I was 33 when I read my 3rd book. Yes, you read that correctly, 33! I’ve never been fond of books, mainly because I struggle with reading and writing.
My first book was The Hardy Boys, but honestly, I can’t remember if I finished it (unlikely). The second was a brief book on something to do with Auschwitz. The title escapes me, but the contents of the book are still with me to this day.
I never understood the phrase “get stuck into a good book”. It seemed entirely foreign to me until a friend sent me a book by Ryan Serhant, “Sell It Like Serhant”. This is the guy from “Million Dollar Listing New York”, known for his incredible complexion and prematurely grey hair. I had watched the show a few times and found the dude a tad annoying but likable.
When the book arrived, I dived into it and actually enjoyed it. After all, it was something I was interested in, so why wouldn’t I? Incorporating reading into my routine was a challenge, but I persevered. After a significant amount of time, I managed to read the whole thing. But it was a grind, I’ll admit, and I knew it was going to be hard to keep up.
I’d heard a few people mention audiobooks before but never really paid attention. Because of my reading challenges, I subconsciously disassociated anything related to books. This changed when someone suggested audiobooks again, so I decided to give it a shot.
Instead of my typical completion time of several months or even years for a single book, it reduced to less than a week. I began finding 5-10 minute opportunities to listen to my book in places I hadn’t considered before, like sitting on the loo, shopping, exercising, commuting, in bed, washing dishes, etc. I labeled these periods as ‘Dead Zones’ because these are times when you can’t really do anything else, especially pick up a physical book. Using these Dead Zones, my consumption of books increased drastically. I was finishing a book every 10 days to 2 weeks, a feat I could hardly believe. The guy who had only managed to read 3 books in his life had consumed about 22 in his first year of using Audible!
As you can guess, I’m a big fan of Audible now. It has actually improved my reading and writing abilities and given me access to knowledge I wouldn’t have otherwise obtained. This includes everything from self-development to biographies and business. I think the key, like most things, is to start without any preconceived judgments and see if it works for you. The easiest way to do this is to use your Dead Zones and to pick something that interests you the most to make starting as effortless as possible, which is the backbone for forming new habits and routines which came straight out of the playbook ‘Atomic habits’ by James Clear (awesome listen)
Many people worry that they won’t retain information while multitasking, which has its merits. But I say, try it and see how it fits into your life. It’s better to retain 50% of something than 0% of nothing. By listening within these Dead Zones, you can achieve just that.
For me, this method has been transformative. It’s not only improved my literacy skills but also empowered me to start writing and allocate time to reading physical books. I honestly believe the last 2 years have shaped me for success by giving me access to new ways of thinking in all aspects of life, from relationships to mindset, to business, and to my outlook on life. I don’t believe in regrets, but if I had one, it would be that I didn’t start my audible journey sooner.
I highly recommend Audible, particularly for those on a self-improvement journey. If you can’t think of a good reason not to try it, then head over to Audible and sign up for a free account to get your first book or 3 if you’re an existing prime member.
You have nothing to loose but everything to gain!
Do it, do it now!
PS – I game the system by buying the ‘Audible Premium Plus Annual—24 Credits’ Plan because it works out at about £5 per book! how bloody cheap is that!