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I was recently having a conversation with one of my followers on Instagram and he asked how I was able to read two books each month. Many of you know from my posts that in 2018 I made it a goal of mine to read at least two books per month. And, I've actually stepped it up a notch this year - my goal in 2019 is to read at least 3 books per month. I'm on track. I finished January 2019 having read 5 books.
In this blog post I will explain to you "How I Read At Least 3 Books Every Month". 
Alright. So, to begin I want to emphasize the importance of establishing routines and habits. It is very important that you get into the mindset of viewing your day as a big machine with small parts - I like to call them systems. With that being said, let me ask you: What's the very first thing you do in the morning? If your answer is anything else other than, "I do my morning routine." Then, you have to read "The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod. I'm not just saying that to plug in this book in my blog post. If you're not familiar with what a morning routine is or how it can help you - or, if you've heard of morning routines and you would like to read more about how they can help you be more productive in every area of your life, then this book is a must!
I start off my morning by doing a morning ritual that includes sitting down and reading a book for 10 minutes. So, right from the start I begin my day feeding my mind something informative, something that will inspire or motivate me for the remainder of the day. I also want to make a note here that the majority of books I read are about business, personal development, and biographies and autobiographies of people I admire. (You can read my other blog posts where I give a summary of my top favorite books here, and here.) Throughout the day I make it a goal to read another 40 minutes. Now, here's where a lot of people back off because they are under the impression that I mean 40 minutes straight. And, no! That's not what I mean. You see, I break my 40 minutes into 4 "chunks" of 10-minute time periods. This makes it so much easier to accomplish. I understand that the vast majority of those reading this blog post are extremely busy (you are business owners, after all). But, here, let me ask you something: What do you do when you take a 30-minute lunch break? Browse Facebook? Laugh at memes on Instagram? See the latest news on Twitter? Go down a rabbit hole on YouTube? You see, many times we are not conscious with what we do with our time. Time is the most precious resource we have and we need to start being more aware of that importance. Start looking for those small chunks of time where you can insert a quick 10-minute reading session. Waiting in line at the DMV? Read a book. Waiting for your kids at school? Read a book. Waiting for your date at a restaurant? Read a book. And, you know what, it gets even better. You can listen to books. I know there's a divide when it comes to people accepting that listening to books is the same as reading them. I am of the belief that if I'm feeding my mind with valuable information - whether by listening or reading it on paper or digitally - then, that's all that matters. Every day when I hit the gym - I like to get on the treadmill for an hour. That's six 10-minute "reading" sessions (or listening). I highly recommend this if you're truly serious about increasing the books and information you read and feed your mind. I use Audible; in fact, many of you have heard them being mentioned in the beginning of some of my podcast episodes, since I am an affiliate. [If you want to try them out for free, just click here! You'll get a free audiobook that you can start listening to right away with a 30-day trial membership. And, you can start listening right on your phone!] Finally, to finish my day I end it with what I like to call my "evening ritual". Which is very similar to my morning routine, only that it is done at a smaller scale - I do it to wind down and unplug. During my evening routine I also read for 10 minutes. I've noticed that reading for a few minutes before going to bed helps my mind cool down and allows me to fully prepare for a good night's rest. Well, to summarize my day's worth of 1-hour reading:
So, I literally read at least 1 hour every day using this strategy. It's something that I recommend if you're trying to increase your books per month or year. I love reading since it allows me to learn new and exciting things and many of the things I learn I try to apply them either to my personal or business life, or both! You can try out my strategy exactly as it is or you might want to change it around a bit, if you'd like. Remember, the important thing is to catch yourself when you're doing something unproductive and switch that activity into something productive, for example reading for a few minutes. Always ask yourself: "Is what I'm doing right now the most productive thing I could be doing?" Remember, what matters most is what we do when we have "nothing else to do." How many books do you read per month? Did you set a goal in the beginning of the year to read a certain amount of books by year's end? Do you have any strategy that I or my readers might be able to implement? If so, leave your comment below! I'd love to find out! Or, send me a message on any of my social media accounts! Thanks! A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one. Before you leave, remember to follow me on my social media accounts!
One more thing!
Have you subscribed to the podcast, yet?
If not, you can do so on your favorite podcast platform. I'll leave the links below. Thank you so much and have a great day! iTunes Stitcher Spotify Google Play
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AuthorDanny Partida is the creator and host of Archives
August 2022
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