The Best Method to Develop a Daily Reading Habit

Summary

In this video, Parker Settles introduces a simple yet effective method for developing a daily reading habit: the daily reading log. He explains the importance of setting daily reading goals and tracking progress, suggesting both top-down and bottom-up approaches to determine these goals. Parker shares his personal experience with the log, which involves noting down the book title, starting and ending page numbers, and tallying the daily total. He emphasizes the benefits of an analog log over digital tools like Goodreads, highlighting how it serves as a physical reminder and motivator for consistent reading.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the love for books and the struggle to manage the desire to read many books while juggling other life demands.
• 🎯 The importance of setting reading goals and tracking them daily is highlighted as a way to make progress in reading.
• 📈 Two approaches to setting daily reading goals are discussed: top-down (based on yearly goals) and bottom-up (based on daily capabilities).
• 🔄 The top-down approach involves calculating daily page goals from a yearly book target, either by planning each book or averaging book lengths.
• 🌱 The bottom-up approach is recommended as it starts with a manageable daily page goal and allows for growth and habit formation.
• 📈 The speaker shares a personal method for tracking reading progress using a physical notebook, which includes logging page numbers and circling daily totals.
• 📈 The method involves writing down the book title, starting and ending page numbers for each reading session, and tallying up the total pages read daily.
• 🔢 The speaker suggests multiplying the daily page goal by 365 to get a yearly goal and using this to estimate the number of books read in a year.
• 📆 The speaker has been using the same method for tracking reading since November 30th, 2015, indicating the effectiveness and consistency of the approach.
• 📘 The physical reading log serves as a tangible reminder and motivation to read, contrasting with digital methods like Goodreads which the speaker finds less effective personally.
• 💡 The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to share their own reading goals and methods, fostering a community of readers.

Q & A

What is the main problem the speaker has with reading?

The speaker has a problem with managing the large number of books they want to read, which compete for their attention alongside other tasks and distractions.

What is the primary tool recommended by Parker to develop a daily reading habit?

The primary tool recommended by Parker to develop a daily reading habit is a reading log or a daily page number log.

What are the two broad approaches to setting a daily reading goal mentioned in the script?

The two broad approaches to setting a daily reading goal are the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach.

How does the top-down approach work for setting a daily reading goal?

The top-down approach involves setting a yearly goal, such as reading 52 books, and then planning out the page numbers for each book to be read each week, dividing by seven to determine the daily page goal.

What is the bottom-up approach to setting a daily reading goal?

The bottom-up approach involves determining how many pages one can realistically read in a single day and then building up from there to set a daily page goal that is both achievable and challenging.

Why does the speaker prefer the bottom-up approach over the top-down approach?

The speaker prefers the bottom-up approach because it is easier, more flexible, and focuses on the habit of daily reading rather than an arbitrary yearly goal.

How does the speaker track their daily reading progress using the reading log?

The speaker tracks their daily reading progress by writing down the title of the book, the starting and ending page numbers for each reading session, calculating the total pages read, and circling the total for the day.

What is the significance of circling the total pages read for each day in the reading log?

Circling the total pages read for each day makes it easier to tally up the monthly page numbers by quickly identifying the daily totals without having to recalculate.

How does the speaker feel about using Goodreads to track reading progress?

The speaker does not prefer using Goodreads as they find it less effective for their personal tracking needs and prefer the physical act of writing in a reading log.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of reading goals and habits over specific yearly targets?

The speaker believes that developing a daily reading habit and embracing a lifestyle of continued learning is more important than achieving a specific yearly target like reading 52 books.