January is almost done in 2021. And if you are like a lot of the people I know, you came into 2021 with some resolutions or goals. One of the most common I have encountered with my friends, clients and colleagues is that they want to read more books in 2021.

Not surprising really. Performing better in our jobs or becoming better people overall rank as some of the most popular new years resolutions. And many people realize that reading more relevant books—that is, learning more relevant information—is a sure-fire way to achieving these goals.

But let me ask you this—how has it been going so far? I am talking about actually reading the books. Not just buying them and displaying them on shelves in your office or as your video call background—reading them.

Did you start the year with a lot of gusto and motivation? Maybe you started (and perhaps even finished) your first book. But now you find yourself slowing down. Life is still busy and the distractions have not magically disappeared. You have now gone days and maybe even a fortnight without reading and you are thinking about chucking your resolution to read more books in 2021.

I get it. Really, I do. I had a similar struggle a few years ago when I set a similar goal… and failed. Failed miserably. Since then, I have gone on to read many dozens of books and even wrote one too!

In this article, I want to share a few practical, proven and reliable tips to help you crush your goal to read more books in 2021 so that a lack of knowledge and information will not stop you from being all you can be in 2021.

Unlike some of the longer lists on the internet, I will keep mine short and sweet—the vital few principles that will help you. As a bonus, these can be applied to other resolutions as well.

#1 To read more books in 2021, Have a useful, practical measure. (Don’t count books, count hours)

A lot of people’s resolutions don’t measure anything. Take the “read more books in 2021” resolution for example. What does more mean? 10? 50? 100? Having a number to shoot for is a lot more effective than simply saying more.

But here’s the twist—it is actually better to have a target number of time put in to reading than books read. Preferably, in hours/week.

Count hours, not titles or pages

When you count hours, it takes the pressure off. As long as you put in the time, you win. This works for other resolutions too—think exercise for example. The upshot is that you are also likely crushing through pages (or calories as the case my be) with every hour you put in. Win-win. I wrote about how this technique also helps overcome procrastination. Read about that in this article here.

Back to books: This approach of measuring time put in also lets you focus on quality over quantity. I know someone who constantly brags about how many books he has read, yet he often struggles to retell stories or explain concepts from the same books when he is called upon to do so at work or in casual conversation. It appears he is more interested in checking books off his long list than he is about actually learning or applying any of the information in those books.

Don’t be that guy. To read more books in 2021, have a measure you can use—preferably, in hours. Not titles or pages. And focus on making the most of the time. The page and title counts will take care of themselves.

#2 To read more books in 2021, schedule your reading in advance

When, where and how do you read? For me, I read in the evenings after dinner and after my kids are in bed but before my bedtime—roughly a 1-hour window of time.

I read tucked into the corner of our right-facing sectional sofa under the warm beam of a standing lamp bought specifically for the purpose. I read with a cup of decaf mushroom coffee or some black tea to give me enough stimulation to stay alert but not quite enough to disturb my sleep after. Admittedly, I miss some days here and there, but for the most part I keep to it.

Having this scheduled time and place decided in advance is what psychologists call an implementation intention and it has been shown to increase the likelihood of following through on a resolution by up to two-fold—that is double the odds in favour of follow through.

Would you like to double the odds that you will actually read more books in 2021 (and really any other resolution)? Then schedule the time and place in advance intelligently. Simply saying Whenever I get the chance or wherever I can just won’t cut it.

Mornings or evenings work well for many people, but your mileage may vary. Even lunch time a few times a week is good. See what works for you.

What matters most is that you have a plan and an implementation intention to help you see it through.

#3 To read more books in 2021, stop reading books!

I know this sounds crazy but hear me out. What I am really asking you to do is to see if there is another way to achieve the same goal.

If the goal is to increase your familiarity with useful and relevant information to improve your life or work, then visual reading is only one way. A preferred way for many to be fair, but still just one way. There are others.

“Reading” multimedia

Technology has made it so much easier to access multimedia these days. These multimedia options are commonly audio or audio-visual (video).

For books, the audio-book market is growing fast and audio-books are great for on-the-go “reading”. I often have at least one audio-book on the go at all times. This is the “book” I read while cooking or doing any other activity that does not require my full attention.

Video is also more accessible than it has ever been. You may consider instructional videos or documentaries as replacements for your evening veg sessions with mind-numbing sitcoms or depressing news updates.

When I was recording the audio-book for my book, I didn’t buy a book on vocal performance of audio-books. Instead, I watched a ton of video tutorials instead, and re-listened to some of my favourite audio-books—hence taking advantage of the multimedia options out there.

The goal for me was to record a good audio-book, and using the right medium—in this case audio and video—made more sense than reading about it.

Reading written media

Even when visual reading is preferred, books are only one form of written media. You also have magazines, periodicals and even graphic novels!

Often magazine articles can be more concise in conveying information for the simple fact that they are constrained by word counts for the publication. I especially enjoy special edition publications from reputable magazines like Time, National Geographic or New Scientist. These editions tend to tackle one topic and provide multiple perspectives through well-written articles by credible experts and journalists.

Your tastes in topics, and by extension publications, might differ. But the idea is the same. Are there other forms of written media you can use to achieve your reading goals?

The point

The applicable principle here (and to your other resolutions) is not to get hung up on the medium or the vehicle for achieving your goals—but to be open to other means. Especially if those other means fit your preferences and/or lifestyle better.

#4 To read more books in 2021, start small, start slim.

Depending on where your starting point is when it comes to reading, this may or may not apply to you. If you are already far above the North American average of about 12 books a year, (it is noteworthy that this is based on self-reported data so make of that what you will) then you are probably comfortable reading large tomes.

For others though, building momentum is key to maintain motivation. Therefore, I recommend starting with slimmer books—say 120 pages or less—to build the habit and get some quick wins under your belt.

Opt for concise books, preferably best-sellers in the field in which you are interested. Best-selling books often have a nice blend of content and entertainment to make the reading experience more enjoyable, and so more likely to be done. Reading best-sellers can also get you started on the path to becoming the go-to expert in your office. Read about that in this article.

As you read more, you will find yourself becoming more comfortable tackling thicker and thicker books. Perhaps even reading more than one book at a time. But if you are struggling at the moment to even finish one book, then starting with a small book can be great for your confidence and motivation.

As relates to other goals, this start-small-and-build-strength approach is immensely useful whether it be a goal to exercise more or eat healthier. You can start by simply walking on a spot for 5 minutes each day or replacing just one meal with a healthy option as the case may be.

In the book The Kaizen Way: One Small Step Can Change Your Life, author Dr Robert Maurer, a clinical psychologist in UCLA, explained how he used this approach to help his patients achieve profound and positive transformations—all sparked by applying the magic of starting small and then making incremental improvements over time. You can watch a neat video summary of Maurer’s book here.

This approach is often more effective than setting grand goals that leave you feeling intimidated and exasperated. Granted there are many other psychological tools you will need to use to break really deep-seated bad habits, but this approach of incremental improvement starting with ridiculously small changes has been used with great success. You can read my article on that here.

#5 To read more books in 2021, engineer your environment for ease.

This is a tip that affects most resolutions. Willpower is a finite resource and can only work for so long. Therefore, it should be conserved. One way to conserve it is to make the new change easy and even inevitable. This is best achieved by engineering your environment to make it easier and more likely that you will read more books.

An example is the standing lamp strategically placed in our living room. Guests might think it is a nice piece of décor. But for me, it is a visual reminder to get my reading in. I also have floating shelves, each with a handful of books around the house. And my e-reader is almost always within sight in my home office.

All these little tweaks to my environment make reaching for a book to read less inconvenient.

Like the ingenious one-click purchasing systems that smart retailers are implementing to reduce the friction of buyers parting with their cash, you too can implement an arm’s length or within-eye-shot system. Having your environment set up to remind and encourage you to actually read can be very powerful and effective.

The same can be used for your other resolutions too.

#6 A bonus: reward yourself…often

Every time you put in the time, reward yourself. For me, that cup of coffee or tea is my instant reward. It not only motivates to settle down and read, it is also a positive feedback mechanism for my brain to associate reading with something I enjoy.

You don’t have to use coffee or tea, but it is a good idea to reward yourself somehow. The reward doesn’t have to be large or expensive. In fact, it is probably best to keep it modest. But it does have to be something you enjoy and that does not compromise your well-being. I’ll leave that up to your imagination 😊

Happy reading! And have fun crushing your goals in 2021!

Want to Read More Books in 2021? Read this first