How much do you read?

billthane · 2015-06-22T13:18:17+00:00

What do you want to get out of reading? There are several possible goals. A big one is self-improvement. Most books out there on this subject can be boiled down to a few key lessons - in 15 minutes you can skim the chapters, figure out what's being said, and leave with 90% of what you'd learn from reading the whole thing.

Another is social benefits. Reading to learn about history, or celebrities, or reading a popular book allows you to talk about it with other people. This is useful, since having a foundation for smalltalk lets you move through conversations smoothly. Better to avoid most bigger works, like biographies, and instead look up interesting facts, and then go more in depth on subjects that interest you.

Finally, there's reading for relaxation. Nothing wrong with this, and you can find some good parables in fiction, but generally you put a lot of time in and don't get much out. Besides peace of mind, of course.

I'd go for 30 minutes a day, just to see what happens when you do.

allhigh13 · 2015-06-22T15:38:46+00:00

I read AT LEAST 30 minutes right before I go to bed, but usually I read much more throughout the day. A lot of people on here simply read self-improvement books and that's fine, but reading fiction offers benefits as well. Studies have shown (unfortunately I don't have them on mobile) that reading fiction allows you to read social situations and develop an understanding of the world. For example, I recently finished The Chamber by John Grisham, which helped me to form my opinion on the death penalty.

Not all works of fiction offer that understanding to a person, but reading widely has many benefits. Fiction, nonfiction, self-improvement, whatever. Just read and you'll become better.

And if I can offer my opinion on a book to read, you should pick up The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It's a biography written almost like fiction because of the life he lived. An incredible and life-changing read.

ven5 · 2015-06-23T00:54:34+00:00

Audio books on my commute and breaks at work, 15 minutes of reading before bed. It has helped me tremendously.

Don't think of it as pathetic. Fat people stay fat because they think fitting in 15 mins of exercise a day is pathetic and give up. The same can be said about ignorance.

Johnny10toes · 2015-06-22T12:32:35+00:00

I do it in batches. I may read for hours, skip a few days and read 10 minutes then an hour. 8 or 10 books this year. Started more that I didn't finish.

rexcerulean · 2015-06-22T16:21:05+00:00

Get in an hour a day. Put down the remote and you phone and pick up a book. You're better than that. Reading a book is like a healthy meal for your brain, internet/television is like fast food, alright in moderation, but not much else.

alreadyredschool · 2015-06-22T19:00:43+00:00

A book a week, none if I have exams.

I was no reader until I became 20 years old. You can get so much reading time when you don't play with your smart phone, watch TV...

TheInkerman · 2015-06-22T12:58:54+00:00

Probably about 30 minutes to an hour every night. Right now I'm reading one Law of Power a night, plus a chapter or so of another book.

RPthrowaway123 · 2015-06-22T15:30:37+00:00

Not nearly enough

StarDestinyGuy · 2015-06-23T00:36:20+00:00

Reading makes you a more interesting person.

Expands your horizons, allows you to speak and view from new points of view, gives you a deeper understanding of the world and all the people in it, you'll always have something new to talk about, you can show your passion for what you're reading which makes you more engaging and enjoyable to speak with, etc.

RPmatrix · 2015-06-22T14:35:41+00:00

heaps, I have 3 books within reach of me right now that I'm reading, two fact and one fiction

I love reading ... good books can take an imaginative mind into incredible places! And amazing knowledge can be obtained through them too! I read them when I have gaps to fill, I usually will have one in my pack at all times, just in case I need to kill some time, fuck using my ph.

Books; 10/10 would read again!

Title	How much do you read?
Author	zenplus
Upvotes	8
Comments	10
Date	June 22, 2015 11:28 AM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/3ap86x/how_much_do_you_read/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/how-much-do-you-read.150330 https://theredarchive.com/post/150330

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