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How to Read a Hundred Books a Year
In January and February of 2017, I read eighteen books. That was undoubtedly
the most I’ve ever read in such a short time frame. I probably read fewer books
than that in all of 2016.
How did I do it? How did the guy who started this book by confessing he’d
only finished 10 percent of the books he owns turn it around? I used fun.
First of all, I expanded my definition of “what counts.” I decided audiobooks
counted. Not just audiobooks, but audiobooks at 1.5x speed. Some authors read
their books soooooo slowly. I also didn’t give myself a page limit for what I
defined as a book. If I wanted to read a 120-page short idea from a business

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defined as a book. If I wanted to read a 120-page short idea from a business
author, that counted. I read some 700-page books during the year, but not every
one I picked up had to be as thick as a phone book. I also decided to read graphic
novels. As soon as I said that online, someone said, “Do comic books count?”
Against what? What invisible standard was my personal goal of reading a
hundred books in a year supposed to be measured against? Who’s quality level
was I judging my goal based on? I made the rules and I decided to make them
fun. I like audiobooks, and I like comic books, so I made sure they counted.
I also made sure to set in place fun rewards for myself. Every time I finished
a book, I would post it on Instagram with a short review and the hashtag
#AcuffReadsBooks. (You can check the hashtag right now; all the books are still
up.) I liked the discussions each post generated and always got great
recommendations for other books from people. But that’s not what was fun.
What was fun was seeing them stack up. I’m a numbers guy, and watching
the list get bigger, the collection of images swelling each time I finished one,
was enjoyable. I’m also motivated by an audience. It didn’t hurt my feelings that
people said things like “Wow, you’re reading a ton of books this year!” I am,
complete stranger, thanks for noticing. The affirmation, even from people I
didn’t know, was really fun to me.
That’s a little embarrassing. Perfectionism told me I shouldn’t need the
approval of other people to accomplish a goal. I should be able to be motivated
by my own personal sense of satisfaction. I was being vain and needy. Someone
smarter, someone with a healthier sense of self, wouldn’t have to share what
they were doing.
Maybe not. I bet that perfect person recycles really well, too, even when they
eat at Whole Foods and there are nineteen different recycling bins and it takes
you half an hour to throw your trash away. But that’s not me.
Who am I?
I’m the guy who read more than a hundred books in 2017 because I thought
a hashtag and some support from random followers was fun.