How To FINISH Every Book You Start - My Daily Reading Routine
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the speaker shares their personal reading routine and the challenges they've faced with burnout and inconsistency. They emphasize that reading strategies should be individualized and discuss their approach of setting manageable, daily reading goals. They explain how reading difficult material in the morning and something lighter at night has helped them stay consistent. The video also touches on the importance of following curiosity, defining personal motivations for reading, and being patient with progress. The speaker highlights consistency and repetition as the key to developing a sustainable reading habit.
Takeaways
- đ The video presents a personal reading program, emphasizing that it's for entertainment and reference only, not a one-size-fits-all solution.
- â ïž The creator warns against following advice blindly and highlights the importance of finding a reading strategy that works for individual goals and interests.
- đ„ The speaker shares past burnout from reading in short, intense bursts, which led to starting many books but not finishing them.
- âł Consistency is key: Instead of reading in frenzies, the speaker suggests reading a small, manageable amount (like 15â20 pages daily) to maintain the habit.
- â The morning routine involves 15 minutes of concentrated reading of difficult texts, like the Iliad, which helps maintain focus and achieve long-term reading goals.
- đ§ Habit stacking: The speaker pairs reading with existing routines, such as reading a lighter book after tracking finances in the evening, to make habits easier to maintain.
- đ§ Audiobooks are another tool for consuming information, especially during activities like working out or commuting, but the speaker feels they don't work well for dense or complex material.
- đĄ The importance of defining 'why' you want to read: The speaker encourages viewers to clarify their personal motivations and goals for reading.
- â±ïž Focus on time rather than page counts: Set manageable goals and prioritize consistency over quantity to avoid burnout.
- đ§ Follow curiosity: The speaker advises choosing reading materials that genuinely interest you, rather than what seems glamorous or popular.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The video discusses the creator's personal daily reading program, focusing on how to develop consistent reading habits and avoid burnout.
What reading issue did the creator face before developing a structured program?
-The creator experienced burnout from reading books in intense, intellectual frenzies, leading to long breaks where they wouldnât pick up another book for months.
What approach does the creator suggest for building a consistent reading habit?
-The creator suggests breaking reading into small, manageable chunks (like 15 minutes a day), and focusing on consistency over time instead of trying to read a large number of pages in one go.
Why does the creator caution against following other people's reading advice blindly?
-Because everyone has different reading goals and purposes. The creator emphasizes that there's no one-size-fits-all solution for reading strategies, and each person should find what works best for them.
What specific books or reading does the creator mention in their daily routine?
-The creator mentions reading canonical texts like Homerâs *Iliad* in the morning and lighter books like Helen de Cruzâs *W Struck* at night for relaxation.
What is habit stacking, and how does the creator use it in their routine?
-Habit stacking involves pairing a new habit with an existing one to make it easier to maintain. The creator stacks their nighttime reading habit on top of tracking their finances, helping to reinforce both activities.
Why does the creator prioritize setting a time goal over a page count goal?
-The creator finds that focusing on time (e.g., reading for 15 minutes) rather than page counts makes the task more manageable and helps build consistency without feeling overwhelmed by the need to hit arbitrary page numbers.
How does the creatorâs background in English literature influence their approach to reading?
-The creator feels that their English degree was only the starting point of their reading journey. Despite completing the degree, they recognize the vast amount of literature they still want to explore, especially older texts.
What advice does the creator give for avoiding burnout while reading?
-The creator advises purposefully underperforming by setting smaller, achievable reading goals. This ensures that the reading habit is sustainable in the long term rather than overwhelming oneself with high expectations.
How does the creator incorporate audiobooks into their reading routine?
-The creator listens to audiobooks while at the gym, walking, or commuting. They note that audiobooks are only suitable for certain types of books, as dense information can be hard to retain in audio format.
Outlines
đ Introduction to My Daily Reading Program
The speaker introduces their daily reading routine, highlighting the difference in reading preferences and goals among individuals. They caution against blindly following advice from others, noting that their video is for entertainment and reference purposes only. The speaker reflects on their previous approach to reading, which often led to burnout, and shares how they would read passionately for a short period but then take long breaks, causing frustration. The key takeaway is the importance of consistency in reading, even if it means reading small amounts daily.
đ§ Tackling Challenging Texts in the Morning
The speaker explains their morning reading routine, which involves tackling difficult and intellectually stimulating texts for 15 minutes. Currently, they are reading the Iliad and aim for 5-10 pages a day with full concentration. They emphasize the importance of consistency and repetition in forming a long-term reading habit. Even if the amount of reading seems small, the daily effort compounds over time, and the speaker notes that this has been working well despite occasional setbacks.
đ Nighttime Routine and Habit Stacking
The speaker details their evening reading routine, which is part of a habit-stacking strategy. After tracking their finances, they read something lighter for 10-15 minutes, often extending to 30 minutes if they get absorbed. They stress the importance of enjoying reading to avoid associating it with drudgery. The speaker also mentions listening to audiobooks during workouts or train rides and hints at a future video discussing audiobook consumption and its limitations.
đ The Two-Part Reading System
The speaker summarizes their two-part reading routine: in the morning, they focus on mind-expanding literature, while in the evening, they read for relaxation. This system has helped them stay consistent for nearly a month, though they acknowledge occasional lapses. The speaker stresses the importance of repetition over the quantity of pages read and encourages viewers to follow their curiosity when choosing books, rather than trying to impress others or follow trends.
đ§ Why Underestimating Reading Goals Works
The speaker advises viewers to deliberately underestimate their daily reading goals to ensure consistency, arguing that repetition is more important than setting ambitious page counts. They suggest starting small and gradually increasing reading time, as developing a habit is the key to long-term success. The speaker emphasizes the need to define personal reading goals based on individual interests and explains that their reading program is just a reference, encouraging viewers to experiment with different routines.
đ Closing Remarks and Future Video Plans
In their closing remarks, the speaker reflects on the unfiltered nature of the video and their tendency to go off-topic, promising improvements in future videos. They briefly mention an upcoming video on note-taking from books, explaining that note-taking is a personal process that should not follow rigid structures. The speaker reiterates the importance of consistency in reading and bids farewell until the next video.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄReading burnout
đĄConsistency
đĄIntellectual frenzy
đĄReading goals
đĄHabit stacking
đĄDopamine-driven culture
đĄMorning reading routine
đĄMind-expanding texts
đĄCuriosity-driven reading
đĄNote-taking
Highlights
The speaker emphasizes that this video is for entertainment and reference purposes and that reading strategies should be individualized based on personal goals.
The speaker discusses how reading in frenzied bursts led to burnout and a lack of consistency in their reading habits.
They suggest that consistent daily reading, even as little as 15â20 pages a day, adds up over time and can prevent burnout.
The speaker reflects on how media culture encourages us to chase the excitement of starting new things rather than focusing on long-term habits.
An English degree does not make one 'well-read'; it is just the beginning of a lifelong reading journey.
The speaker explains their current reading routine: reading for 15 minutes in the morning with full concentration, focusing on difficult texts like the Iliad.
They highlight the importance of consistency and repetition over the number of pages read.
The speaker mentions 'habit stacking,' where they combine their financial tracking habit with a nighttime reading routine.
They recommend reading something enjoyable before bed to avoid associating reading with drudgery.
The speaker notes that some days are harder than others, but repetition and sticking to the habit matter more than hitting page goals.
They listen to audiobooks or podcasts during walks, workouts, or long train rides to maximize learning time.
The speaker plans to discuss audiobooks and their limitations in retaining dense information in a future video.
The speaker advises viewers to define why they want to read and tailor their goals accordingly, rather than blindly following others' routines.
Purposefully reading less on a daily basis can help maintain long-term consistency and prevent burnout.
They emphasize the importance of following personal curiosity and avoiding the pressure to read what others are reading just because it is trendy.
Transcripts
hello and welcome back to another video
and today we're going to talk about as
promised my reading program my daily
reading program and just a word of
caution before I start here I noticed
that there's a lot of videos on the
internet giving you some unsolicited
advice and before we start here I just
want to say that this video is here
strictly for entertainment and reference
purposes I'm not giving you like a one-
size fit-all solution for how you should
approach your reading because we're all
very different people we all read for
different purposes and we have different
aims and ambitious uh and Ambitions with
regards to our readings and I don't want
to be that person who gives you like you
know this is it and um I'm not really in
the space to kind of argue with people
with regards to you know what's the best
reading strategy out there so whatever
works for you should work for you I'm
simply here to sort of chip in to tell
you guys what uh what has worked for me
so I want to start this video with a
kind of entry point which is um my
recent burn out with reading so the last
video was really a consequence of me
feeling so burnt out from how I used to
approach reading which is I see a book
that I really like I completely fall in
love with it I read that book in a kind
of kind of frenzy uh in a sort of like a
in an intellectual frenzy and I drop the
book and I get so burnt out that I would
never ever pick up another book for
another two months or three months so
that's how I used to approach reading
and um you know these periods of frenzy
or these sort of sudden inspiration you
know these pretty rare moments you know
maybe twice a year you you you hit upon
one of these moments and maybe you know
what's uh more likely going to happen is
going to be the case where you get a
book uh you think about the book you're
like oh this is a pretty good book and
then if you still use that logic of I'm
going to write out this wave or I'm
going to write out this kind of
intellectual frenzy you're going to find
out that you will actually start a lot
of books and then 20 pages later or 50
pages later you're going to find
yourself quitting a lot of books and
that's one of the things that I found to
be rather frustrating uh there's just
like a whole shelf of books even over
here on this desk there's like a whole
lot of books that I still haven't
finished um because I was under under
the impression that if I have enough
curiosity and energy I can finish this
book in a in a burst of passion and um
but if I really do the maths sometimes
if I just read 15 to 20 pages every
single day compounded over time maybe
over the course of a month two months if
I time you know 30 days times 15 pages
that is a lot of reading if I just can
just stay consistent and if I just stick
with my reading goals if I can just
stick with a program before I know it
all of these books will have a red
marker on them all of them and I think
what I'm trying to say here is that the
actra ity of reading is very mundane and
I feel like as a part of our media
culture we've learned to chase the
dopamin of starting new things we've
learned to chase that excitement of oh
my God I'm starting a new book oh my God
this thing really captured my attention
so over time we start to not we start to
neglect the daily habits that go into it
and I think recently I just found that I
that I started to see this kind of
impotance that I have in the amount of
stuff that I've read especially after my
degree you know a lot of people have
this illusion of like after you finish
an English degree you don't need to read
anything else you know that degree
you've read everything in your degree
but most graduates from English
literature can probably relate to this
um there's nothing like an English
degree that will make you feel like
you're the dumbest person on planet
Earth you're going to feel like you know
I have a pretty good grasp of a general
overview of what I should read and how
literature functions as text and how
relationship and the kind of
relationship between reader and text but
if you really want to develop a kind of
deep and in-depth understanding uh colle
a college degree in literature is only
the
beginning this is your entry point for
you to then truly start to build up your
own repertoire of reading and once that
point sort of made a lot of sense to me
um on one hand is very reassuring I have
the next 20 to 30 years to read
everything that I want to read because
now I have the tools to read anything I
want to read so difficulty is no longer
a problem but now we we actually need to
get down to the process of reading so to
counteract that you know two problems
one uh my reading habit is not very
consistent that's one of the problems
and the second problem is uh there's
just so much Under the Sun that I still
need to read despite uh despite having
an English degree that doesn't exempt me
from not reading anything anymore so
with these two problems in mine here's
how I structure my reading so every
morning when I wake up I would set a
timer for 15 minutes minutes and that's
and over my morning coffee I would focus
on a really difficult piece of reading
you know something that's really hard
that I wouldn't read on a train that I
wouldn't read um at a cafe that I
wouldn't really read in a public space
and currently I'm doing this crazy
program of digging through AOC canonical
texts so I'm starting from the very
beginning the ilad humor ilad some could
argue that I should go even you know
further back to some older texts but the
ilad is my Point of Departure so I'm
currently reading that uh maybe 5 to 10
pages a day in a span of 15 minutes but
that is just like pure concentration if
you can knock if I can knock out like 10
pages with that full degree of
concentration then that's my daily
reading goal done 15 minutes 5 to 10
pages and that's done and then a lot of
you guys are probably thinking you know
that's not a lot of reading you know
that is really not not a lot of not not
a lot of like engage engagement without
such a massive brick of a book you know
it's around 600 pages to yell out but
then over time I started to notice that
the repetition of getting on or or
making that coffee and uh setting up my
book and setting up the note-taking
stuff that I need to read the book you
know just a pure repetition of doing
that every single day it doesn't matter
how long you do it for and doesn't
matter how many pages you read but just
the pure repetition of doing the ACT
already improves the likely that you're
going to stick with this in a long term
so I think I'm about um I think I'm
about I I lose track of time I think
it's about a month since I've started
this habit and I fell off the wagon a
few times and and I started it's just a
process of adjusting my strategy you
know kind of adjusting the time when I
start the thing but I would say to you
if you want to adopt a similar strategy
that you probably want to underere
purposefully underere so you can ensure
that you get the rep instead of just
subscribing to some Fantastical notion
of reading 40 pages a day and completely
burn yourself out 2 weeks later or even
a week later or even a few days later so
that's what I do first day in the
morning over my morning coffee because I
love making coffee I have a coffee
machine in a kitchen so making coffee is
kind of like my morning meditation so as
a part of this morning meditation I
throw in 15 minutes um of reading
something really difficult something
deliberately mind expanding and if you
want some further inspiration I took a
lot of inspiration from Ted Joya and if
I'm butchering that last thing I'm
sincerely sorry I'm a big fan of Ted's
work check out this interview um on on
on the podcast how I write I forget who
runs the podcast but um don't come after
me if you find out the guy's name but
that podcast episode single-handedly
inspired me to really to really dive
into literature of the past because my
sort of focus throughout my honors year
and throughout my undergrad and my
graduate years
uh had always been modernist literature
so I was really into Joyce I was really
into Ezra pound and I was really into
Virginia wolf so that's sort of like my
narrow Focus concentration period but
that interview really inspired me to go
all the way back and to read all the
stuff that I should have read uh before
I started this entire journey of
educating myself so that's a major
source of source of inspiration so check
that interview out if you want uh want
an extra kick in your ass and the other
component of my reading program is that
every night uh after I do my evening
routine of sort of like I have this like
Financial spreadsheet how I track my
finances but that's a whole other of
talk show in itself and I would add
another habit this is called habit
stacking and if you haven't read Atomic
habits I recently listened to the book
at the gym um which I I'll talk about in
a minute after I described the nighttime
reading routine so I I tend to stack
this habit of tracking my finances I
tend to stack this reading habit on top
of it so this is called habit stacking
so it makes that second habit a little
bit easier so what I would do is that
after I track my finances I would hop
into bed and I would read something
lighter and by lighter I mean anything I
want to read so there's this book that
I'm currently reading by um the
wonderful Helen de Cruz Professor Helen
de Cruz she actually sent me this
Advanced copy if I can I can go fetch it
this Advanced copy of w struck it's no
longer Advanced because it's already out
you can get it I highly recommend it uh
I just finished Jonathan Heights to
Righteous Mind it's a bit of a slower
read but now I'm really excited to get
into this one as a part of my bedtime
reading routine so before I go to bed I
simply read something that I enjoy to
make sure that I don't associate
drudgery with reading so that typically
goes on for 10 to 15 and sometime
extends into 30 minutes because I tend
to get lost in books and every night
before I go to bed that's my one down
routine I read something inconsequential
it's something I like to read and that
forms the two-part uh reading routine uh
two-part you know one part in the
morning where I would read something a
deliberately mind expanding and one
thing before I go to bed something that
both entertains me and informs me so
that's been working out really well and
I think I've adopted this routin for the
past you know close to a month like I
said I I fall off the wagon plenty of
times so it's just about getting that
consistency back in some days are
absolutely horrible some days I end up
reading like what five to seven pages
combined but in my mind it doesn't
really matter as soon as I as long as I
get that repetition in that's all that
matters for me so like I mentioned
before I also tend to listen to a lot of
books um at the gym whenever I go out to
work out or whenever I'm on a walk
whenever I'm just like there's this
hourlong train ride that I have to take
to my university so uh during this train
ride I would put on a podcast or an Audi
book so that another source of how I
digest information so I'm going to leave
that for another video on my views on
audiobook um consumption because I think
audiobooks there's a very specific type
of book that you can really listen to
Via audiobook because uh as soon as a
certain as soon as an audio audiobook
crosses a certain level of threshold or
information density threshold you tend
to not retain anything from the audio
book it's just just like passing noise
to you right so I think um I'm going to
dedicate an entire video to audiobooks
uh in the future probably in the next
video but nevertheless that's my brief
reading program so it started off with a
concern I really want to be more well
read and I think that my literature
degree was only the beginning of me
starting this entire process of being
more well read so that inspired me to go
back to the beginning and I set up these
structures in my life to ensure that I
get these things in on time so I start
off with something very mind expanding
and I finish it off with something
relaxing at the end of the day so for
you if you want to take anything away
from this video if you want to build
your own process or build your own
system for getting books read if you
want to build your own reading program
on a daily basis first of all Define
why why is it the case how you want to
read this entire video the whole part
the first part of this video is merely
me explaining to you why I read the way
I do so hopefully that would inspire you
to start defining your own why do you
want to read more romance novels do you
want to read more consistently on a
subject matter that you're really
interested in are you a history buff are
you interested in I don't know uh
geometry are you interested in
mathematics is there a thei that you
want to get into but you know for
whatever for whatever reason you just
don't find a motivation to get get into
it and you don't find time to do it so
Define something that you think that you
don't have the time for and second of
all divide it up to ridiculous
ridiculously small
chunks and realize that it's the
repetition that really matters it's the
consistency that really matters it's not
about how many pages you can read on a
uh um on any given day in fact I would
even say purposefully underere
purposefully underperform on a daily
basis but stilling sure that that part
of your life you you've hit the goal
you've checked the box you can just even
read two pages because trust me over
time as you develop the habit of reading
on a daily basis those page counts will
increase those page counts will kind of
snowball into something substantial over
time so I wouldn't worry about reading
too little on a daily basis and last of
all the last pointer is that you need to
follow your
curiosity because there's a stupid
tendency for us to
pursue what looks glamorous to pursue
what what everyone else is reading and
to kind of read a book and think to
yourself I don't really like this and
you know just to kind of emulate my own
reading program like I said this is just
for your reference and For Your
Entertainment only my reading program so
don't just blindly follow whatever I do
and don't just adopt a random routine
because it makes sense for another
person a part of figuring out what works
for you is all about trying out
different routines and trying out
different systems to see which one
sticks for you and I'm going to make a
separate video about this in the future
as well which is on note-taking or
annotating from books uh I've recently
started to really think deeply on this
topic and I realized that not taking
shouldn't follow any sets of structures
because notetaking is a is this
rearticulation of what you think of the
book and those thoughts are so personal
that no process and no gimmick could
really capture that note-taking process
so dedicated no taking process coming up
for you but the point here is find out
your why figure out what works for you
and deliberately underere because a lot
of the times consistency matters a lot
more compared to reading 20 or setting
up an arbitrary page count so that's why
I favor keeping time instead of keeping
keeping page counts so anyway I think
that's all I have to cover in this video
uh again this is another format of this
unfiltered approach to um sharing
insights with you guys I think sometimes
I tend to go down rabbit holes so um I
will improve uh I I will cut down those
RAB hole segments in the future but
nevertheless hope you guys have enjoyed
this segment and I will see you in the
next video take care and goodbye
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