I read a lot, but not nearly as much as I’d like. So far, I have read 20 books this year, give or take. That may seem like a lot compared to the average reader. However, the most successful people read a lot. Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year. While he’s my success ideal, I want to read a lot more.
Why read more?
The top CEOs read about 60 books a year to learn, for self and business development, to keep abreast of important trends and coming disruptions, to get new ideas and be challenged. These are busy people, and they see the importance of carving out time for reading.
Reading has many benefits
Personally I read because I love to learn and grow. There is so much I am curious about and want to understand. Reading widely sparks ideas, enables us to connect dots. It challenges us to think differently. It widens perspective and deepens understanding. It gives insight into people, places, cultures and subjects we are curious about. It can increase empathy and openness. It supports ongoing personal, professional and spiritual development. It also gives us a jumping-off point for our own writing and helps clarify thinking. It ensures I have a stream of ready reading recommendations for clients and new ideas and knowledge to share with them.
Why is it important for you to read more? When you get clear on your why, it’s easier to get into action.
How much is enough?
There is no single answer to this question, of course. Figure out the right target for you? Setting unrealistic goals won’t help. Determine how much you currently read and go from there. If you don’t currently read very much, set a realistic target that feels energising and exciting. Perhaps it’s 14 or 20 or 30. If you already read a lot, play with what would be a useful expansion for you read in terms of the number and type of books you read.
Am I reading enough? I’m not sure, but I am challenging myself to read another six books this year, and 52 books next year. That’s about one book a week next year, which feels challenging but doable. After all, I read one book last weekend, another book yesterday and will try to complete a book in the coming week.
What about you? Are you reading enough?
Challenge yourself to read more
How many books will you read by the end of this year? And how many books do you want to read next year? If you want to make a public declaration of your goal, feel free to send me a message letting me know.
You may say, you aren’t at the top yet and can’t set aside time for reading. That may make reading even more important. Apparently Warren Buffett read between 600 and 100 pages a day when starting to invest and spends about 80% of his working day reading, which equates to about 200 books a year.
Ready. Get so. Go.