Like so many people, I don't read enough. I've complained about this for years. I read all day at work, but I don't fill my mind with enough good, positive material outside of work that will help me grow, develop and LEARN. I've wanted to change this for years (or at least I told myself I did). Last year, I made what I thought was a very reasonable New Year's Resolution - read one book per month.
Epic fail.
I made so many excuses why I couldn't do it...
*I'm too tired when I get home...
*I don't have enough time...
*I fall asleep when I try to read in bed...
*Trump and Clinton said what today? I have to watch election coverage all night now...
Sound familiar?
Needless to say, I fell short of my goal. I fell off pace within the first month, got discouraged, and then stopped trying. Instead of thinking of solutions to my excuses, I gave up and gave in to my excuses..
This year I was determined. I thought about how I could read more instead of just simply setting a goal to read more. What I figured out was so simple, yet has made such a profound impact on my habits. This simple change has allowed me to read 4 books in less than two months.
I know, for you voracious readers out there, please stop laughing. For me, this is an encouraging start and has made me eager for more and hungry to learn more.
The secret? Magic? Took a speed reading class? Nope.
Audiobooks.
I was wasting so much time in the car listening to talk radio that wasn't educating me, wasn't satisfying me, wasn't fulfilling me. In fact, it was sucking the life out of me. Negativity, pessimism and garbage fills the airways and I was filling my mind with it, mainly out of routine and habit.
Instead, 10 minutes to the store here, 20 minutes to work there, and before you know it, 4 books down. In fact, research shows that not only do you comprehend listening to books just as well as reading them, you can also train yourself to listen faster than you read. For example, I am now able to listen to books at 1.5x speed, getting me through the book faster than I would have reading it visually.
That’s not to say you should never curl up in bed and pick up a good book again. There’s still something special about holding a physical book, tangibly enjoying the experience rather than simply consuming the information as fast as possible. For me, this has become supplemental to my audio listening. Because I've enjoyed reading and learning so much, I've cut down on the TV watching at night (sorry O’Relly Factor) and am now able to get an additional few pages in of a physical book most evenings. I've become addicted to learning.
Instead of wishing for a change, I needed to MAKE a change. Instead of complaining that there weren't enough hours in the day, I needed to maximize every minute of my day.
Are you like me? Do you wish you read more? What will your solution be? If you truly want to change, you will figure it out. You just need a strong enough “why.” My “why” was “because I only have one life, and I want to learn as much as I can while I'm here.” What's your “why?”
Here are my four of 2017. Amazing. I highly suggest them. What else have I been missing out on? I can't wait to find out…