What to Read?
As a person that has over 900 books on his Amazon wish list, finding time to consume all the books that I want to seems daunting at times. I’m not a fast reader either. With the current list, if I stopped adding to it and read only one book a month, it would take me 75 years to read all of the books. If I read 4 a month, it would take 18 years. So, with that being said, I do have to prioritize my reading list.
How do I do that?
I used to read 2-3 books at a time. I can’t do that anymore. It was 2 audiobooks and 1 Kindle/paper book. I’ve always read books slowly. I digest them, research as I read, and take notes along the way. They are my mentors. So to think that I could absorb multiple books at a time… was wishful thinking.
I’m more kind to myself now. I used to make it a goal to read 10-20 books a year. But now, I read as it is needed. If I have the desire to learn a programming language, I’ll read on that topic. If I want to learn more on a topic related to UX Design, I’ll find a book for that. If I want fiction or have the desire to re-read a book because I feel it could speak to me then I do that too.
No longer do I feel the pressure to read as if it is a mandate.
I read because I enjoy it.
I read because it informs me.
I read comfortably.
I start with an audiobook as it’s how I learn best. Then, I will buy the paper or e-book form of the book. Preferably DRM free for all formats. Audiobook burns it into memory and book format lets me search for the phrases that audibly bubble up in memory. Works great for me.
However, for you perhaps the touch of paper feels epic and you prefer to take the time to mull over the details in a tactice manner because you remember better that way. Awesome.
I’ll be reading for the joy, not for the status.