I enjoyed reading as a child especially in school, and to some extent in my teenage years. It wasn't really until my mid twenties that I became a consistent reader. This mainly coincided with the beginning of teacher training, jumping into research and gaining insight to help me develop my practice. I prefer non fiction over fiction, funnily enough unless i am poolside in a sunny holiday destination, then a good Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler book will do nicely.
Over the course of 2019 I found myself reading much more consistently than ever before. This was mainly due to my colleagues talking about books they had read and me not being able to contribute much to conversations. At this point I really begin to think about setting time aside to read everyday and to study topics of interest. Having started life in the fitness industry much of my reading was around training trends and the latest innovations of practice in the leisure sector. Over time I broadened my knowledge in a range of subjects such as leadership, project management, entrepreneurship and much more. By the end of 2019, I felt like I needed a challenge to support my continued reading.
Being a millennial, I spent far too much time on YouTube. One day in December 2019 before a video started an advert played, in which somebody was talking about some sort of “too good to be true” idea in front of his Lamborghini he had bought as a result of this new idea. The key part of this advert for me, was the pile of 52 books he had on display and the words “the average CEO reads a book a week”. Something really hit home with me about how much time in a day I had spent doing things which were not benefitting my knowledge and understanding of the world I was in. At that moment the challenge was born. I was going to read 52 books in 52 weeks. (It wasn't until late in 2020 that i realised i had to read 53 as 2020 was a 53 week year!)
So, the challenge began with very little planning just a plan to read a book every seven days. Well that didn't work, in fact it was really difficult at the start of the year. At some points I had 3-4 books on the go at once. I didn't set out a list of books at the start i wanted to read but as i got closer to the end of a book i would begin to look for my next one. At certain times in the year I had to read short books to get back on track with the target.
One book really changed my approach to reading and that was Limitless by Jim Kwick. This book spoke about speed reading and provided techniques on how to read quicker but also how to absorb the information I was accessing. These tips and tricks were very beneficial to the speed I was now reading at. As the year went on i felt my reader was getting quicker and quicker and i was able to absorb lots more than i had before. I would recommend this book and it will be one I will read again in 2021.
The second area of strategy change was one I have been against for a while… using a Kindle. I am quite traditional and those who know me know how much I value family, freedom and that I regularly drink out of a union jack mug. I like the feel of a book, it's not on a screen, it's away from the bright white screen lights I have on my work laptop, it's old school. But on this occasion with over spilling book shelves and my partner telling me to keep my books tidy the move to Kindle made sense. Kindle provides some good analytics on reading, such as pages left, percentage completed, you can change the colour background amongst other things. One other bonus is books are generally cheaper if bought on Kindle also. As the year went on I used Kindle more and more and even invested in a Fire tablet just for reading. Not every book I read now is Kindle, I have a happy medium of getting some books in physical form and some via the Kindle, which works well for me.
I won't be trying to repeat my 53 book total again this year but I will be continuing to read consistently. Below you will find my 5 top tips for becoming a consistent reader and the full list of the titles I completed in 2020.
Tips
Read Limitless by Jim Kwick
Don't over plan the books you want to read. I read a book about Contagion in April (I wonder why) which I had no interest in the month before.
Don't buy multiple books at once. Commit to the one you have and try to finish or nearly finish it before moving on to the next.
Set time aside to read. Personally I always read for 30 minutes before bed. Sometimes I will get an extra 30 minutes first thing when I wake up too.
Research the books you want to read before purchasing them. Books should be enjoyable and interesting, so check out their ratings.
Completed Books.
Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
Leadership, A Practical Guide by Alison & David Price
Becoming Supernatural by Dr Joe Dispenza
Money by Laura Whateley
How to Own the World by Andrew Craig
Love to Teach by Kate Jones
Read and Send the Right Signals by Glenn Wilson
Work Smarter, Not Harder by Graham Allcott
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey
Imperfect Leadership by Steve Munby
Leading Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise by Peter Cook
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
The Rules of Contagion by Adam Kucharski
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
The Age of Walls by Time Marshall
Good Vibes Good Life by Vex King
The Clever Gut Diet by Dr Michael Mosley
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
It's Not About You by Tom Rath
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Limitless by Jim Kwick
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The Perils of Perception by Bobby Duffy
Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
Why we Sleep by Matthew Walker
Fact vs Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde & Darren Hudgins
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B Peterson
Teaching Walkthrus by Tom Sherrington & Oliver Caviglioli
Out of Our Minds by Sir Ken Robinson
The Innovation Ultimatum by Steve Brown
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S Clason
Who you Know by Julie Freeland Fisher
The Power of Us by David Price
Superforecasting The Art and Science of Prediction by Philoip Tetlock and Dan Gardner
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
The Prime Ministers by Steve Richards
Factfulness by Hans Rosling
The Little Book of Stoicism by Jonas Salgeber
Hustle by Jesse Warren Tevelow
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof
How Successful People Think by John C Maxwell
Dream Teams by Shane Snow
The Teaching Delusion by Bruce Robertson
The Art of Saying No by Dam Zahariades
How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl
The 5am Club by Robert Sharma
Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Critical Thinking by Ian Tuhovsky
