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The way to self-education is reading
By Colin J. Campbell
I recently read an article by Jennifer Stillman about the value of reading 200 books a year. She quoted an article by Charles Chu who raised a number of very valid points as to why reading pays and how to find the time to read that many books in a year.
I’m not sure how many books I read yearly; I don’t think I am close to 200. However, because what I do read tend to be biographies, which are more than 50,000 words, it could be close to 200 in equivalent. I do not think my television time or social media time is curtailed as a result.
Chu related Warren Buffet’s comment when asked what his secret of success was. He pointed to stack of books and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.”
Everyone’s initial reaction is the same; I don’t have time to read that many pages everyday and with our preconceived ideas of how our time is spent that is probably true. But here are the facts as presented by Chu. It really is simple math, the average non-fiction work is about 50,000 words, times 200 that is 10 million words. Most people average about 400 words a minute; therefore, it requires 20,000 minutes or 417 hours a year.
The average time spent on social media is 608 hours, the average time spent watching television 1642 hours. That’s 2,250 hours a year being spent in front of a screen. That’s more than the 1,875 hours the average person spends at work assuming two weeks vacation a year.
Charles Chu points out that from his own experience he changed his life by following this formula.
So how do you implement a change like this to increase your capacity to read? Execute, like any idea that involves changing a habit the first step is to start. Use every medium possible to provide the opportunity to read whenever the time is available. You can download books to a Kobo or Kindle, you can get books on your smartphone and of course you can have a printed book or books on the go all the time. A good place to start is a book by Tynan called Superhuman by Habit; paperback about $12; Kobo or Kindle around $5.
The suggestion of 200 books a year does no preclude fiction. Fiction can enhance the experience and will add to your intellect. Sprinkle some fun reading throughout you reading list.
Once you get started you will also find your reading speed will increase and your comprehension will improve.
A very telling article on CBS Sunday morning was an interview with Malcolm Mitchell of the New England Patriots who on entering college had a junior high reading level. Malcolm made a conscious decision to do something about it he now reads daily and recently wrote a children’s book on the subject. His teammates call him a nerd, he doesn’t mind.
– Colin J. Campbell CFP, CLU is an independent financial advisor and managing partner of Guidance Planning Strategies Ltd, in Cranbrook. Serving the Kootenays since 1995, Guidance Planning Strategies focuses on helping families and entrepreneurs create wealth and keep it for generations.
