I read. A lot. I typically read 5-8 books, 20-25 blog posts/articles, and a handful of book reviews, and sermons every month. Now, take a moment and go back in time with me...
About 5 years ago, I didn't want to read. I wasn't into it. If you told me in just a couple of years I would choose to read whenever I had free time I would laugh at you. So what changed? There are a couple of things that I decided I must do in order to fall in love with reading and set myself up for success in reading more books. Here are a few things I started to do: 1. Set a goal for how many books I wanted to read in a year. Setting goals helped me to have something to work towards. In doing this, I was able to plan approximately how many books I needed to read each month and was better able to get a plan on how much I needed to read each week. Don't start out with a goal of 52 books for a year. Instead, start out with a goal of 10-12. Try to read a book a month and move towards that end goal. Once you reach it, up it. Move from 12-15. Then 15-20. Then 20-25. And so on. 2. I set aside time each week to read. This is important. If you don't make it a priority on your schedule, it isn't a priority. I set aside three times daily to read: in the morning after my devotional time, around the middle of the afternoon (2-3p), and at night. I typically can read 50-100 pages a day when following this schedule which allows me to read around 2 books a week. 3. I chose three categories of books I want to read at all times. I have four categories of books I am always reading. History, Theology, Personal Help, and Preaching. I suggest to always be reading multiple books at one time. In doing this, you are able to work through multiple books at a faster rate rather than reading one book and getting stuck in the inevitable 'dry spots' many books have. Customize the categories to fit what you are interested in and then buy some books that fit those categories. 4. I started out with little books and moved up from there. Don't start out with a 500-page book. Start with a 120-page book and move up from there. Don't feel like you have to read big books in order to grow in the discipline of reading. Start small!
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About MeI am a Husband to Clarissa, Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church, reader of many books, and tweeter at @brad_merchant. Archives
July 2016
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