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How I’ve read +1 book per month for +4 years.

For years I struggled to develop a reading habit. I wanted to read books as I understood the value of learning about diverse topics from the world's greatest minds, but just couldn’t find a way. Until a life event changed my perspective on what and how to read, and I haven’t stopped reading since. At least 1 book a month for the last 4 years. I finally shared the story and the system I’ve implemented since: https://alanarvelo.medium.com/your-minds-drift-is-your-next-read-7194dc55d2f2

Thinking it can foster a discussion here & inspire future readers. Ask me anything!

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    Glad you started reading more, it's an important achievement given the increasing variety of media competing for attention.

    I've essentially always read dozens of books per year. And in 2010 I switched to reading ebooks only. Reading a screen or two whenever I have a free moment adds up, as you also found. But now I'm so used to reading digital the heft of print books feels a burden.

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      Hi Paolo, precisely! You hit the nail in the head with the fact that nowadays we have so many content sources fighting for our attention. Reading books, which naturally have higher content-production value, is ever so more important.

      I agree with you on the e-reader, I move a lot because of studies & work, so there is no way I can be carrying around and shipping a boxes full of books. I've gone digital too. I'll read your article as this is also a topic I may write about at some point.

      Keep in touch Paolo!

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        I realized the value of going digital when I moved to a new house and hauled far fewer print books than I thought.

  2. 2

    Nice read Alan. I used to read so many nonfiction books that it was difficult for me to remember everything. Also, I felt a need of discussing what I'm reading with like-minded people.
    To solve this problem I've created ReadsCo. It's is a place for collaborative book discussions.

    If you are an IndieHackers who see reading as an active, participatory dialogue, do give it a try.

    https://reads.co/

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      Hi Nishant, I really enjoy your landing page and the concept of a platform for book discussions. I'll check it out.

      What technology did you use to create the landing page?

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        Hi Alan,

        Thanks for the feedback. You just made my day.

        Currently, all the basic social media features are available in the web app. I'll be putting the iOS app very soon in beta.

        I've used NextJs + Tailwind to build Reads.Co from scratch.

        Design inspiration is from https://uselander.xyz

        Looking forward to your signup. We have a telegram group too If you want to talk to active members.

  3. 2

    Hey Alan,

    Love to hear this! I've got a similar story actually which I wrote about at https://suite-books.ghost.io/1-a-story-of-reading/. Would love to hear more about how you did it!

    I have so many friends in this position so I developed an app to try and help non-readers become readers. Would love to know if you think this solution helps (www.suitebooks.io).

    1. 2

      Hi Huttie, nice to connect with a fellow reader. We have very similar stories, so interesting. The fact that you also have lots of friends that struggle with reading consistently validates that this is a real problem people have.

      Suite Books looks pretty nice, the social component is super smooth. I think it definitely helps people once they've finished the book, not so much before they do. I'll try it out for a while.

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        Cheers Alan! Always happy to hear feedback if you have some too, shoot me an email.

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