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Warren Buffett is a reader, and a dedicated one. By some estimates, he spends about 80 per cent of his time reading, and he isn’t alone in spending the lion’s share of his time on constant education and growth. Bill Gates is also a well-known bookworm, estimating he reads about 50 books a year, all non-fiction.
That dedication to learning may be impressive, but it’s important not to take it in reverse. It’s not necessarily that highly successful people read more. It’s that people who read more may become successful. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates both read an incredible amount, but the page count isn’t a hidden key to their success.
Why do Warren Buffett and Bill Gates read so much?
The real key is a dedication to lifelong learning through reading. On its own, reading is well documented, with researchers finding it can improve memory, cognition, and even sleep habits.
However, not everyone has time to sit down and read a different book every week. Constantly thinking and analyzing a text takes work that you may not have the bandwidth for between working, paying bills, growing your family and just running your life.
A book a week may not be a reasonable goal right away, but there are ways to read faster, read more, and engage with the lessons from books in new ways. For instance, apps like Headway give you curated summaries of well-known non-fiction texts.
Instead of reading complete texts for hours, you could get the key insights from a book in a quick 15-minute session. Summaries are available in text or audio formats, so you can still read to learn, but you can do it in a way that fits into a busy schedule with limited leisure time.
Reading an insightful summary of a text isn’t the same as reading the book itself, but it’s a starting point that could help you grow. You could even use summaries from Headway as a way to research if a book is worth the time it would take to read it in full.
Book summary apps are growing more common, with some specializing in different niches. Headway has a library with over 1,500 summaries of best-selling non-fiction books.
Why read more?
The value of reading extends beyond memorizing facts and looking at words until you turn a page. Research suggests that regular reading enhances cognitive abilities, memory retention, and even overall well-being.
While you may not have the time or capacity to read the same volume as people like Buffet and Gates, that’s not to say you have to pursue reading in the traditional route.
Apps like Headway offer an avenue to read and retain more, and like you, they’re constantly growing. You can now get lifetime access to Headway for $82.
What: Sale on Headway Premium
Price: $82
Where to buy: Headway Premium: Lifetime Subscription
Prices subject to change.
