I always hope to read at least 52 books per year. It’s a good thought, but it’s just a thought. You can’t hope your way into anything; you have to take action. If you want to read 52 books, then you have to make a point of reading.
Today I asked myself, “How many books could I finish per year if I were to read for an hour each day?” Given that I read about a page per minute and assuming that the books I’d choose would be in the 350-page range, then I’d be able to read at least 62 books per year (60 pages times 365 days divided by 350 is roughly 62.6). And if I lived another 27 years (my theoretical life expectancy), then I could read another 1,674 books total.
Some people would say that 1,674 books is a lot. I’m not sure it is (I’ve already read so many that I feel like I ought to be able to read several thousand more). But, it seems likely that if I don’t start reading for at least an hour a day, I’m going to read a lot fewer than 1,674.
Yeah, I’ve gotten a bunch of people to stop slogging through bad books with these numbers. When you know you might only get 2000 more books in your whole life it gives you clear permission to make them count.