I Read 50 Books in the Last 5 Months — Here’s How I Did It

9 min readNov 21, 2020

Being a great reader is like being in shape. Everybody claims that they want to be fit, but only a handful take the proper steps needed to eat well and make daily exercise a habit. Likewise, many rising leaders today claim that they want to become great readers. To get there, we need a gameplan and we need some practical ways to get from where we’re at to where we want to go.

I’ve always enjoyed reading, and for years, I just read as much as I thought was possible. This resulted in me reading between 20–25 books each year. According to Bustle.com, in 2018 the average American reads 12 books a year, so I was still above average, but I definitely wasn’t getting the most out of my reading opportunities. This year, I made a goal to read more and I wrote out some ways I was going to accomplish this. So far, in five months, I’ve read over 50 books and have loved this new uptick in my reading abilities.

The best part about my experience was learning that none of the changes I made were big. Most steps I took were minor adjustments that allowed my love for reading to flourish. If you want to become a better reader, it is more than possible. If you follow some of these strategies below, you’ll find yourself reading more than you ever thought possible.

Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash

Many of us have heard the phrase, “Readers are leaders.” More recently, businesses and scientific practices have really begun to tune into this idea, looking further into this correlation. Top voices around the world have spoken on why reading is good for leaders and how it makes a difference. Consider this excerpt from an article published in the Harvard Business Review:

“The leadership benefits of reading are wide-ranging. Evidence suggests reading can improve intelligence and lead to innovation and insight… Many business people claim that reading across fields is good for creativity. And leaders who can sample insights in other fields, such as sociology, the physical sciences, economics, or psychology, and apply them to their organizations are more likely to innovate and prosper.”

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There are also many Medium writers who have jumped in and shared their thoughts and opinions on reading and how it affects leadership. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from some of these writers:

On reading leading to courage and conviction

“Books gave me the courage to travel. Books gave me the conviction to quit my job. Books gave me role models and heroes and meaning in a world where I had none.” Charles Chu in “The Simple Truth Behind Reading 200 Books a Year”

On purposeful reading

“Reading can be an enjoyable escape if that’s what we want. It can also be intellectually rewarding — but only if approached in a way that supports, rather than distracts us from, our growth.” Kris Gage in “8 Things I Learned Reading 50 Books A Year For 7 Years”

On the magic of reading good books

“Reading is magic. It’s teleportation and telepathy. It lets us roam across space and time, oceans and continents. It lets us pick the brains of the most astonishing people on earth, access the wisdom of the past and see into the future.” Aytekin Tank in “Why Reading 100 Books a Year Won’t Make You Successful”

Photo by Lê Tân on Unsplash

So if you’re looking to become a better leader, or you just really want to read more, what are some of these strategies that can help transform your reading? Here are a few easy-to-follow tips that you can start at any point to see your reading increase.

Have an Upcoming List

One of the simplest ways to start reading more is to build a list of books you want to read next. Sounds simple, but one of the most common reasons I hear people say that they don’t read is that they “don’t know what to read next.” We don’t realize how much time we squander trying to find that next perfect book. And therein lies the secret. The next book you read doesn’t have to be your perfect book. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a book that I’m not 100% sure about, only to fall in love with the writing and the content. So make your to-read list. See what your friends are reading. Ask for recommendations on your social media platforms. Sign up for Goodreads and follow your favorite authors to see what they would suggest. Get a bank of books to read and you’ll have something to go to.

Multi-Read

I used to be that guy that would say, “I can only read one book at a time.” So if this is you, I totally get it. No shame. That is a great way to really absorb the book your reading.

But at the start of this year, I gave reading multiple books at a time a shot, just to see what it was like. I was shocked to find out that I actually liked it better than just reading one book. For me, I am now reading two to three books at any one time. Right when one book is starting to get good, I stop and switch to another book. I know what some of you are thinking… “Ugh, the horror!” But think about this. Switching books right when it’s getting good helps keep me excited about coming back to that book. If I’m hooked on a book, it doesn’t matter if I finish it in one day or five days. I’m coming back. This strategy helps keep my reading fresh and exciting.

Start Immediately After You Finish

This is the greatest strategy I have to offer. I believe that the biggest roadblock to reading often is getting started. When I’m in a book, I’m much more likely to keep reading and prioritize that time. It’s the moments when I’m between books that can stretch for days or even weeks. Life happens, I get busy, and often that means I forget to pick up a new book.

So here’s the solution. The moment you finish your latest book, take a deep sigh, write the book down on your book list, and then read the first 15 pages of the next book your jumping into. You don’t have to immediately read the whole next book. But start it. Once started, a book is drastically easier to finish.

Track Your Progress

Finally, I think that reading becomes easier the more that you track it. A great tool I use for this is Goodreads. When you sign up for Goodreads, you can create a Reading Goal for the remainder of the year and you can start tracking your way through this goal. I use this tool to keep up with the books that I want to read, the books I am reading, and the books that I’ve read. You can share this goal with friends and you can see what they are reading and how far they are along in their goal. Already in 2019, I’ve had to readjust my reading goal twice to accommodate for my new reading pace.

Grow As You Go

While reading is a great tool to develop better leaders, it’s never meant to be a tool to shame you into feeling inferior. Everyone reads at a different pace and people have different purposes for their reading. The person with a part-time job and no kids at home will obviously have more time to read than the person in their residency training to be a doctor. So take what you can get. These tips and strategies are meant to encourage you to grow in your reading where you are at now. So for me, these tips took me from 24 books a year to 50+. For you, maybe the jump is from five books to ten, or from 100+ books to 150+ books. More reading is typically a good thing and there is room for all of us to grow in this practice.