Let's analyze a few key statistics with regard to reading.
However, research from the Rype Academy (http://rypeapp.com/blog/5-easy-ways-to-read-more-books-and-double-your-knowledge/) shows that CEOs such as Elon Musk, Mark Cuban, and Peter Thiel read around 60 books a year! That's 4-5 books each month.
So why do some of the most successful individuals in the world take the time to go through so many books? At a high level it may seem excessive, but if you truly believe that knowledge is power, wouldn't it make sense to dedicate whatever time is needed to attain more knowledge?
If you look at reading like a form of linear learning, then yes, reading would be a waste of time. Linear learning would be a 1 to 1 transfer of knowledge. For example, if it took the author of the book 10 years to research a topic and it took me 10 years to go through the book, that would be pretty pointless. At the end of the day this type of reading would be pointless.
However, I look at reading like it's compounded learning. What is compounded learning? Good question! Compounded learning is the process of taking the knowledge from an individual, but not having to spend the same amount of time that it took that individual to research the topic.
For example, imagine that you read a book on How to Become a Better Developer. The author of the book had to spend years researching the topic (assuming that it was a well-written/well-researched book). However, if you go through the book in a few weeks, that means that you were able to gain years worth of knowledge in a few weeks!
Research (http://blogs.plos.org/neurotribes/2011/06/02/practical-tips-on-writing-a-book-from-22-brilliant-authors/) shows that top authors will spend a minimum of two years researching a book. And that research time doesn't take into account the fact that authors draw on their entire lifespans to write a book. All of this means that each time you read a book it's as if you were able to gain a lifetime's worth of experiences and wisdom from the author.
It's one thing to say that reading is important; it's another thing entirely to go through a large number of books on a regular basis. With that in mind I've developed my own reading system. This system also takes into account a number of complaints that I've heard others say about reading.
First and foremost, I schedule a set amount of time each day for reading. Usually, this equals around 1-2 hours; however, on weekends this number can be double that number. At any given point of time, I'm usually going through a dozen books ranging from mind/skill hacking through technical programming books.
I'm not sure where the stigma of audio books came from. However, with my travel schedule, I've discovered that audio books are an invaluable tool in my learning arsenal. Obviously, you can't go through programming books via Audible. However, you can go through skill and business-based books. And I personally have hundreds of books in my Audible account, many of which I've gone through multiple times. In fact, many of the books I've discussed and quoted from were books I listened to rather than read.
