How to read books, to which previously did not reach the hands of

I love the physical presence of books on the shelves, then, as they wait to be looked to be admired, to remember them. Before, I was very fond of the library, but I like them now. But over time I realized that I need to have these damn volumes.

I need to book has always been at hand. So I can write it, take it off the shelf and put back again to take off the shelf and put back. Well, in general, you understand.

So I started to collect their antibiblioteku. And today, even after I gave hundreds of volumes, my cabinets full of books I have not read. And I keep buying new ones.

Looking around recently their shelves, I saw a book that I wanted to read a long time ago. In fact, I even began to read it in the summer, but it stopped sometime after 150 pages, to move to another, more "urgent" reading.

This was "Merchant power"Robert Caro. The classic work on power politics in New York at the beginning and middle of the XX century from the point of view of the brilliant and terrible Robert Moses. The greatness and the curse of the book in its entirety. There are about 1 110 pages, hard-to-understand pages. It seems, Caro said he received about 700 000 words. And that after he cut the draft, where there were more than a million.

The book is written by Caro amazing, no boring places. But even such books are time-consuming simply because of the volume.

The problem is that you begin to experience anxiety, only taking a book off the shelf.

Let's count. I read quickly, in around 300 words per minute. Well, maybe plus or minus 50 words. If I read such a rate, then the text of the 700 000 words I will leave 2333 minutes, or about 39 hours. And here's the thing: my brain did not really want to take on an unpaid 39-hour project. Therefore, most often, we choose something shorter and simpler. It's still considered to be, huh?

Then I thought about all the other great books I want to read in my life. Four Caro book about Lyndon Johnson, which are considered masterpieces. «The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"Edward Gibbon. «Anna Karenina"And"War and Peace" Lev Tolstoy. «Life of Samuel Johnson"James Boswell. «The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"William Shearer. «The Wealth of Nations"Adam Smith. Biography, written by Ron Chernow. (His "Titanium"- one of my favorite books, I also heard many good things about"Alexander Hamilton".) All of them are enormous.

Then I wondered how the hell do people read all these books? As I become to those who read them, and not just some of them heard?

I read a lot of blog Farnam StreetBut hard to get out for a week from the usual schedule, to take up the "War and Peace". And so to all employed people.

For myself, I found a simple solution: read 25 pages a day. That's all. Simply follow this rule.

That you will be given 25 pages per day? Let's count. Most likely, in the month there will be two days, when you just have no time to read. Plus Christmas. It remains 340 days a year. If 25 pages per day, multiplied by 340 days, you get 8500 pages. 8 500!

I also noticed that, intending to be limited to 25 pages, I almost always read through more. So, let's say, not 8500 pages and 10,000. (You need not read on 25 and 30 pages.)

So, what do we get? The "Trader power" 1100 pages. In four books about Lyndon Johnson - 3552. In two novels of Tolstoy - 2160. In the six volumes of Gibbon - about 3660. Total 10 472 pages.

It turns out that about a year with a modest rate of 25 pages a day, I finished with 13 great books and learn an incredible amount about the history of the world. In just one year!

Then the next year are "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" (1280 pages), six volumes of Lincoln Carl Sandburg (2000), Adam Smith (1200) and Boswell (1300) and much more.

And read great works. Day after day. 25 pages. And there are no excuses.

Just do not take this advice too literally, it's not the number of pages. (Although for me 25 pages - right.) You can read 20 or 10 pages, for 30 minutes or an hour, by 2000 or 3000 words... No matter what the unit of measure you choose, the rule will still work: six months, a year, five or ten years, you learn a huge reservoir of human wisdom.

They wanted to read "Moby Dick»? Or "Ulysses»? Or anything of Jane Austen? Or "infinite jest"David Foster Wallace? Start today. Total 25 pages, and 25 more tomorrow. Read in the morning, at lunch, read, read before going to bed, read in the queue... It does not matter where or when. The main thing - the right to read the number of pages. And here you have someone who reads books, which all just talk.

Agree, the prospect of no longer seems so daunting. All you need - it's a bit of diligence. So let's get smarter.