I recently watched a really video on YouTube by Max Joseph. Max has a conversation with Tim Urban, a blogger who runs the site “Wait But Why”, the topic of discussion, “How many books do you have left to read?”
I completed 51 books in 2019. Watching Max’s video made me reflect on my own reading habit, but that’s about as far as I got. Until, I enrolled in Ryan Holiday’s Read to Lead Challenge at the end of January. I was surprised to see him mention the Max Joseph video in Day 2 of the challenge. I had a proper laugh and proceeded to follow through on the challenge.
Calculating How Many Books You Have Left to Read
Using the calculator and answering a series of questions based on your lifestyle, the website gives you an estimate of the length of your life. As a result, it estimated that I would live to be 90 years old. Given that I am 32, at the time of authoring this post, I have around 58 years (an estimation). Currently, I read about 4 books a month (using last years average). Doing the calculation comes out to 2,784 books that I would have left to read.
Previously
In prior years, I would read maybe 5 books a year. By including 15 minutes in the morning in my morning routine, I was able to increase that to 10-12 books. As a result, I was able to expand my understanding of topics like personal finance, which intimidated me when I first started this blog. Currently, I read from a wide range of topics to include philosophy, psychology, mathematics, physics, computer science, programming, software development, self-help and more. My goal in my reading is to gain deeper understanding.
Deeper Understanding vs Recipes
In a recent podcast episode, Jim Keller appears on Artificial Intelligence hosted by none other than Lex Fridman. Jim is a famous engineer and is responsible for many advancements in microprocessors mostly known for his work at Apple and AMD. Jim impressed me with his analogy between deeper understanding and recipes. During the entire interview, Jim displayed his deep understanding and mastery in his field. That sort of mastery is something I aspire toward in my own life. Jim said he reads around 2 books a week! This blew my mind. At once, I recalculated how many books I would be able to read at Jim’s pace. The result was 6,032 books!
Why does Jim Keller read books?
Jim Keller is clearly a master in his chosen profession. The depth of understanding that he displays with microprocessors and computer architectures. It’s inspiring. Jim is also well read across a number of disciplines. Why does Jim read books? Reading is an avenue to gain access to the deeper understanding of others. It’s almost like Neo, in the Matrix, Neo learns martial arts through downloading information from a source external from himself.
In the future, maybe we’ll have the ability to download knowledge directly. Currently, we gain knowledge through direct experience or through the experiences of others. This is precisely why reading books are so advantageous and why building a reading habit can be a cornerstone to building a life well lived.
So far this year…
It’s February 17th , I have completed 9 books and I have 18 books that I am currently working through. Many of the 18 books are technical books or daily meditations, both of which are consumed at a slower rate. My reading habit consists of reading 30 minutes a day, twice a day. Weather permitting, sometimes I walk and read. (Disclaimer: If you’re going to walk and read, please be responsible and don’t read while you cross the street. )
I am choose to read. I find value in the lessons and the stories. If you choose to read or are already doing so, what are your reason(s)? Whichever the reason may be, enjoy the process. Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Reflecting on the last decade, I can see echoes in my past where this rang true for myself. We cannot change the past, but we can cultivate a different future.
I challenge you to schedule 10 minutes a day to read. Make it personal. Read something that inspires your imagination. Read a book that challenges you. Be a critic, question the validity of the material you are consuming. When you finish a book, start another one right away. Let me know what you’re reading in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading.