"5 years from now you'll be the same person except for the books you read and the people you meet." — Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

I love to read. It's been a solid source for skill building and idea generation in my career. Because I often pull out stories and ideas from books, I get asked often about how I read so many books.

I don't speed read. And I have a decently busy life. Yet I've been able to read over 150 books in the past decade while getting an MBA, working in fast-paced startups (LinkedIn, Degreed), starting businesses (Sprintwell, Groove), partnering with my wife to homeschool our 5 kids, and moving 12 times (yes, we have moved A LOT).

Finding time to read comes down to 10-minute chunks.

The Simple Math

10 minutes a day = 1 book per month = 12 books per year

The problem isn't time. It's friction. Here's how to remove it:

The Two Habits That Changed Everything

1. Keep Books Everywhere

I have books on my desk. By my bed. In my bag. On the coffee table. In the bathroom.

Not "a book." Books. Plural. Always within arm's reach.

Why? Proximity creates action.

When a book is across the house, you won't read it. When it's next to you, you might pick it up during a 5-minute break.

I literally move books to wherever I'll be: desk for work breaks, bed for before sleep, bag for commutes.

The act of physically carrying books reminds me to read them.

2. Use Dead Time

Commute. Grocery shopping. Waiting rooms. Walking. Doing dishes.

All perfect for audiobooks.

I've volunteered to pick my kids up from school just to get 20 extra minutes of listening. I've extended grocery trips to finish a chapter. I've taken longer walks to hear how a story ends.

Audible at 2.5x speed means I can consume more content in the same time.

How Do I Get Books to Read?

Goodreads offers a great way to see what your friends are reading and ask for advice about if someone thinks you should read the book as well. Many Amazon reviews offer great insights as well if you read through a few.

There was a time when I thought books were hard to come by. I was raised to be very frugal and it was hard for me to just buy a book. A few things have helped me still get lots of books, even with that tendency.

Ask for Books at Work

The last several companies I've worked for bought me books. At Degreed we had FlexEd, a $100 monthly stipend to spend on anything learning related. It's awesome. Small amount of money that feels like a massive perk. Every company should do this.

Before that, I pitched ideas to my bosses about books I would like to read that would help me be better at my job. Both times, even when it wasn't the norm, I was given books that I wanted to read. And what manager doesn't want to hear an employee talk about how they are working to be better?

Buy Books for Cheaper

Check out the price difference between hardback, paperback, and Kindle editions. Used books on Amazon are awesome. Many books you can find for $4.

I also love the Audible Platinum membership, which let me pay for 24 credits up front for $229.50 ($9.56 a book). I also get 30% off books purchased without credits.

Ask for Recommendations and Borrow Books

Use your social network and ask for recommendations. Goodreads also lets you see books as your friends finish them. Asking a friend if you can borrow a book they just finished has a number of benefits. Your friend will feel good for being generous. You will feel more accountability to finish the book. When finished you both learn more from discussion. It builds a stronger relationship between you and your friend.

Libraries are amazing.

Why Does This Work?

Getting Started

The act of getting started is the hardest part - remembering what you want to do and overcoming inertia to do it. That's why having a book around is powerful. I believe it's one reason boys who grow up with books in their home earn more money — though read that one carefully: it studied elderly European men, the 21% bump sits on top of an extra year of schooling, and the researchers say plainly it doesn't show causation. There are times picking up a book leads to an hour of reading.

Track What You Learn

The difference between "I've read a few books - can't remember which ones" and "Here's the 25 books I read last year" is amazing when it comes to feeling accomplishment.

I track everything I read on Goodreads.

I love tracking what I read. It feels amazing to see a full list of what I've read each year. Seeing what I've learned brings a sense of accomplishment. It also makes for one of my most engaging social media posts. I love setting a goal and seeing progress. I love that my friends see what I read and ask me about it. I love seeing what my friends read and getting book suggestions.

Who Do You Want to Be?

You can check out all of the books I've read which gives you a sense of the books I recommend.

These books represent a substantive chunk of my learning over the past few years. Reading more takes some small habits and will help you answer the question "who do I want to be in 5 years?" Go read some.