Reading More Than One Book at a Time
Reading is one of the best things you can do for yourself. You’d struggle to find someone who disagrees. Reading can enhance everything else you are doing. Like most worthwhile activities, it works best when done with consistency and intent. You can achieve this by reading multiple books at any given time.
Here’s why
Books are not all the same. Ultimately, we read in order to enrich our life in some way, but different books support different outcomes. In other words, they serve different purposes. (I will talk about this a bit later on.)
Consistency
Since most people want to read, doing so consistently is mostly about removing barriers. Some typical barriers to reading are lack of time, inability to focus, lack of motivation, or simply boredom.
Different types of books demand different amounts of time and attention, and they have different contents, we can remove some of these barriers by having more than one book available to read at any given point.
This will help you read irrespective of your mood, the time, or the place. In other words, it eliminates excuses and helps you read more consistently. If you’re reading a difficult book, but you’re tired, you can pick up an easier book instead. If you get bored of one book, but you know it’s a good idea to read it, you can just switch to a different one for now.
Being able to explore different topics will also mean you are more likely to find and read something you like. This will make reading more enjoyable, which will further help you stick with your reading habit in the long run.
Intent
By being aware of what purpose different types of books serve, you can be more intentional about which books you are reading.
You will also be less likely to want to stick with a book that’s not worth your time because you have other options. As Nassim Taleb says, it’s better to get bored by a specific book, rather than by the act of reading itself. So don’t be afraid to put down a book that’s not adding enough to your life.
Of course, every book you read will add something, but some will add more than others. Reading smart is about reading the right books (at the right time) just as much as it is about reading better. To borrow an idea from Cal Newport, avoid the any-benefit mindset towards reading.
Most importantly, I find that if you have a clear understanding of the reason you are reading a book, you are more likely to get the most out of it for yourself. Essentially, you will know what to pay attention to while you read.
Here’s how
I’ve tried a few different ways of reading multiple book at the same time. I mentioned before that books serve different purposes. Ultimately, your intended purpose is what will determine how you read a book, but different books suit different purposes better.
Some of the intentions for reading you might have are learning a new topic, building context around a known topic, exploring some idea, or simply for entertainment. These are some of the reasons I’ve found for reading books — yours will very likely differ.
What you can do is pick books serving any combination of intended purposes. You don’t have to do all of them at once, although you certainly can. I started off by reading one book for learning and one book for entertainment. For me that was one non-fiction book and one novel.
I did this because I wanted to read more fiction, but you can certainly read non-fiction for entertainment as well — I am currently reading a book on Bulgarian history before bed. (It’s not that random — I’m Bulgarian!)
I’ve even read up to four books at the same time. What matters is that you figure out what works for you. I know that’s not as convenient as me just telling you exactly what, when, and how to read, but it’s also a much more useful answer.
By reading different books at different times and for different reasons — essentially playing around with it — you’ll figure out what types of books are out there based on the purpose they serve best (which is unique to you). I focused on doing this while paying attention to the differences between the way I was reading, when I wanted to read, how much I was remembering, etc.
So just try it out. See what works. Remember, effective reading involves consistency and intent. Anything that brings you closer to these is the right thing for you.
Please feel free to leave a comment or get in touch if you want to share your reading experience related to this or any other topic.
Thank you for investing your attention with me!
This article is part 3 of my 50 Bad Articles initiative, where I write 50 crappy articles in 50 days, in an attempt to kickstart my writing journey.
