17 Simple Tips To Read 100 Books In A Year Medium

Somebody once asked Warren Buffett about his secret to success. Buffett simply pointed to a stack of books and said: “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.”

Early in his career, Buffett would actually read 800 pages a day, not 500. Even now, he still reads for about 8 hours a day. How does he do it? Easy. He makes reading a priority in his life. And you know what?

He’s not the only one. Do you know what an anti-library is? This concept was coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb when commenting on Umberto Eco’s massive book collection. Eco had thousands of books, and his library mainly consisted of books he hadn’t read. An anti-library is a collection of books you have not read. As Eco commented, this was a constant reminder of how much he didn’t know, helping cultivate a mindset of openness and humility in thinking.

Think about it. All the books on your shelves that you have not read. A reminder of all the things you don’t know. All that is unexplored. As Eco himself put it: “It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will... It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.”

I have an extensive library. And I keep buying more and more books. I love spending time in my study room, surrounded by my shelves — works of fiction, non-fiction on different subjects, books in different languages. It is a source of inspiration and ideas. Sometimes, a book will sit on a shelf for years, and then it catches my eye. When the timing or circumstances are right, I go for it.

Again, back to Eco: “We understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the ‘medicine closet’ and choose... Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That’s why you should always have a nutrition choice!” Well, for one, there is so much interesting stuff to read! Reading is fun, sure, but it is also the single most important activity you can engage in if you aim to grow as an individual and as a professional. If you want to make a positive impact in the world, you have to make sure to elevate yourself — reading is the most obvious way to do that.

Reading improves your vocabulary, makes you more articulate, improves your focus and ability to summon attention at will. I could go on and on, but I have written several articles about reading — see links at the end of the article. By 2024, as my library grew, there were more and more books that I really wanted to read but couldn’t get to. So, I decided to make a bit of a dent in my long list of books I wanted to tackle. I wanted to read a lot of sci-fi. I had promising non-fiction books that drew my attention.

Week after week, month after month, as I kept reading, I ended up reading 100 books despite slowing down at the end of the year. You can see all the titles in the picture above. This article was co-authored by Grant Faulkner, MA. Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story, a literary magazine. Grant has published two books on writing and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. He co-hosts Write-minded, a weekly podcast on writing and publishing, and has a M.A.

in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. This article has been viewed 65,434 times. One hundred books in a year may seem like an impossible accomplishment. Where will you find the time? If you really examine your daily life and your schedule, you’ll probably find that you actually have quite a bit of time that is spent on activities that can easily be turned into reading... If you truly have a passion for reading and want to achieve the goal of at least 100 books in a year, you can definitely do it.

"Audiobooks are a great option if you want to read more classics. Shakespeare’s plays, for example, are meant to be performed or read aloud, so audiobooks truly enhance the experience. Hearing the narrator’s tone of voice and emotional performance also makes the language easier to comprehend and more accessible for a modern audience." As the end of the year approaches, many of us begin writing down our New Year’s resolutions. Among these goals, reading more books often makes the list—but it’s also one of the hardest to accomplish. Why do so many people struggle to reach their reading targets?

Let’s break it down and discover practical strategies to help you read over 100 books in just one year. The first reason we fail to meet our reading goals is that the goal itself can feel overwhelming. For my 2024 resolution, I ambitiously decided to read 100 books. It sounded impossible at first, but I made it happen by breaking the goal into smaller steps. I began by setting a much smaller target: just 10 books. Achieving this felt manageable and gave me the motivation to set another goal of 10 books—and then another.

By focusing on incremental progress instead of the big picture, I was able to maintain my momentum and end the year with over 100 books under my belt. A common mistake when setting a reading goal is sticking to one genre, author, or type of book. To keep things exciting and avoid burnout, explore different genres and styles. Don’t limit yourself to bestsellers or the works of a single writer—give lesser-known books a chance, too. You’d be surprised how much variety can make reading feel like an adventure rather than a chore. I won’t be able to teach you how to speed read.

I won’t be able to do that because I don’t know how. What I do know how to do is read 100 books in a year, so that’s what we’re going to talk about. You’ve got a lot of fun reading to do, so let’s not beat around the bush. Step 1: Expand your definition of what counts. Reading 100 books a year sounds like a fantasy for anyone juggling a 9-to-5 job, family commitments, and a social life. But what if I told you it’s not only possible but achievable without sacrificing sleep or sanity?

As someone who went from struggling to finish 10 books a year to consistently hitting the 100-book mark, I’ve learned that the secret lies in strategy, not speed. This guide shares the exact system I use to read voraciously while keeping my career and personal life intact. Before diving into tactics, it’s crucial to reframe how you think about reading: Prolific reading is a habit practised by many of the most influential leaders of our time. This includes Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Warren Buffet.

Consistent reading doesn’t have to be hard. I’m sharing how I went from being “not a reader” to reading 100 books a year. Last year, I shared how I read 60 books a year. I’ve been reading at least a book a week for years now. What I didn’t share at the time was, that in 2023 I had a new goal. To read 100 books in the year.

I’ll preface this blog too by saying that the number is purely a vanity metric. Don’t get caught up on yours. The reason I made the significant leap was that I noticed something shift. Reading has brought me peace and insights I wouldn’t otherwise have for many years now. But, it didn’t necessarily always come easy. Despite my best intention, time and focus were nearly always a challenge.

After reading consistently for many years, I eventually found the habit started to become easier and easier. So, in this blog, I’m sharing my top tips not so you can also read 100 books. But, to share how I made the reading habit come more easily. I believe storytelling is your greatest opportunity to learn from those who have gone before you. Those who felt a duty to help pave the way for those to come. I’ll be honest, I used to think reading 100 books a year was only possible for people who had endless free time, no jobs, and definitely no Netflix account.

People Also Search

• 17 Simple Tips To Read 100 Books In A Year - Medium
• Reading 100 Books in a Year. My Takeaways and Book ... - Medium
• How To Read 100 Books In A Year - Alone With Books
• How to Read 100+ Books in One Year: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
• How to Read Over 100 Books in a Year (or Less). - BOOKSPACE
• How to Read 100 Books in a Year - readmedium.com
• How to read 100 books in a year (Archive) - Jon Acuff
• How I Read 100 Books a Year—Without Quitting My Job
• How I Read 100 Books a Year. 10 tips to make reading a ... - Medium
• How to Read 100 Books a Year : The Way I Actually Made It Possible