First Blog

Recently I’ve been reading a book by Karen Swallow Prior called On Reading Well. It’s a good book so far—and I have no reason to think it will end otherwise. But I got to thinking: what about just reading? 

The Problem

Not long ago, one of my mentors told me about a rather famous pastor and author who had written a book, but had decided to forego the west coast of the US (from where I write this blog) on his book tour. He happily booked speaking in most other states, but not California. When asked why, he responded: “They don’t read out there.” I take umbrage with that statement. Actually, I’m not really that upset, perhaps partly because I’m afraid it’s true. But what I do fear is that it’s not just a California problem. Reading is becoming increasingly rare everywhere. 

How do we fix this problem? We could talk about the benefits of reading, in hopes to motivate people to read—benefits such as how it makes us more patient, kind, understanding human beings, since reading requires us to take in another person’s point of view without racing to voice our own. We could also point to articles like this one in the Huffington Post where many great leaders (from Buffet and Gates to Oprah and Zuckerberg) attribute much of their success to reading. But, then, I wonder if a lack of motivation isn’t so much the problem as it is a lack of means. What do I mean? 

Maybe what’s missing from the equation is not so much why one should read as it is how one could actually get going on reading. In our world driven by social media, the “need” to check our phone every few minutes, and with commute times taking up whatever precious few minutes or hours we have left in the day, how do we ever find time to read? (If I’m completely honest, just now—just as I wrote that last sentence—I checked my phone to see and reply to a text from a friend! I write as one reader hobbling along, trying to encourage another.) 

Here are two simple tips for (re)building the habit of reading: (1) designate a time; and (2) take time. This blog covers the first point; Part 2 will cover the second. 

Designate a Time

Designate a time: not so much a time slot (how could we with our schedules always in flux!); rather, designate an amount of time which you will commit to reading in a given day. Whether it’s 5, 15, or 30 minutes, make a commitment, on the “front-end,” to a realistic and measurable goal. I once asked Dr. Craig Keener, who famously wrote this massive commentary on the book of Acts, how he was able to achieve such a great feat, to which he responded: “Fifteen minutes at a time.” With a schedule filled with daddy duties, a full-time job, and the rest of life, Dr. Keener knew he would have to squeeze in his research and writing in 15-minute segments throughout the day. So if, say, you commit to 30 minutes a day, then designate, say, 15 minutes as a part of your lunch, and another 15 perhaps in late evening (maybe just after putting the kids down), to feed your soul with a great book. 

By the way, it turns out: if you read 30 minutes a day, depending on your current age, you could potentially read a thousand (or at least hundreds of) books over the course of your life! Check out this cool video (yes, video) for the exact calculations: https://youtu.be/lIW5jBrrsS0. (I couldn’t resist going back to motivation—it’s probably the teacher in me.) It too offers some very insightful and practical tips on how to get reading.

Why not start today?