Aaron Swartz on how to read more books:
I’ve read a hundred books a year for the past couple years. Last time I mentioned this, a couple people asked how I could read so many books. Do I read unusually quickly? Do I spend an unusual amount of time reading? I did a simple calculation: The average person spends 1704 hours a year watching TV. If the average reading rate is 250 words per minute and the average book is 180,000 words, then that’s 142 books a year. To my surprise, I wasn’t reading nearly enough books. So I’ve taken some steps to read more:
1. Block your favorite blogs.
2. Order lots of books at the library.
3. Alienate everyone close to you.
4. Keep the temperature low.
I’m an advocate for constraints in support of reading more (last summer, for instance, I tested out a book a day after learning Clinton read two a day while in office). None of mine have lasted, but I’ve yet to alienate everyone close to me. There may be hope yet.
