How to Read More Books

TL;DR

Keep a Kindle or physical book on the bedside table and charge the phone outside the bedroom to remove nighttime scrolling temptation.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

Reading more books comes down to engineering daily friction and defaults—so books win over phones, boredom, and guilt. The most decisive move is the “pillow rule”: keep a Kindle or physical book on the bedside table and charge the phone outside the bedroom. With the phone out of reach at night, the evening routine stops turning into Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Reddit scrolling. The payoff isn’t just more reading time; it’s less reliance on willpower because the environment nudges behavior.

A second lever targets the instant a hand reaches for a device. Phone use often follows muscle memory—thumbs naturally gravitate to the apps with the most screen time. The fix is to redesign the digital interface so reading becomes the first option. Removing social apps from the home screen (or even uninstalling them) reduces accidental opening. The practical alternative is placing the Kindle app front and center, supported by widgets that surface what’s currently being read on Kindle and what’s being listened to on Audible. The goal is simple: when someone opens their phone during downtime—on public transport, on the toilet, or while waiting in line—the default action becomes reading rather than vertical-video scrolling.

Time is the next obstacle, and the approach here is to treat “reading” as something that can happen while hands are busy. Instead of waiting for an hour of uninterrupted silence, the “multitasking rule” uses audiobooks during menial or mind-numbing tasks. With commuting as an example, two hours a day can be converted into audiobook time, often at faster playback speeds (1.5x–2.5x). That turns otherwise wasted attention—music, background YouTube, or doing nothing—into consistent exposure to books.

Keeping momentum also means avoiding the trap of reading only one book at a time. Parallel reading lets people switch based on mood and energy—lighter fiction when attention is low, heavier non-fiction when focus is available. Just as important is permission to abandon books that don’t grip. The “school mindset” that reading is work and unfinished books make someone a bad person gets replaced with a more flexible rule: if a book isn’t landing, moving on isn’t failure.

To make reading feel easier, the advice is to “read what you love until you love to read.” Classics and “smart books” can be hard to start; page-turning fiction, even “trashy” genres like romantasy, murder mysteries, or holiday reads, builds the skill of sustained attention. When reading becomes a slog, mild gamification helps—logging Kindle reading progress to Goodreads, tracking stats, and rating books after finishing.

Speed is treated as a tool, not a virtue. Listening on Audible at 1.5x or 2x can make slow sections more tolerable, and training listening speed can preserve comprehension. The same applies to reading: there’s no prestige in slow pace, and readers can train away from sub-vocalization to move faster.

Finally, acquisition and identity reinforce the habit. The “impulse buy rule” removes friction at the moment of recommendation—buy on Kindle or download on Audible immediately, then read later. And the “identity shift” reframes the self from “not a reader” to “I am a reader,” which makes picking up a book during downtime feel natural. The underlying aim isn’t book-count for its own sake, but the learning, entertainment, and motivation that books deliver.

Cornell Notes

The core strategy for reading more books is to make books the easiest choice—physically, digitally, and psychologically. Keeping a book on the bedside table while charging the phone outside the bedroom removes nighttime scrolling. Designing the phone so Kindle is the first visible app (and using widgets) turns downtime into reading time. Audiobooks convert “dead time” (commutes, chores) into regular book exposure, often at faster speeds without losing comprehension. The habit sticks through parallel reading, permission to abandon unengaging books, and an identity shift toward “I am a reader.”

How does the “pillow rule” increase reading without relying on willpower?

It changes the physical environment. By keeping a Kindle or book on the bedside table and charging the phone outside the bedroom, the phone becomes unavailable when it’s time to get into bed. That removes the temptation to open social apps at night and makes the only accessible option a book or Kindle. The result is a routine where reading happens by default rather than through constant self-control.

Why does removing social apps from the home screen help, and what replaces them?

Phone behavior often follows muscle memory: the thumb tends to open the apps that have the most screen time. If social apps sit on the home screen, they’re the first targets during small moments of downtime. The fix is to make reading the default by placing the Kindle app first on the home screen and using widgets that show the current Kindle book and the current Audible listen. This makes the first tap usually reading-related rather than scrolling.

What’s the “multitasking rule” for people who feel they don’t have time to read?

It treats time constraints as a scheduling problem, not a motivation problem. When hands are busy with menial tasks, audiobooks fill the attention gap—especially during commuting. The example given is commuting two hours daily, where audiobooks at 1.5x–2.5x speed turned that time into consistent reading. The approach also acknowledges mindful moments without audio, but uses audiobooks to reclaim time that would otherwise go to music or background video.

How do parallel reading and abandoning books prevent reading from stalling?

Parallel reading counters the “one book at a time” mindset by allowing mood-based switching—light fiction when energy is low, non-fiction when focus is available. Abandoning unengaging books removes guilt and the school-like belief that unfinished books make someone a bad person. Together, these rules reduce the chance of getting stuck for months on a book that isn’t working for the reader at that moment.

Why does “read what you love until you love to read” matter for building the habit?

Starting with hard-to-read classics can feel like lifting too much weight too soon. The advice is to begin with engaging, easier “page-turner” genres—romantasy, murder mysteries, drama, holiday fiction—so reading feels effortless enough to continue. Once the habit and attention skills build, readers can later challenge themselves with more demanding books.

What role do speed, gamification, and impulse buying play in sustaining progress?

Speed makes slow sections more tolerable: Audible playback at 1.5x–2x can improve enjoyment, and training listening speed can preserve comprehension. Gamification helps when reading feels like a slog—Goodreads syncing with Kindle tracks started/finished books and encourages ratings and reviews. Impulse buying reduces friction at acquisition: when a book is recommended, it’s downloaded or purchased immediately (Kindle or Audible), so later reading isn’t blocked by decision fatigue.

Review Questions

Which specific environmental changes make nighttime phone scrolling less likely, and how do they connect to reading defaults?
How do parallel reading and permission to abandon books change the emotional cost of starting a new title?
What are the practical reasons audiobook speed changes (e.g., 1.5x–2.5x) can increase total book exposure without sacrificing comprehension?

Key Points

1
Keep a Kindle or physical book on the bedside table and charge the phone outside the bedroom to remove nighttime scrolling temptation.
2
Make reading the digital default by placing the Kindle app first on the home screen and using widgets that surface what’s currently being read or listened to.
3
Convert “dead time” into reading time with audiobooks during chores, commuting, and other menial tasks, often using faster playback speeds.
4
Use parallel reading to match book difficulty to energy levels, and allow yourself to abandon books that aren’t gripping you.
5
Build reading momentum by starting with engaging genres (“read what you love until you love to read”) rather than forcing classics immediately.
6
Add light gamification by syncing Kindle reading with Goodreads to track progress and rate books after finishing.
7
Reduce acquisition friction with an impulse-buy approach and strengthen the habit through an identity shift to “I am a reader.”

Highlights

The biggest behavior change comes from the “pillow rule”: book on the nightstand, phone charging outside the bedroom—so the default bedtime choice becomes reading.

Designing the phone so Kindle is the first visible app turns micro-downtime (transit, waiting, bathroom breaks) into consistent reading sessions.

Audiobooks at 1.5x–2.5x can reclaim commuting time and make slow sections easier to push through without losing comprehension.

Parallel reading plus permission to abandon unengaging books prevents months-long stalls caused by guilt and “finish it” pressure.

Speed and identity both matter: listening/reading faster isn’t about prestige, and thinking of oneself as “a reader” makes book pickup feel automatic.

Topics

Bedtime Environment
Digital Defaults
Audiobooks
Parallel Reading
Identity Shift