watch a show with me.

But those hours when most people watch TV and binge shows, I’m binging books

4) Fight Against “Busyness” — Just Chill and Read a Book

Reading as your default activity isn’t helpful if you’re so “busy.”

There are lots of legitimately busy people: working two jobs, raising kids, caring for aging parents. That’s not me, yet I found myself saying I was “so busy” all of the time.

I think rampant “busyness” is one of the biggest tragedies of our time. Even the most privileged among us are “so busy,” but what exactly is getting done?

Reading is one of those things that breeds boredom in the best way. When I’m reading, I’m reminded that I’m not busy. The things that stress me get put in their place.

This is probably beyond the scope of this article, but if you want to read more books, I would push back on why you feel like you “don’t have time” to read in the first place. Maybe you don’t. Or maybe the busyness is of your mind’s construction.

5) Stay In

My ideal Friday night is reading from 7:30 until 11 pm. I love a night where I chose to stay in and wound up reading for hours.

Sometimes, I look at a packed weekend schedule and think, What if I just stayed home? Not because I don’t like spending time with friends or exploring the city, but because those quiet evenings are when I get to sink into a book, uninterrupted.

In reality, it’s a balance. Maybe I’ll socialize on Friday, but Saturday night, I’ll get the longest reading time of the week.

6) Take Afternoon Breaks

Maybe I’ve spent too much time in Spain, but I love afternoon naps. I realize the busyness of life doesn’t matter when I take a nap. Things can wait and I’m useless creatively after 3 pm anyway (unless I can get my nap in.)

But naps aren’t the only way to reclaim your afternoons. Reading for 30 minutes after a nap is a true joy. There’s something indulgent about sitting down with a book while the rest of the world is caught up in the grind. It feels like hitting pause on everything, creating a small sanctuary of calm in the middle of the day.

I find that after this siesta, it easier to be productive in the afternoon.

7) Get a Library Card

I love the New York Public Library. It’s one of my favorite parts of living in New York. I have access to vast resources, including nearly every published book ever.

Here are a few reasons why getting a library card has helped me read more books.

First, borrowing books from the library creates a built-in incentive to read. When I check out a book, I know I have a few weeks before it’s due. I know there are no late fees at NYPL, but it still provides a little pressure that pushes me to pick it up.

Second, the library gives me access to a huge variety of books without the commitment of owning them. I don’t have endless shelf space in my apartment either (my girlfriend already says I have too many books.) Since I’m not spending money or space, it means I freely pick up books. They also have ebooks and audiobooks. Sometimes I read ebooks while I eat. It’s more convenient than a physical copy, and the library means I get them for free.

Plus, libraries are awesome, knowledge should be free and accessible, and I like supporting them.

8) Love Reading

For me, how I read so many feels like a simple answer: I love reading.

It’s how I want to spend more of my time, and so I do.

The bottom line is, if you come to love to read, you will find time for it too.

Read Broadly

One last tip that keeps me reading a lot is to read broadly. That’s one of the beauties of books. There are countless types and topics available. If I get obsessed with a topic, I’ll read half a dozen books on it. (This is why I have a whole list on my favorite books about climate change.)

We have access to many of humanity’s greatest thoughts and most important stories. Books provide an inside look at how different people think. It’s a treasure.

My Best Tip to Read More Audiobooks

In 2024, I listened to 16 audiobooks. Here are a few of my audiobook tips. And yes, audiobooks count as reading books. Enough of this “print books only” elitism.

I Listen While I Workout

This isn’t for everybody. But for many years now, I’ve mostly moved to playing audiobooks and podcasts while I workout.

Why I Listen to Audiobooks While Working Out

I don’t like to listen to audiobooks while I walk around New York, because I like to be present and alert to my surroundings.

I listen to some podcasts too, but there are a lot of bad podcasts out there. There are a lot of good podcasts out there, but there are a lot of bad podcasts out there. And even the “good” ones are bad. Rogan is a walking misinformation machine (which I’ve come to understand, thanks to reading lots of books.)

So I prefer audiobooks.

While I workout, I listen to two types of audiobooks.

1. Long, Story-Driven Audiobooks Think biographies. I listen to biographies. They can be a slog to read, but while working out they’re perfect to digest.
2. Nonfiction “Thesis” Books You know those books where you think “this could have been an article?” While, I find those perfect to listen to. The reason they’re books and not articles is because it’s valuable to hear each of the branches from the main thesis, and I enjoy the stories that go along with the main point. Yet, unlike something more dense, it’s suitable for audio. Even if I missed a whole chapter, it’s no big deal.

What Are Your Tips to Read More? Or Based On This, What’s Your Roadblock to Reading More?

Now that I’ve shared my approach, I’d love to hear from you. What works for you when it comes to reading more? Or based on what I’ve shared, what’s your biggest roadblock? Let me know.