digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Pre-select a set number of books each month, calculate how many pages you must read per day to finish each one within its time slot, and mark your daily reading targets with physical markers to keep yourself on pace. Nelson Dellis says this is the strategy that helps him finish books, and he applies it across physical books, audiobooks, and ebooks.
Key Points
- Pre-select books at the start of each month, one book per week (four books a month), which Dellis says is a realistic, lightweight challenge he can adjust.
- Divide each book's total pages by seven to get a daily target, then round to a convenient number, such as 50 pages per day for a 331-page book.
- Place visible markers (such as colored sticky notes) at each daily target, so each day's reading goal is clear and easy to meet.
- The same time-bucket approach works for other formats: audiobooks split by listening time and ebooks split by page count.
- Dellis's own goal is seven books a month, split into three buckets: two audiobooks, one ebook, and the rest physical books.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- At the start of each month, choose four books, one for each week, and note the page count of each.
- Find the first page of actual reading and the last page of the main text (ignoring back matter), subtract, and divide by seven.
- Round the result up to a simple daily target (for example, 47 pages becomes 50).
- Starting at page one, place a marker in the chosen color at each daily target and continue through the book.
- Aim to reach the next marker by the end of each day; if you fall behind, the next day's target is slightly larger, and if you read extra, the next day's load eases.
- For audiobooks, aim for two per month (one every two weeks): total listening time divided by 15 gives the minutes or hours needed each day. Listen while working out, driving, or walking, and adjust speed (usually around 2x, up to 3x for boring parts, about 1.5x for interesting parts).
- For ebooks, aim for one per month: divide the page count by four for weekly pages, reading in spare moments on a phone, tablet, or e-reader.
- Pro tip: if an ebook is stalling, buy the audiobook on Audible to speed up listening, then return it near the end and finish on the ebook.
- Dellis stresses the goal is flexibility; you don't have to start on the first of the month, and the strictness of the system is up to you.
- Dellis recommends simple nonfiction self-help titles for audiobooks because they are easy to listen to on autopilot.
- He says he read over 52 books last year and is on track to beat that this year, which he attributes partly to his mild OCD.
Bottom Line
A simple, visual daily page or time target for each book turns a large reading goal into small, manageable steps, and mixing formats lets you read more in a busy schedule.
