Reading

THE 3 MINUTE READ

IS READING YOUR NEXT THING?

Most of the smartest and most successful people I know have a solid reading habit. Is that a coincidence? Doubtful.

If you don't consider yourself a reader but are curious if you could be, answer this question: For which of these reasons would you want to start reading?

For fun
As a healthier entertainment replacement for video games, Netflix, social media, etc.
To learn about a specific topic
To accumulate knowledge for future reference
To generally get smarter

If any of those reasons sound enticing, reading could easily be your next THING.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

In the past 6 months, I've read 30 books without spending a single dollar. And yes, I accessed them all legally. The price is a big selling point for this THING. If you don't want it to cost any money, it doesn't have to. Of course, you are more than welcome to buy books while you do this THING. I'll show you how to save money when purchasing books as well as how to access them for free. Either way you do it, reading has a low cost of entry.

MY EXPERIENCE

Before I started doing My Next Thing, I was the kind of person who finished one, maybe two books a year. This year I'm on pace to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Before you can roll your eyes, I know that sounds like clickbait.

"Doctors don't want you to know this ONE simple trick for reading one book a week."

I promise you're not signing up for that.

For the first time in my adult life, I consider myself a reader. Reading has been a huge part of re-purposing my free time in general, which is the ultimate goal of My Next Thing. Instead of instinctively clicking on Instagram or YouTube when I open my phone, my finger now automatically hovers over my ebook app. Reading has drastically changed my free time habits for the better.

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"If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young."

- Maya Angelou

"Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible, from complex word problems and the meaning of our history to scientific discovery and technological proficiency."

- President Barack Obama

WHAT YOU'LL GET

I will share the 4-step process that helped me go from a one-book-a-year reader to a one-book-a-week reader in a month. I developed these steps as I did my THING and refined them to share with you.

Step 1: Find the book

In Step 1, you will choose a book that is so good that it will convince you that you are a reader. I'll provide 4 options (in order of effectiveness) for finding the perfect book. Spoiler alert: Googling"Best books 2020" didn't make the list.

Step 2: Get your hands on the book (for free)

In step 2, you'll hear from a librarian about how to get a library card and take advantage of it. I'll explain how I read 30 books in 6 months for free. And if you don't have a library card, I'll share the best resources for finding great deals on ebooks, print books, and audiobooks.

Step 3: Create your reading routine

First I'll ask you why you want to read. For fun? As a replacement for Netflix or social media? To get smarter? Depending on your answer, I'll provide a 3 to 5 step reading routine you can use to solidify your reading habit.

Step 4: Read, read, read.

Once you arrive here, you will have already done all of the hard work. In step 4 you get to enjoy the process and benefits of reading.

As always, the inspiration page is full of videos, podcasts, and websites that will help you open your book on days where you need a little extra motivation. I collected these resources throughout my month of meditation and still use them frequently to find inspiration.

Make Reading Your Next THING