How I befriended books
Reading is akin to having an interesting conversation
My study is piled high with books. There are hundreds of books on shelves, stacked on the floor and flanking a laptop on the desk. Subjects covered include marketing, psychology, music, business, design, coding, writing and drawing. I love books. However, it has not always been the case. At school, English was my worst subject and I avoided books, like the plague. In an end of term report, one teacher noted, Phil is not a natural, but finds ways to entertain himself.
Enjoying books
One of the greatest gifts adults can give to their offspring and society is to read to children. - Carl Sagan
The following approach to books helped transform me from a reluctant to an enthusiastic reader:
Read topics that excite me. By age fifteen, the only book I had read out of choice was Godel, Escher and Bach. I was excited to read about the fascinating connections between maths, art and music. Not that I knew it at the time, but this sparked my interest in books.
Drop books that are not holding my attention. I used to feel that if I started a book then I had to finish it. I now have what Nassim Taleb refers to as an Anti-library - unread books that represent an excellent reference source.
Have a low threshold for buying books. Books often cost less than £10 (the same as a few cups coffee). For the enjoyment a book can bring, they are incredibly good value. So many of my life changing decisions have come down to reading a book, e.g. this blog came into being after reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.
Read books in parallel. I often have five to ten books on the go, on different topics. I read physical books for about 30 minutes per day.
Listen to audio books. When on my daily walk, I often listen to audio books. I often buy the audio version of physical books I own.
Create a conducive environment for reading. I often read in my living room. On the coffee table are about ten books. This makes it easy to read when I sit down. I also have the Books app on the front screen on my iPhone.
Read on an iPad. The size and weight of my iPad makes it a great device to read in coffee shops and elsewhere.
Self image upgrade. I realised that many people I admired read books. I wanted to be more like them so I became a reader.
Other resources
4 Life Changing Books talk by Ali Abdaal
How 3 Books Rewired my Brain post by Phil Martin
My 5 Step Learning Process post by Phil Martin
Becoming a book reader in my 30s expanded my mind and transformed my prospects.
Happy reading.
Phil…
