4 ms·

If you read 100 books in 2 years, is it a goal or are you still reading for the enjoyment of it? Also a side question, I love reading but I'm very slow. I don'

by edge17 6y ago

If you read 100 books in 2 years, is it a goal or are you still reading for the enjoyment of it? Also a side question, I love reading but I'm very slow. I don't want to learn a lot of the 'fast' reading techniques because I have tried them and don't really retain much. Is there some low hanging fruit to reading just a little faster? (like, read in a good chair or use a kindle or something)

timclark 6y ago
Read shorter books!
Matticus_Rex 6y ago
I set a goal of 50 books in 2018 and once I got into the habit it was purely for enjoyment. I ended up doing 86 in 2018, and upped my goal to 75 for 2019... then ended up doing 122 books that year. I'm somewhere in the 50s or 60s for 2020 right now. I retain audio much better for most things (unless it's data-heavy), so getting into habits of keeping my headphones on me and actually starting a book when I had the brain-space to listen helped increase the quantity. No idea on tips for physical reading (though getting the room lighting right and using one of the paperwhite-or-better Kindle screens makes a big difference for me, anecdotally).
- edge17 6y ago
  Good point on the room lighting. Also, is that sort of what people do nowadays for reading? Meaning, when people say they read 100 books, they are also referring to have listened to audiobooks? Not judging, just curious if I'm not understanding the meaning of 'read'
  - Matticus_Rex 6y ago
    Most people include that now, yeah. I think it makes sense, even if it's an evolution from the strict sense of the word. I certainly retain as much as those who read physical books, and if someone asks me if I've read a book, it seems needlessly pedantic to say "no, I listened to it."
ksdale 6y ago
100 books in 2 years comes out to about a book per week, which isn't too many to enjoy for someone who reads a lot. But also, many of the classic sci-fi novels are actually very short, possible to get through in a couple days, even if you don't read particularly fast. Alas, I don't have any tips to read faster...
hardwaregeek 6y ago
I don't know if this is your problem, but I'm a habitual rereader. I'll go over the same passage repeatedly to double check if I understand it. It doesn't actually help, I usually end up tired and the passage starts to, if anything, lose meaning due to semantic satiation. What I've learned to do is just let go, keep reading and eventually I'll figure out what that passage meant. Kind of like how when you watch a movie in theaters, you may not catch every line of dialogue, but you'll still understand the movie.
Hitton 6y ago
Average American spends 34 hours weekly watching TV. Are they still watching it for enjoyment or is it a goal?
SECProto 6y ago
I have started reading more in the last few years, and much of it comes down to using goodreads - I hate the app & site, but I like keeping track of what I've read and whether I liked it. And you set a "reading challenge" every year. I've been aiming for 20-26 books per year, and the little nudges it gives me help me keep on track - I only missed one year since I started, and that was because I got bogged down in the fall reading a 1000 page book that I didn't like. all that to say: I've been enjoying reading MORE since I've increased the amount I read - everything stays fresh, and I just devote a bit of time to reading each day and a bit less time to (the internet, mainly)

by edge17 6y ago

timclark 6y ago

Read shorter books!

Matticus_Rex 6y ago

I set a goal of 50 books in 2018 and once I got into the habit it was purely for enjoyment. I ended up doing 86 in 2018, and upped my goal to 75 for 2019... then ended up doing 122 books that year. I'm somewhere in the 50s or 60s for 2020 right now. I retain audio much better for most things (unless it's data-heavy), so getting into habits of keeping my headphones on me and actually starting a book when I had the brain-space to listen helped increase the quantity. No idea on tips for physical reading (though getting the room lighting right and using one of the paperwhite-or-better Kindle screens makes a big difference for me, anecdotally).

edge17 6y ago
Good point on the room lighting. Also, is that sort of what people do nowadays for reading? Meaning, when people say they read 100 books, they are also referring to have listened to audiobooks? Not judging, just curious if I'm not understanding the meaning of 'read'
- Matticus_Rex 6y ago
  Most people include that now, yeah. I think it makes sense, even if it's an evolution from the strict sense of the word. I certainly retain as much as those who read physical books, and if someone asks me if I've read a book, it seems needlessly pedantic to say "no, I listened to it."

ksdale 6y ago

100 books in 2 years comes out to about a book per week, which isn't too many to enjoy for someone who reads a lot. But also, many of the classic sci-fi novels are actually very short, possible to get through in a couple days, even if you don't read particularly fast. Alas, I don't have any tips to read faster...

hardwaregeek 6y ago

I don't know if this is your problem, but I'm a habitual rereader. I'll go over the same passage repeatedly to double check if I understand it. It doesn't actually help, I usually end up tired and the passage starts to, if anything, lose meaning due to semantic satiation. What I've learned to do is just let go, keep reading and eventually I'll figure out what that passage meant. Kind of like how when you watch a movie in theaters, you may not catch every line of dialogue, but you'll still understand the movie.

Hitton 6y ago

Average American spends 34 hours weekly watching TV. Are they still watching it for enjoyment or is it a goal?

SECProto 6y ago

I have started reading more in the last few years, and much of it comes down to using goodreads - I hate the app & site, but I like keeping track of what I've read and whether I liked it. And you set a "reading challenge" every year. I've been aiming for 20-26 books per year, and the little nudges it gives me help me keep on track - I only missed one year since I started, and that was because I got bogged down in the fall reading a 1000 page book that I didn't like. all that to say: I've been enjoying reading MORE since I've increased the amount I read - everything stays fresh, and I just devote a bit of time to reading each day and a bit less time to (the internet, mainly)