If you’re an avid reader, there’s one question you might have asked yourself a few times. How many books can I read in a year?
Then, you might have conjured up your next question: How to read 100 books in a year? Humans love round numbers and reading 100 books in a year has a nice ring to it.
But is it possible?
Yes, but it takes a lot of effort. Reading 50 books in a year is tough, so reading 100 of them is going to be twice the work.
If you want to know how to read 100 books in one year, then I’m going to go through the nitty-gritty, the techniques and tips you’ll need to reach this feat.
It won’t be easy, but if you follow these tips and implement them, you’ll be reading 100 books in no time.
Table of Contents
How To Read 100 Books In A Year
If you want to read 100 books in a specific amount of time, you’re going to have to prioritise your time. Unless you’re a speed reader, it’s going to take a lot of time.
The tips I’m going to outline below are ones that helped me to read more books and will help you to achieve this goal.
You don’t have to follow all of them, but if you adhere to some of them, you’ll notice that stack of books you have on your shelf start to reduce over time!
Read Two Books At Once
This might seem like a strange idea, but it’s one of the best ways to read 100 books in a year. By reading two books at once you can split up your load and if one book starts to drag you can switch it up.
For example, you could read one book in the morning and the other one in the evening. This means you’re getting through two books much quicker than you otherwise would.
If you’re wondering how to read 100 pages a day, splitting up the load into two books is a good way to go.
Prioritise Reading Time
If you want to read 100 books in one year, you need to make reading a priority. There’s no other way to get through so many books. If reading isn’t a priority, you’ll have no chance of getting near this total.
As someone who regularly reads around 60 to 70 books a year, if I didn’t prioritise reading, there’s no way I’d get near that total.
Setting aside time in the day to read books is essential if you want to up the number of books you read a year. Bill Gates puts it best with the following quote:
“Reading books is my favorite way to learn about a new topic. I’ve been reading about a book a week on average since I was a kid. Even when my schedule is out of control, I carve out a lot of time for reading.”
To increase the time you have to read, consider what distractions you can eliminate. Less time on YouTube and Netflix? Less time scrolling through Instagram or Twitter?
We all have the same 24 hours in the day, make sure you’re getting the most out of them if you want to read more.
Read Before bed
One of the easiest habits to fall into is watching YouTube or Netflix before bed. While there’s nothing wrong with this, you’re also depriving yourself of quality time to read.
Even if you only read 50 pages before bed, that’s better than nothing. If the book you’re reading is only 200 pages long, that’s a quarter of the book done.
When it comes to reading 100 books in a year, every scrap of time needs to be accounted for. Instead of watching something on your laptop, turn to the book on your bedside table instead.
Read Whenever You Have Some Downtime
If you’re wondering how to read 100 books in a year, you might be wondering how you’re going to find time to read all those books.
I don’t blame you!
Reading such a large number of books in one year is challenging. But there is one foolproof way you can increase your odds of hitting the number.
Read whenever you have some downtime.
It could be during the commute to and from work, on the plane, or when you have a quiet hour or two. If you always have a book to hand, you can open it up when you have some free time and get some pages in.
This is a much better alternative to scrolling through your phone and you’ll look back at the end of the year and marvel at why you didn’t think of this sooner!
Read Shorter Books
Ok, so this one is sort of a cheat, but it’s an effective way to read 100 books a year.
Want to know the best part?
A lot of short books are actually brilliant reads. Siddhartha, for example, is only 152 pages long but it’s one of the best novels I’ve ever read.
It was so good I read it in two days. This is the advantage of reading short books, especially ones that are gripping. You’re able to read them much quicker than longer books no matter how good they are.
Don’t make all your books short reads, that will get tired fast. But if you include a few shorter books in your reading list as well as longer ones, you’ll find the 100-book mark approaching fast!
Quit books you don’t enjoy
This might seem like a counter-intuitive idea when you want to read as many books as possible, but there’s a logic behind it.
If you’re reading a book you’re not enjoying, it’s going to take longer to finish than a book you find fascinating. I’ve found this to be the case many times.
Leaving aside the goal of reading 100 books in a year, it’s good practice in general. If you’re not enjoying a book after the first 100 pages, you’re unlikely to enjoy it all.
It’s better to cut your losses and pick up another book than soldier on reading a book you don’t enjoy.
Start small
While this post is about how to read 100 books in a year, that goal will be hard to achieve if you don’t already have a reading habit.
If this is the case for you, it might be better to start with a smaller goal than with the aim of reading 100 books in a year.
If you aim for 25, or 50 books in a year, this will be a much more manageable goal than trying to read 100 books when you’re not used to reading so many books in a year.
By all means, aim big, but there’s no harm in reining in your goals either.
Curate a reading list
This is one of the best things I’ve done which has enabled me to read more books. By curating a list of books I want to read, I have no problem deciding what I want to read next.
There are several ways you can do this. Keep a list in the notes app on your phone, write down a physical list, or do what I do and keep a list on Amazon.
I know a lot of people aren’t keen on buying books on Amazon which I understand. But the list can just be used as a collection of books you want to read. If you spot one in the bookstore you can get it there instead.
By having a list, you’re setting up a repository of books you want to read in the future, which allow your reading habit to keep on going for the foreseeable future.
Buy books in advance
One of the best tips to read 100 books is to buy books in advance. Since I started doing this, I read a lot more books because when I finish one I can start another one straight away.
At one point, I had 20 books waiting to be read!
You don’t need to have as many as that in reserve, but if you have a few, then you’ll find it much easier to develop a reading habit and reach the 100 books a year goal.
Listen to music while you read
This one depends on the person. Even for me, there are times when I like to listen to music while I read and others when I prefer not to.
It will come down to personal preference on whether you want to listen to music while you read, but it’s a good way to block out distractions.
Classical music or film scores are good. I find contemporary music with lyrics distracts me at times. But everyone’s different and you might find it helps you to concentrate.
Join a book club
Want to read more books and meet more people. Joining a book club is a great way to do this. What normally happens is the group is assigned a book and they have a week to read it and then discuss it among the group afterwards.
While reading a book a week won’t get you to 100 books, it will help you to up your reading rate. If the book is short, you can read another one at the same time.
Even if you don’t reach the end goal of reading 100 books in a year, joining a book club is a good way to discover some lesser-known books and meet new people.
One of the great things about joining one is the book club questions you’ll be asked which will make you think about the book more deeply. Plus, you might find some interesting recommendations from the other members!
Track your progress
How are you going to know if you’ve read 100 books or not if you don’t track your progress?
I found this out to my cost when I neglected to track how many books I’d read one year and ended up with an estimate rather than a precise figure.
Whenever you finish a book add it to a spreadsheet or write it down on a list so you don’t forget. This way you’ll definitely know if you need up the number of books you read or whether you’re on track to meet your goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Good To Read 100 Books A Year?
If you want to develop a reading habit and learn more, it’s good to read 100 books a year. The more you read, the more you know, and the more you realise you don’t know.
While you don’t have to read 100 books, if you develop a reading habit this will stand you in good stead as you progress in life.
How Many Books Can You Read In 1 Year?
Theoretically, you could read 365 books in a year. If you read a book every day, you’d reach this total. This isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem. If you read short books and novels, you could reach this number with less trouble than you might think.
A more realistic number is somewhere between 50 and 70. This can be done without too much trouble.
How Long Should It Take To Read 100 Books?
Depending on how fast you read, it should take just over a year to read 100 books. This is also dependent on the length of the books. Shorter books are quicker to read than 600-page books.
If you’re a fast reader, you’ll be able to read 100 books much quicker than someone who isn’t. The average reader should take about a year to a year and a half to read 100 books.