Here are our top 5 ideas to create more time for reading and get that knowledge advantage:
1. Start with why.
Why is reading important? It makes you smarter, better, faster. It helps you solve problems. It gives you a knowledge advantage and makes you a much more valuable person.
In short: It’s one of the best if not THE BEST investment you can make in yourself.
Here are some specific examples from Nils’ life: Reading transformed him from a sick procrastinator into an avid learner and action taker (check out his procrastination book for more on that). Reading showed him he’s very much responsible for his own flourishing. It helped him cure insomnia. It opened the door to mindfulness, meditation, and Stoicism.
Gosh, just thinking about all the benefits he (and me, too) got from reading makes me smile and want to read more J
2. Prioritize reading.
I don’t really find time for reading. I make time for reading. It’s not like time is just lying around waiting to be found.
It’s a question of priorities. And reading is damn high on my priority list.
To give you an example, last summer I worked in construction. Work started at 7:30 AM. I usually left the house at 6:45 AM. When did I get up? At 5 AM. Why? So that I could spend at least an hour reading.
If you value reading enough, you’ll make time for it.
3. Eliminate the stuff that gets in the way.
What do you actually spend your time with?
Measure your time for a day or two. Most certainly you’ll find that you spend too much time on activities that are not that important to you.
Watching Game of Thrones, checking Facebook & Instagram, painting one’s face, and all that other tiny stuff that adds up.
Spend your time according to your priorities. If Game of Thrones is important, then by no means, go ahead and watch an episode a day.
Personally, I don’t watch TV. I don’t play games except for socializing with actual people. I don’t check news, Twitter, or Facebook more than 15mins a day. Generally, I minimize the (for me) unimportant activities and maximize the important ones.
4. ABR – Always Be Reading.
What a great mantra to live by: ABR – Always Be Reading.
Reading can either be done exclusively in your free time, or, much smarter, it can also get done in transitional moments. Waiting for the bus? Read. In a taxi? Read. On an airplane? Read. On the train? Read.
Sure, reading is more enjoyable when you can lean back in your cozy reading chair than on the metro. But making use of all the little moments will add up to a few books a year. Sometimes, I find that even just a minute or two can charge me with inspiration and motivation.
(Thanks to Thomas Bileyu for coining the term ABR!)
5. Use Tools.
For my reading habits, two tools are indispensable:
Instapaper: This is a free app that allows you to save articles for later reading. I usually don’t have time to read something right when I discover it – I don’t want to stop what I’m doing whenever I come across an interesting article. Instapaper allows me to save it and read it whenever I want on whatever device I want.
It’s a massive help in my pursuit of ABR: Whenever I have a spare minute I read whatever I’ve saved for later. Another app that does the same is Pocket. Both are great, I prefer Instapaper.
Blinkist: I hope you gave it a free try to see its effectiveness for yourself. These 15-minute summaries are just great to get better, learn new things, get inspired, and get that unfair knowledge advantage.
They're so easy to use! When you commute - read a book. When waiting in line for something - listen to a book. Preparing a meal - listen to a book.
If you’re interested in upping your reading and learning game, just give it a try and see for yourself that the app is great:
==> Check out Blinkist Here (2000+ summaries of the best books out there!)
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