Skip to main content

How I read 21,310 pages this year

It was getting down to the finish line... But as of 10:05 pm, I just finished the last book to achieve my reading goal for 2023. While my reading app asks for a book count goal for the year, my primary reading goal was 20,000 pages. I hit that a few weeks back, but since I am competitive, I couldn't stand to see both goals not met.


Goal accomplished. Now on to 2024....

 

I am a voracious reader. However, I am not a fast reader; I am a steady reader. I average 40 pages an hour. Today, I engaged a post on X (Twitter) from someone seeking tips on how to find more time to read. So, I thought it would be helpful to write a blog post on how I utilized my time to read over 20,000 pages for 2023.  

 

First, I will start with an assessment from John Piper he posted some years ago. He was discussing reading habits and trying to encourage people to read regularly. He said, 

 

Suppose you read slowly like I do, about 200 words a minute — which may be this pace I’m talking right now, I don’t know. If you read 15 minutes a day for one year, you’ll read 5,475 minutes in a year. Multiply that by 200 words a minute, and you get 1,095,000 words that you would have read in a year.

 

Now, an average serious book might have 360 words on a page. I counted a bunch of them. So you would read 3,041 pages in one year during that 15-minute slot a day. A serious book would average maybe 250 pages? Lots of books are just 150 pages, but let’s just say a good, solid, serious theology book would have 250 pages. I just flopped one open yesterday that I got in the mail. It was 250 pages. That’s 12 very substantial books, all in 15 minutes a day for the average slow reader.

 

Piper's assessment is quite helpful. 15 minutes a day and one can knock out 12 substantial books for the year. But for the theonerds, 12 books won't get you anywhere close to the 25–50 books purchased each year. How many of you have a pristine set of the 38-volume Schaff Church Fathers Series? You know who you are. Other than stamping your custom logo “ex libris John Doe” on the inside of each book, you have yet to crack open a volume and dig in. Some of you skim through a few pages, thinking eventually you will get to it, only to see your good intentions fall away and those books become John Does on your shelf. 

 

I think Piper's assessment is a great place to start, especially for those who work many hours and have large families. But the key is making 15 minutes part of your routine that you do not compromise. And I think with little effort, dedication, and commitment one can maintain 15 minutes a day. But how does one get to 20,000 pages? If we are doing Piper's math, you would need to read 97.5 minutes per day. For some of you, that much time spent per day reading could lead to marriage problems. But I have a solution for that. 

 

Once you have established the simple 15-minute routine, to get serious about that 20,000-page goal, I recommend getting some sort of book-tracking app. Two reasons: 

 

1) You will never know how many pages you read if you don't know how many pages you have read. 

2) Seeing a number to go after (generally) drives you to go after it.

 

The tracker I use is called Book Tracker, which can be found at the App Store. It is only for iPhones. I am sure there are other book tracking apps for Android users. This tracking app does a book goal for the year, not pages. For 2023, I just put in a goal of 55 books, but I chose to go after a page-count goal of 50 pages per day. I ended up finishing with 58.5 average pages per day and hit the book goal. So, how did I do it? How can you accomplish this goal? Manage your time. That is key!  

 

Before we get to the steps, I am sure many of you might be thinking, "I will just get up early every morning and read." That is a good strategy and may work well for you. But here is what can and does happen, thus derailing consistent reading. 

 

If you are like most of us, you have family events, church events, dinner at a friend's house, Bible studies, kids' sports, etc., all of which tend to go longer than planned. You get home late, or people are at your house late. You are tired and think, "Oh man, I need to get up early to read." But you don't. You set the alarm for an hour later. Since that time is slotted for reading, you miss out on reading altogether. 

 

This also happens. You are spending time with the family and someone wants to do something that will push you to your bedtime. The anxiety creeps in and you waver back and forth on whether to say yes to it, but because you don't want to be a jerk, you say "OK." But all the while in the back of your mind you think, "Great, I won't be able to get up early to read. I already missed today's reading because the Bible study went long, and now I am going to miss another day of reading." Though you say "yes," everyone can see you are distracted and distant. Your wife senses the disconnected attitude, and now you are in trouble. See how easily you can miss two days of reading and one night of sleeping in your bed (because you got banished to the couch)? 

 

These steps will (hopefully) avoid all those problems.  

 

This is how I did it:

  1. Always have a book with you.
  2. Always be listening to a book in your car or while exercising (this is good for those just going for total book count. 10 of my 55 books read were audiobooks, which don't contribute to page count—no cheating).
  3. Whenever you are waiting, read (Doctor appointments, oil changes, tire rotations, kid's piano practice, soccer practice, etc.)
  4. Create a reading culture in your home. Everyone reads. Everyone understands reading is vital to our growth as Christians, so reading time (especially the Bible) is vital. Each family member respects each other's time for reading.
  5. Read at work on your break/lunchtime. My lunch break at work is 1 hour, and I read 55 minutes of it. For most of us, this is where you will make your greatest gains. 
  6. Husbands: Take your reading to the couch and read next to your wife. Those who are seminary students, pastors, or scholars, don't read in your study unless necessary for writing, homework, and/or sermon prep. If you make this shift in your reading habits, your wife will be delighted that you are spending time with her. Our wives want to be around us; they want to be included in what we are doing. Instead of resenting our study space, seeing it as something that takes us away from them (or the family), it now becomes something we do together. Importantly, it gives our wives direct access to us to ask questions about Scripture or whatever else they are reading; it becomes a time for us to lead and disciple our wives. If we are locked away in our study/offices, our wives will tend to not want to bother us. We should never want them to think that way. 
  7. Get an LED neck reading light. My wife struggles sleeping when I am not next to her and keeping a light on, even a night-stand light, can make it hard to go to sleep. I am a night owl, so I stay up a few hours later than my wife. After we pray together in bed, I put on my neck light, which just illuminates what I am reading, and she peacefully goes to sleep. 
 

I understand that some or many of you might have little ones running around, so not all of these practices are suitable to your situation. I am 44 and have one daughter who is 18 years old. So, our house isn't chaotic. But I think you could apply some of these tips that would benefit you tremendously. Again, the key is time management. 

 

Get a book-tracking app, get reading, get tracking, and hit your goal for 2024!

 

Happy reading!

 

~ Romans 11:36 ~

 

 

 

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gregory of Nyssa: Trinity–Not Tri-deity

Gregory, a bishop of Nyssa in 371, was part of the Cappadocian trio, and was instrumental in the development of Trinitarian orthodoxy. His theological prowess proved vital in response to the Arian and Sabellian heresies. Key to Gregory’s theology we find “an emergence of a pro-Nicene ‘grammar’ of divinity through his developed account of divine power,” [1] conceived through a nature-power-activity formulation revealed in the created order and articulated in Scripture. Understanding the Triune God in this manner afforded a conception of the Trinity that was logical and thoroughly biblical. And this letter is paradigmatic on Gregory’s account of the divine nature. (* This article was later published with Credo Magazine, titled, “ The Grammar of Divinity (On Theology). ” See link below) To Ablabius, though short, is a polemical address whereby Gregory lays out a complex argument in response to the claim that three Divine Persons equal three gods. Basically put, Ablabius (his opponent,
Post a Comment
Read more

St. John Chrysostom — for God is simple

Below is part of the introductory section to my exposition of John Chrysostom’s doctrine of God. I posted it because I thought it was fascinating to find such an important theologian known for avoiding (even having a disdain of) speculative theology refer to the classical doctrine of divine simplicity as common place in his thoroughly biblical doctrine of God. Toward the end I include a link to my full exposition. John Chrysostom (ca. 347–407) was the archbishop of Constantinople. Being the most prolific of all the Eastern fathers, he fought against the ecclesiastical and political leaders for their abuse of authority. He was called Chrysostom (meaning “golden-mouthed”) for his eloquent sermons. [1] This most distinguished of Greek patristic preachers excelled in spiritual and moral application in the Antiochene tradition of literal exegesis, largely disinterested, even untutored in speculative and controversial theology. [2] On the Incomprehensible Nature of G
Post a Comment
Read more

John 17:3 – Eternal Life is Knowing God and Christ–the One, True God

    John 17:1–5. “ Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed .”
1 comment
Read more

A Brief Exposition of Augustine's Doctrine of Divine Immutability

To much of the Western world, Augustine has no rival. He is the preeminent—uninspired—theologian of the Christian faith. When reading the titans of the church—i.e., Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin—Augustine’s theology and ideas are voluminously parroted all throughout their writings. His influence is unparalleled. Even the secular world sees Augustine as a mammoth figure in the shaping of human history. And its Augustine’s doctrine of God we will divert our attention to, looking specifically at his articulation of divine immutability Augustine’s doctrine of God is classical, through and through. He writes, “There is One invisible, from whom, as the Creator and First Cause, all things seen by us derive their being: He is supreme, eternal, unchangeable, and comprehensible by none save Himself alone” ( Ep . 232.5).[1] When reading his works, the doctrine of immutability is paramount, coming forth repeatedly. For Augustine, immutability, or God’s unchangeableness, is consequential
Post a Comment
Read more

Gregory of Nazianzus: The Trinity - Not a Collection of Elements

Gregory of Nazianzus   One of the Cappadocian fathers, Gregory of Nazianzus (c.330–389), given the title, “The Theologian,” was instrumental in the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, specifically the distinct terms to describe the Persons of the Godhead (Unbegotten, eternally begotten, and procession). Gregory’s main contribution to the development of Christology was in his opposition to Apollinarius. He argued that when Adam fell, all of humanity fell in him; therefore, that fallen nature must be fully united to the Son—body, soul, and mind; ‘for the unassumed is the unhealed’.   Gregory’s Doctrine of the Trinity His clearest statement on the Trinity is found in his Oration 25.15–18. Oration 25 is part of a series of sermons delivered in 380. As a gesture of gratitude, Gregory dedicates Oration 25 to Christian philosopher Maximus the Cynic, as a sort of ‘charge’ for him to push forward and remain strong in the orthodox teachings of the faith. And these sections are that or
Post a Comment
Read more

First Timothy 2:12 - On Women in the Pastorate - A Critical Response to Nijay Gupta

Does 1 Timothy 2:12 prohibit women from leading and preaching over men in the church? I recently posted an article examining an approach to this question, specifically evaluating interpretive consistency. In the article, I looked at two passages that appealed to the Old Testament to support the claim being made in the text. The point of the blog post was to shed light on an inconsistency of interpretation by looking at one common argument from the Bible in favor of women in the pastorate and another biblical argument supporting the view of monogamous marriage, between one man and one woman. My general observation is that many Christians who advance this particular argument, allowing for women in the pastorate, also affirm the particular argument for the biblical view of marriage. They both have the same methodological starting point; however, both arrive at their conclusions in completely different ways, demonstrating interpretive inconsistency, which I conclude ste
Post a Comment
Read more

Ambrose: A Nicene Defense of Jesus Not Knowing the Day or the Hour ~ Mark 13:32

Ambrose (c. 339–397), was Bishop of Milan (northern Italy). His name is familiar to many because of Augustine, in that it was through Ambrose’s preaching that Augustine was saved by the gospel. Ambrose was a rigorous exponent of Nicene orthodoxy, and as with his other contemporaries, he was an ardent opponent against Arianism. His works, therefore, were aimed at refuting Arian heresy, paying special attention to the exposition and defense of the divinity of Christ and the Trinity. In his most prominent work, The Exposition of the Christian Faith (abbr. De fide ), Ambrose makes a lucid, scripturally saturated articulation of the Christian faith couched in Nicene orthodoxy. De fide is devoted to proving the full divinity of Christ, co-equal in substance, wisdom, power, and glory as God the Father, derived through elucidating the plain sense of the text. Ambrose’s aim is polemical and apologetic, addressing and refuting objections from the Arians. This post will ex
Post a Comment
Read more

Isaiah 45:7 - “ . . . I make peace, and create evil.” — Does God create evil?

My daughter watched a video this morning where a deconstructionist, an ex vangelical, was attempting to profane the goodness of God, by pointing out that Isaiah 45:7 says God creates evil. She was referring to the KJV version of this passage which says, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” So, what do we do with that? Below is a brief response. Proper biblical interpretation considers context when seeking the meaning of a passage. Furthermore, when it comes to difficult or obscure passages, a helpful rule of interpretation is to look to the plainer passages of the Bible and draw examples from them to shed light on the more obscure passages ( thanks Augustine ). We let Scripture interpret Scripture. The point is to remove all hesitation on doubtful passages. So, in this passage, on the face it seems to imply that God creates evil, thus making God evil. But is that what the Bible teaches about God? The plainer passages te
Post a Comment
Read more

Boethius: The Logic of Unity and Plurality in One God

In the “Introduction” to a standard English translation of Boethius’ Theological Tractates and the Consolation of Philosophy , it is stated that “Boethius was the last of the Roman philosophers, and the first of the scholastic theologians” (X).  Philosophy is aimed at explaining the nature of the world ( the natural ). Theology’s aim is to understand and explain doctrines delivered by divine revelation ( the supernatural ). Boethius was the seminal figure in preparing the way for the synthesis of these two disciplines, with philosophy serving the task of theology (i.e., the handmaiden to the King of sciences) .
Post a Comment
Read more

Piper vs. Calvin: The Role of Good Works in Salvation

In his book Future Grace , John Piper writes, “Faith alone is the instrument that unites us to Christ who is our righteousness and the ground of our justification. But the purity of life that confirms faith’s reality is also essential for final salvation , not as the ground of our right standing, but as the fruit and evidence that we are vitally united by faith to Christ who alone is the ground of our acceptance with God.” [1] His purpose in writing that statement is to “explode the great error that says . . . [y]ou get your justification by faith, and you get your sanctification by works. You start the Christian life in the power of the Spirit, you press on in the efforts of the flesh.” [2] The emphasized portion above (and other such statements) has raised critical concerns over Piper’s Reformed theology in that his words seem to veer away from orthodox Reformed teaching. These critics contend Piper teaches a two-stage justification where one is “ initially justified by grace alon
Post a Comment
Read more