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Comment by theK | Hacker News Reader

How does this work? Is it a book every two days? Or three books on the weekend? How long is your commute and how do you keep off YouTube/Netflix in the evening?

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When you get in the habit of reading, it's remarkable how quickly you can do it. It's quite easy to read a book in a day when you read every day.

If you read short books of low complexity, aye. We need to start talking page count. Aint nobody reading 3 Robin Hobb books a week all year long.

I disagree. Reading lecture (! not literature or study books) I read 15 books each weekend in my teens, reading all science fiction and fantasy books in the town's library. And no, not all where 1000 pages long. But they weren't all shorter then 300. And yes, I regurarly went back during the week to catch an extra book or two.

I realize I might be a relatively fast reader, and this fast reading I only did in English (while my mother tongue is Dutch), but do not underestimate how quick some people can read?

I suppose I can concur in your 'low complexity' argument: I did not read Tolkien in my teens, and probably would have skipped all the poetry while reading.

Edit: Clarification: 15 books each weekend should be read as ==>> I traded my 15 books for 15 new books each weekend, reading them during the weekend and when not in school

> 15 books each weekend should be read as ==>> I traded my 15 books for 15 new books each weekend, reading them during the weekend and when not in school

So you mean 15 books each week, not each weekend! I was surprised when I read that, but this makes more sense.

So you read about 780 books/year as a teen? I have doubts. Unless the average page count is under 100 maybe.

Again, this isn't a measuring contest but I will point out that you could read that much given you wanted to. Life is tradeoffs after all.

Unfortunately, I got in the habit of reading before bed. I inadvertently trained myself that reading leads to sleep. Now when I read, I very quickly start to feel sleepy.

So my advice would be to get in the habit of reading, but be mindful of the details of the habit you are establishing.

I commute for 20 hours a week on public transport, so a lot gets done there. I also read every night as a way to wind down before bed. Sometimes I will read continuously on a weekend if the book/series is engaging enough and can finish a couple of thousand pages that way.

Honestly, its not a target it is just what happens when you read a lot - you get through books.

As for YouTube or Netflix, I dont really watch that much and can't really understand how people spend that much time on them. Given that though, I read instead and lots of people dont understand that. Each to their own, happiness is different for everyone etc

> how do you keep off YouTube/Netflix in the evening?

not Having Netflix is a start. Realizing that most Netflix shows gets dumped mid-story after 1 or 2 seasons and will leave me without closure is another

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