The poi nt isn’t to read Crime and Punishment on day one. The point is to get you reading. So start with what’s easy and what you’re into. Seriously, guilty pleasures abound (I like I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Shit My Dad Says).Once you’ve tested the waters (maybe 2 — 3 months), start to grapple with tougher books, maybe even the canonical texts. To use what you read, start implementing this <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholiday/2012/05/14/read-to-lead-the-secret-code-for-cracking-tough-books-and-reading-above-your-level/">strategy </a>. Don’t worry about this until you’re hooked though.Life is short.There are cars to drive, projects to finish, and girls to woo. If a book doesn’t have you engaged after 50 pages, move on to the next one. I know this might go against your instincts, but forget it — your instincts stopped you from reading and made you watch all 5 seasons of Jersey Shore.

Best to get addicted to reading

Self Improvement

A few of Detroit Red’s favorite pastimes: cocaine, reefer, and armed robbery.

This was the 1940s. Yet, 10 years of prison and 7 years of parole later, Detroit Red was a changed man. He became a civil rights activist, and, yes, never touched cocaine again. What happened?

- Feel happier, write better, and have clearer ideas - Be a better conversationalist and storyteller - Live with purpose - Become badass

Of course, here’s the secret: there’s a step-by-step strategy you can use to catch reading fever. Without further ado…

The poi nt isn’t to read Crime and Punishment on day one. The point is to get you reading. So start with what’s easy and what you’re into. Seriously, guilty pleasures abound (I like I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Shit My Dad Says).

Once you’ve tested the waters (maybe 2 — 3 months), start to grapple with tougher books, maybe even the canonical texts. To use what you read, start implementing this <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholiday/2012/05/14/read-to-lead-the-secret-code-for-cracking-tough-books-and-reading-above-your-level/">strategy </a>. Don’t worry about this until you’re hooked though.

There are cars to drive, projects to finish, and girls to woo. If a book doesn’t have you engaged after 50 pages, move on to the next one. I know this might go against your instincts, but forget it — your instincts stopped you from reading and made you watch all 5 seasons of Jersey Shore.

Tier #3: The Triple Offensive: Amazon, Shelfari, and Goodreads

You start with tracking the numbers.

Create a <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/">Shelfari Account </a>or <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">GoodReads accounts </a>to track what you read and create a to-read list. Or just write it down in a notebook. Note recommendations from friends. On <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon </a>, go on a 30 minute search binge. Make a wish list. Buy books. Read reviews. Write reviews. Go nuts.

<a href="http://www.ryanholiday.net/">Ryan Holiday </a>has probably read more books than me, my grandfather, grandmother, and 7 of my cousins combined, and he totals 200-300 a year.

Sign up for his <a href="http://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter/">reading recommendation list </a>, read his <a href="http://www.ryanholiday.net/">blog </a>and you’ll get two things: a place to <a href="http://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-list/">start </a>and a love of books. His stuff has been priceless to me.

<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/">Barnes and Nobles </a>is the Victoria’s Secret for books. I promise: just being in the store will reinvigorate the drive to read. It can be any bookstore, but do this ritual, every other week:

<ul><li>Set aside one hour (or more, if you’re adventurous) - Pick up whatever books look good. - Sit at the cafe and flip through each book. Get a feel for the material. - If any book catches your attention, note it down in your Wish List (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/ref=wish_list">Amazon </a>works well here). Don’t read shit you don’t like. - Get your hands on that book, anyway you can. </li> </ul>

Set aside 20 minutes during the day, find a quiet place, and just read — the longer, the better. This might be the most important step you take — reading book recommendations doesn’t mean anything if you don’t actually read and do it everyday.

When comfortable, add another 10 minutes to the regimen. The longer the trials, the more reading endurance you’ll build up. With enough reading time under your belt, soon the reading gods will be calling your name.

To help you stick with the habit:

<ul><li>My favorite: Use the <a href="http://www.lift.do">Lift App </a>to track yourself, and set push reminders everyday. - No iPhone? <a href="http://askmeevery.com/">Askmeevery.com </a>keeps you accountable by asking you a question everyday via email or text. You’ll answer, and it’ll track your results. Simple. </li> </ul>

Remember, the more you do this, the more you might binge-read. It’s natural. Don’t fight it — let it happen, it’s awesome.

Reading is an investment. There’s no interest rates. There’s no blowback. No annoying telemarketers. It’s all upside.

Muster your firepower and follow the step-by-step strategy like it’s Jesus Christ and your his Disciple. Print it out, put it on your bedside table, and follow. As soon as you start catching reading fever, not all the steps have to be there, because by then, it’ll be just habit.

By then, you might even come out better on the other end, Detroit Red style.

“I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading has opened to me. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.” ― Malcolm X (known as Detroit Red in his younger days), in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Malcolm-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141185430/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1361551972&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+autobiography+of+malcolm+x">Autobiography of Malcolm X </a>

Mohnish Soundararajan works for bestselling authors and startups. Check out more at <a href="http://www.mohnish.net">www.mohnish.net </a>

What’s up. I work with bestselling authors and startups. Here’s my writing on opinion, life, startups, books, and all the good stuff in between.  www.mohnish.net

What’s up. I work with bestselling authors and startups. Here’s my writing on opinion, life, startups, books, and all the good stuff in between. www.mohnish.net

Decision fatigue remedy for product designers

Approaching Everyday Racism through Fiction in Co-Creation Workshops

How to Fight Isolation When Working from Home

What I Learned from Making 50 Sketches of a Single Object

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

How To Get Addicted To Reading. Hacking your way to a reading habit | by Mohnish Soundararajan | Medium

Best to get addicted to reading

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Explore The 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique For Anxiety | by Lisa Bradburn | BeingWell | May, 2021 | Medium

The Deliberate Experiment Rule: Improving Life Through Experimentation

Cinematography: Understanding Lighting in Film

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

How To Get Addicted To Reading. Hacking your way to a reading habit | by Mohnish Soundararajan | Medium

Best to get addicted to reading

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Explore The 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique For Anxiety | by Lisa Bradburn | BeingWell | May, 2021 | Medium

The Deliberate Experiment Rule: Improving Life Through Experimentation

Cinematography: Understanding Lighting in Film

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career