How I Read 100 Books A Year Without Quitting My Job

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 31, 2025, 3:32 AM

how i read 100 books a year without quitting my job

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:

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.

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." 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. 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. 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. 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.

How I Read 100 Books A Year Without Quitting My Job

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This Article Was Co-authored By Grant Faulkner, MA. Grant Faulkner

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