How I Built A Daily Reading Habit To Read 100 Books A Year

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 31, 2025, 2:44 AM

how i built a daily reading habit to read 100 books a year

This year, I’ve read 100 books, and I often get asked how I read consistently. For me, the secret to how to read 100 books a year is pretty pragmatic. This episode is designed to help share how I built the reading habit for the long term so I can benefit from books as a daily habit for years to come. Keep in mind the number of books you read matters less than how you start reading regularly. Instead of reading 100 books a year, a book a week or any other binge-reading goal, you might read a page a day or one book a year and still learn life-changing lessons from... 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.

But a few years ago, I challenged myself to try, and surprisingly, I actually managed to pull it off. It wasn’t about speed reading or skipping sleep, it was about building smart habits, staying consistent, and knowing how to enjoy the process. If you’ve ever dreamed of hitting that magical number, here’s exactly how to do it without burning out. Before diving into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” For me, it wasn’t about bragging rights, it was about growth. Reading this much changed the way I thought, expanded my vocabulary, gave me new perspectives, and honestly, made me more creative. And let’s face it, if you read 100 books, you’re basically carrying a mini-university in your head.

When I first saw “100 books a year,” it felt impossible. But then I did the math: That’s it. Suddenly, it didn’t feel so scary. It’s not about racing, it’s about steady progress. 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.

After reading 100 books in a year, I learned a lot about myself, my reading habits, and why I won’t read that many books in a year again anytime soon. When I first got serious about reading, I was not interested in the process of rating my books. Instead, I decided to use a really simplified version. If I would recommend the book to the right audience, I would give it a star. If I wouldn’t recommend it, no star. Originally, I was afraid that I would overthink a 5 star rating process, but about halfway through the year, I realized that I craved a more nuanced rating system.

I wanted a way to tell a “WOW” book from a “good, but just okay” book. Now that I’ve reached the end of the year, it has been incredibly helpful to see the exact star rating for each book at a glance – especially since I read such a large... I’ve also learned that it isn’t difficult for me to go with my gut instinct on my rating. I don’t overthink it like I thought that I would. While reading 100 books in a year, I only read 5 books in print – and 2 of those were books I read aloud to my kids. My favorite way to read books is using my Kindle Paperwhite.

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. Check out my complete list of 100 books read in 2018 (including my Top 10 and Bottom 10) At the beginning of 2018, I decided that I was going to read 100 books in a year and post all of the book reviews on my Instagram account. Reading 100 books in a year might sound like an insurmountable challenge at first. You might be picturing endless nights buried in books, sacrificing sleep, and turning down social events just to make it through.

But with the right approach, it’s a goal that’s not only achievable but can be a deeply enriching experience. Let’s dive into the strategies that will help you reach this ambitious target while still enjoying the process. Before you dive into this journey, it’s important to understand your motivation. Why do you want to read 100 books? Maybe you’re looking to expand your knowledge, improve your focus, or simply enjoy more stories. Whatever your reason, keeping it front and center will help you stay motivated.

Once your motivation is clear, it’s time to break down the numbers. Reading 100 books in a year means finishing roughly two books per week. That might sound daunting, but when you break it down further, it’s much more manageable. If you can dedicate about 30 minutes to an hour each day to reading, you’re well on your way. A Harvard study found that top-performing CEOs (and most billionaires) read more books than average, up to four books a month. Last year, I managed to double that number.

I love reading… and often have multiple books on the go and sometimes read more than ten books per month. It is one of the few “guilt-free” luxuries that I allow myself to indulge in relentlessly. I am a member of a book club with friends from school. I enjoying reading biographies of founders, inventors, and business leaders. I am a sucker for all the usual suspects in the non-fiction best-sellers aisle. There is no end of information, adventure, and entertainment to be found within the pages of books and over time I have accumulated a bunch of great tools to help me find new books...

As this is often a new year’s resolution, I thought I would put together my top book hacks. "The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read," - Mark Twain Audible, Amazon's audiobook platform, lets you listen to professionally narrated books anywhere. There are over 200,000 titles. It's perfect for multitasking - I listen while commuting, exercising, or doing chores. The first book I ever read was Matilda by Roald Dahl.

It had been a gift from my grandmother, who used to sleep with a book under her pillow every night. I don’t know if this was her intention, but that story sparked within me a passion for literature that still resonates deeply to this day. I remember reaching the end of Dahl’s story feeling both shocked and betrayed, yet intrigued. After reading an ending that was completely different from its 1996 film adaptation, nine-year-old me felt overjoyed that she knew a secret only a select few would understand. Thus started my love for literature, my love for worlds, characters, and stories that only readers could truly know and cherish. From then on, I read childhood classics like Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney; then soon moved up to the YA genre, with...

How I Built A Daily Reading Habit To Read 100 Books A Year

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This Includes Steve Jobs, Elon Musk And Warren Buffet. Consistent