Ten ways to read more books
Ever found it really hard to finish a single book because you end up scrolling social media instead? Same here.
So I broke down Ali Abdaal’s video on how he manages to read so many books. It turns out the key isn’t discipline. It’s hacking our “system” and our environment.
He has 10 practical points.
Set up your environment
1. Make reading the “default”
When you go to bed, leave your phone outside the bedroom and put a book next to your pillow.
Once you’re in bed, the only entertainment is the book. You don’t need willpower to resist scrolling, because the environment is already designed that way. Make the book your main CTA (call to action) before sleep.
2. Redo your phone’s home screen
Our thumbs have the muscle memory to open Instagram or TikTok automatically.
Try moving your social media apps into a folder on a back page, and putting your reading apps (Kindle, audiobooks, notes) on the first page. Whenever you have 3 spare minutes, your phone’s “UI” will steer you to reading first.
3. Use your “dead time”
Reading doesn’t have to mean sitting still for 2 hours. You can listen to audiobooks while driving, washing the dishes or tidying up.
It’s like downloading a big file in the background while you do something else. Suddenly you get an extra hour of “reading time” a day out of everyday chores.
Take the pressure off
4. Read several books at once
Ever got stuck on one heavy book, got bored, and then stopped reading altogether?
The fix is to read several books in parallel. Tired? Read some light fiction. Focused? Read a business or philosophy book. Just switch context, like switching tabs in a browser.
5. Normalize quitting books
School taught us that we have to finish every book, and that not finishing means you’re lazy.
But if a book is boring, or it’s not the right time for it, just drop it without guilt. Life’s too short to read books you don’t enjoy. It’s like Netflix: if a series is bad, you skip it.
6. Read what you like until you like reading
There’s no need to force yourself to look intellectual at the start. Just begin with romance or fantasy novels that keep you curious.
The goal is to build the “muscle” of focus and the habit first. It’s like the gym: you start with light weights, and over time you move on to the heavy ones.
7. Gamify your reading
To make it more fun, use an app like Goodreads to track it. You can see your progress, get yearly stats and write reviews.
Watching the numbers go up makes the habit stick even more. Think of it as an analytics dashboard for your reading hobby.
8. It’s fine to read faster
There’s no rule that books have to be read slowly and solemnly.
The boring parts of a book are sometimes better read quickly, so you keep your momentum. Reading speed is purely a preference, not a measure of intelligence.
Make it who you are
9. Buy now, read later
When someone recommends a good book, grab it right away to remove the friction of “thinking about it too long”. The pile becomes a library of serendipity for the future.
My savings are focused on another specific goal right now, though, so my version of “grab it” is to borrow it straight away on iPusnas, the Indonesian National Library’s e-book app, or to look for a free version first.
10. Change your identity: “I’m a reader”
This is pure Atomic Habits. Instead of saying “I’m trying to read more”, change the story to “I’m a reader”.
Your small choices will automatically follow that identity. When you’re waiting in line, you’ll reach for a book, not TikTok.
In short: change your defaults (your daily routine), fix the system, and change the story you tell about who you are.
Once this setup is running, reading will slowly become a default habit instead of something you force yourself to do.
Watch the full video on Ali Abdaal’s YouTube channel.