How to Read More, According to Busy Entrepreneurs

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How to Read More, According to Busy Entrepreneurs 1

How to read more, especially if you’ve got tons of assignments and duties (and especially when you combine work and studies)?

Hmm… That’s a tough question for a busy student. However, busy entrepreneurs have already answered it. And they are sharing their insights with you in this article.

Before diving into those, however, let’s decide whether reading more is of such a great importance.

Why should you read more, in the first place?

There’s a rumor that one of the reasons for successful people to become such is reading. Is it just a rumor? Let’s check.

Can Reading More Books Lead to Success?

The most prosperous business people say: “Yes!”

Indirectly, though.

Reading piles of books can’t turn you into a successful person on the spot. But! It increases the chances for success dramatically.

For as many as 86% of wealthy people reading is one of the success habits they never give up.

It’s because the more you read, the more you—

  • Learn from others
  • Train your brain (it is particularly advantageous for learning languages)
  • Expand your vocabulary
  • Enhance your writing quality
  • Get yourself charged up and motivated
  • Boost your imagination
  • Develop your creative thinking skills

While reading is a good hobby and habit by itself, you might want to enjoy its proven advantages to the fullest. Then, only one step is left—to learn how you can read more.

6 Expert Tips on How to Read More: Busy Entrepreneurs Have Busted This Challenge

Read considerably more with some must-try lifehacks prepared by too busy business people.

1. Add Reading to Your Schedule

How to fit this activity into your stuffed calendar? It seems close to impossible…

Actually, you may follow some pieces of advice from Catherine Schwartz, an entrepreneur and Finance Editor at Crediful, who shares her tips on how to make room for reading in your schedule, when you’re extremely busy.

She suggests that you should “Tie reading up with another great habit you already have. But here’s a trick – this habit should be something that you truly love doing. For example, you can read while drinking coffee in the morning or when having dinner/supper and enjoying your favorite pasta. Most probably, you swipe through social media like TikTok while eating. Try to replace these endless swipes with books.

Did you know that 88% of rich people devote at least 30 minutes per day to reading?

An American investor and businessman, Daniel Gilbert, for instance, reads for one or even two hours per day (HPD). While Mark Cuban and Warren Buffett, both successful entrepreneurs and billionaires, spend over three HPD and five-six HPD on reading, correspondingly.

“You don’t need to go to extremes at once,” says Catherine Schwartz. “Start slow, dedicate at least ten minutes for one short story per day, for instance. Prioritize reading in your schedule, mark it with a separate color that stands out, and set a reminder to grab a book,” she adds.

We do set reminders to pay the bills, drink a glass of water, or even get up in time (an alarm clock is also a reminder). Why not set one to wake up a reader inside us?

2. Stick to the X-page Rule and Reward Yourself for Following It

An active businessman and CMO of PrizeRebel, Jerry Han, puts it that “You may begin with five pages a day adding five pages more on a weekly basis. Make a books-to-read plan for a week, month, and year. Don’t forget to prepare some rewards, if you follow this rule and never break it. For example, it can be a ticket to the cinema, a gift card for shopping in your favorite e-store, etc. Even the smallest gifts can push you to add even more books to your list and expand the five-page rule to 200+ pages one day.

The average person completes 12 books per year. Have a look at how many books world-famous entrepreneurs normally “swallow” and how often they do that:

3. Try Quick-bit Reading and Skimming

Reading in quick and short bits is beneficial when you’re standing in a queue or got stuck in a traffic jam,” observes Jim Pendergast, Senior Vice President at altLINE Sobanco. “Time is money; never let this time get wasted. Read instead. Even a few pages matter,” he continues.

Can you imagine yourself running down the stairs?

That’s how you should read while skimming.

Its primary benefits are: you get the fundamental understanding of the content and fish out particularly important data in passages faster.

Moreover, skimming is one of the winning study techniques when learning from textbooks, too.

4. Take Advantage of Audiobooks

This is a perfect variant for those who don’t care too much about the smell of books or the sound of turning pages.

The key thing here is to develop audiobook listening skills,” says the CEO of Quiet Light, Mark Daoust, whose business with entrepreneurship made him replace reading with listening.

Listening to audiobooks and staying engaged during the process may be hard for some people. You can always enhance your audiobook comprehension. Start with shorter periods of time than you dedicated to reading. Regulate the speed of the narrator’s voice. Take a pause to think through what you’ve heard,” Mark suggests.

Here’s when you can enjoy audiobooks:

  • Commuting to college or work
  • Cooking
  • Traveling
  • Doing routine manual tasks
  • Before sleep, and so on

5. Keep away from Distractions and Find Motivators

Some people have a natural ability to immerse themselves in stories. Others get easily distracted.

Apply the below methods that Michael Nemeroff, a thriving leader, CEO & Co-Founder of Rush Order Tees, uses himself, in this case, coping with distractions and finding motivators: “Let’s smash distractions, first,” he says and gives his list of hacks:

Hack #1. Ban gadgets totally – no laptops, phones, or the like (unless you’re listening to audio files, of course).

Hack #2. Get rid of other physical and audible distractions.

Hack #3. Choose a well-lit and comfortable place.

Hack #4. Drink water, as it helps with concentration.

Hack #5. Try to imagine yourself being trapped in the book’s realm. Nothing can distract you then, as you’re in another world.

Michael also recommends doing the following to motivate you to read more:

Set the mood. If you’re a fan of horror stories, dim the lights, draw the curtains, and make your space somewhat creepy. One more piece of advice: join bookworm communities. And the last one from me: scatter motivational quotes all over your room (you may also print some on your clothes to remind you of books) or make some quotes from your favorite books pop up in front of your eyes now and then. For example, I’ve got a T-shirt with Dumbledore’s words printed on it: Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic,” Michael confesses.

Book’s popularity may be a motivational factor too. For example, the hype around Bridgerton books may lull you into reading one (or two, or the whole set!)

Grab the list of other most popular books right now and see whether they are worth the buzz.

6. Stock up with Particular Books and Put Them in Visible Places

 “Too many is always better than a few,” notes Chelsea Cohen, an always-busy businesswoman and Co-Founder of SoStocked. “I love being stocked up with books. They are all over the place in my apartment and in my office. These are mostly self-improvement books and self-help guides. It’s a continuous self-development on the go.”

As you can notice, entrepreneurs read, but not for fun, mostly.

For example, in 2015 Mark Zuckerberg decidedto read a new book every other week—with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories, and technologies.”

Decide on the best read for you right now. You may scroll through some suggestions of books in the following categories:

Alternatively, consult your book horoscope and pick something exciting for you.

But then, there are universal lists.

E.g., 65 books that Richard Branson, a business magnate, prepared for everyone to read in a lifetime. As another option, snag “Jeff’s Reading List” (the one that helped Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, to form his leadership style) or check some celebrity reading lists to inspire you.

Ok, you’ve got some lists, hacks, and everything else. But what to do when prices don’t motivate you at all?

True, books are expensive, but you’ve got the last pieces of advice from us that can help you economize, even when reading more.

Bonus Tips on How to Read Cheaper

You can’t expect to stumble across cheap hardcovers all the time. And the odds that you will are low.

Here’s what to do instead to read much more but cheaper:

  • Get an e-book reader

You can benefit from buying e-readers and giving preference to e-books instead of printed copies. Virtually, e-textbooks can become your best study partners and lessen the burden on your back and wallet.

  • Sell your old books to save for new ones

What if we told you that you can save $300 every term at BooksRun?

You can do that by selling textbooks or encyclopedias which you don’t need anymore. The first thing to do is to find out how much your textbook is worth and set a fair price.

  • Buy or rent used books and textbooks

Deciding to buy or rent books, you get awesome experiences at the lowest prices. When you purchase or rent a second-hand copy, you can save up to 70%. Check it yourself— view the top deals.

You Can Now Read Significantly More (and Cheaper!)

What a reading journey, huh?

You’ve learned how to read more using the strategies that the busiest entrepreneurs often implement to succeed in their careers and lives. On top of that, you found out how to make reading affordable.

Now, the ball is in your court. Get inexpensive books with BooksRun, read more, and draw success!


This guest post is provided by Erika Rykun who is a book nerd and editor at Booklyst. When she’s not busy reading books, she writes about them.

Natalie Song