How To Read More And Read Well Emily Rudow

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 31, 2025, 10:29 AM

how to read more and read well emily rudow

People often tell me they want to read more, but they don’t have the time—or they’re too distracted, or they can’t focus long enough to get into it. They love the idea of reading, but carving out space to sit down and give a book their full attention can feel like too much effort. Other things seem more pressing. And maybe there are. In a frenetic world of constant task switching and scrolling, our minds are more scattered than ever. If we’ve conditioned ourselves to fill every quiet moment with social media or checking email, then getting lost in a book becomes a real challenge.

Reading demands attention, and that’s in short supply nowadays. Wanting to read more just because you feel like you “should” won’t sustain a long term reading practice. Reading has to offer something of value: insights into a problem you’re trying to solve, a catalyst for personal growth, a richer vocabulary, the joy of a good story, or the pleasure of learning... In this post, I’ll share some practical strategies that have made reading a consistent and meaningful part of my life. Reading has changed my perspectives time and time again — I truly cannot imagine a world without books. Books are pals, comforts, and mentors that help me make sense of the big existential and ontological questions, bringing more purpose to my days.

Some tips are borrowed, some my own. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest. People often tell me they want to read more, but they don’t have the time — or they’re too distracted, or they can’t focus long enough to get into it. They love the idea of reading, but carving out space to sit down and give a book their full attention can feel like too much effort. Other things seem more pressing. And maybe there are.

In a frenetic world of constant task switching and scrolling, our minds are more scattered than ever. If we’ve conditioned ourselves to fill every quiet moment with social media or checking email, then getting lost in a book becomes a real challenge. Reading demands attention, and that’s in short supply nowadays. Wanting to read more just because you feel like you “should” won’t sustain a long term reading practice. Reading has to offer something of value: insights into a problem you’re trying to solve, a catalyst for personal growth, a richer vocabulary, the joy of a good story, or the pleasure of learning... In this post, I’ll share some practical strategies that have made reading a consistent and meaningful part of my life.

Reading has changed my perspectives time and time again — I truly cannot imagine a world without books. Books are pals, comforts, and mentors that help… Reading has arguably been the most important habit I’ve picked up over the years. Books have been a source of wisdom — a friend I turn to when I encounter a roadblock. Whenever I’m faced with a new problem or issue, I seek out wisdom from others. What I’ve found is that life’s problems aren’t just unique to me; there’s a shared human experience; a sense of solidarity, which others have not only dealt with, but have imparted to others through...

Reading not only produces that blanket of comfort, but also provides a roadmap to help you tackle whatever you’re facing. Challenge, accomplishment, ongoing learning and personal growth are key values to me. I’ve carved out time in my day to ensure that I’m spending time on the activities that bring me real joy and fulfillment — things like reading, writing, and training. Reading is an evolving habit where I’m not just looking to inhale as many books as possible, but rather, I’m always in search of new ways to get the most out of the books... I aim for quality > quantity which means being patient, re-reading passages where my mind wandered elsewhere, and engaging with the book by means of highlighting, making notes, and Googling unfamiliar terms, concepts and... When you read a lot of books people inevitably assume you speed read.

In fact, that’s probably the most common email I get. They want to know my trick for reading so fast. They see all the books I recommend every month in my reading newsletter and assume I must have some secret. So they ask me to teach them how to speed read. That’s when I tell them I don’t have a secret. Even though I read hundreds of books every single year, I actually read quite slow.

In fact, I read deliberately slow, so that I can take notes (and then whenever I finish a book, I go back through and transcribe these notes for my version of a commonplace book. I think there are three main barriers that hold people back from making this happen and I want to disassemble them right now so you can start reading way, way more. The key to reading lots of book begins with stop thinking of it as some activity that you do. Reading must become as natural as eating and breathing to you. It’s not something you do because you feel like it, but because it’s a reflex, a default. Carry a book with you at all times.

Every time you get a second, crack it open. Don’t install games on your phone–that’s time you could be reading. When you’re eating, read. When you’re on the train, in the waiting room, at the office–read. It’s work, really important work. Don’t let anyone ever let you feel like it’s not.

I’d never been a morning person until I started reading in the morning. Over the past year, I’ve reveled in the feeling of pouring myself into a book after pouring myself a cup of coffee, awake in my imagination before the day begins. I’ve found that reading a chapter or two before work makes work — and reading through emails — more manageable. It wasn’t always like this for me, though. There was a time when the feeling of a paperback felt too overwhelming, and it was audiobooks that got me into reading, to and from work. There were times, too, when I didn’t feel the call to read at all.

I’d either buy books that sat untouched on my nightstand for ages or get discouraged by a book I didn’t connect with, letting months go by without picking up another. But now that I read more, it has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Traveling to new places, imagining characters’ faces, and following storylines only to be led astray, unable to rip yourself from the turning point on the page, is utterly addicting. I’ve fallen in love with reading again (and a few books, too), and you can too. Consider these tips, based on my back-and-forth experience and a trickle of data, if you long to read more this year. Uncover a suitable space for reading to make it feel more like joy than a job.

Play around with different days and times of the day to see when it feels accessible and pleasurable for you to read. For many, that’ll be bedtime. Research shows more than four in 10 U.S. adults read as part of their bedtime routine — averaging 36 minutes of reading time each night four (or more) nights each week. Give yourself time to find the right time for you. Clinically reviewed by Dr.

Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA So many of us want to be avid readers. We may pick up every bestseller that hits the lists, or we may reserve dozens of titles on our library apps, but still with life’s seemingly endless to-do lists, getting past the dedication page... At the end of a long day, it can just feel easier to scroll on our phone than to flip through pages, but if you’re tired of wondering what stories lay behind that book... Need more convincing? Research shows that reading can reduce stress, improve focus, and even help you sleep better.

So, keep reading to learn how to make reading a bigger part of your life. (You’re doing great already!) Reading isn’t just a fun way to entertain yourself or learn about the world. It’s also a natural stress reliever and a good form of self-care. Here are seven ways reading can help benefit both your physical and mental health: The purpose of reading is not just raw knowledge.

It’s that it is part of the human experience. It helps you find meaning, understand yourself, and make your life better. – Ryan Holiday Whenever I confront an issue in my life or enter new, unfamiliar ground, there’s always a friend I can count on. That same friend can provide comfort when I’m at my worst, help me explore new depths of myself, and help me develop valuable and important skills in my life. This friend can teach me strategies to help propel me forward and is the catalyst behind ongoing, lifelong growth.

This friend (or friends) I should say, are books. I never used to be a voracious reader growing up—I actually despised the discipline. It seemed like a waste of time to me. Why bury myself in a book when I can just watch a movie instead? It’s certainly faster, more entertaining and a shorter time commitment. Books seem slow and inefficient—two words that have never lived in my vocabulary.

My mindset towards reading only changed while I was at University and randomly stumbled upon an audiobook on self-development. It was only then that I fully understood the transformative powers that books can hold. I was in my second year at University doing my BBA. My first year was tough on me—my grades weren’t great. My second year’s studies were chocked full of math, finance, accounting ,and statistics courses. Learning about statistical modelling and regression analysis isn’t what I had in mind when I applied to study business.

How To Read More And Read Well Emily Rudow

People Also Search

People Often Tell Me They Want To Read More, But

Reading Demands Attention, And That’s In Short Supply Nowadays. Wanting

Some Tips Are Borrowed, Some My Own. As Always, Take

In A Frenetic World Of Constant Task Switching And Scrolling,

Reading Has Changed My Perspectives Time And Time Again —