Reading 500 Pages a Day?

Now, that sure sounds like a bummer, right? I mean most of us most often indulge in taking rain checks with the mere idea of reading, and of course, that shouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of. Yet, the Oracle of Omaha has devised quite a prudent strategy for himself, his aides and colleagues, where he advises everyone to read to the zenith, with he himself reading at least 5 to 6 newspapers everyday. Yes, such is the lifestyle of Warren Buffett, and the reason he cites behind this is that he likes to lead this kind of a lifestyle. 

In interviews with several publications, his aides mention that initially while they were being employed under Buffett, they were quite deterred with the fact, but afterwards, when they started getting into the process, they realised that this was a practice quite beneficial to them in the long run. So much so that now they have reached a state where not reading creates a void, feels as if they did leave a task unaccomplished that day. 

I am told that this habit is the second nature, and once you do get involved in the same, you start enjoying the process and realise that with each passing day the experience becomes more enriching. Here, I’d like to highlight some instances where I have seen people completing hefty books of around 800-1000 pages besides our curriculum. When he asked whether they found the process overwhelming, they’d say that the opposite would stand true in their regard…

I used to be amazed and taken aback hearing such statements, and would often be wondering as to how could a person be this attached to books, when they’d merely be writing fiction? A part of my doubts would be addressed when I’d be seeing them score a 22/25 in English essays, and when our teachers’d be telling us to eye through their essays, I’d see that they’d be using words like ‘Dime a dozen’ or ‘Horns of a Dilemma’, ones those were totally alien to me. Post freaking out, I’d go through all textbooks only to discover that none of these words/phrases ever appeared in our textbooks, when my friends would say that all of this was a consequence of them reading those hefty books, besides all that was there in the curriculum. 

And, I’d mostly be having a hearty laugh hearing that fat books would help writing essays, when after growing up and seeing myself fumbling miserably in public speeches, I’d notice that they were so right, and I remained a fool. As they say, it takes times to inculcate a newly formed habit, and thus in my daily life, I struggle everyday to inculcate and execute that habit so that I can avoid further fumbling. 

But 500 pages a day? Honestly, I am still daunted. Maybe taking baby steps would be quite a prudent decision. Not really quantifying here, but I guess I’d be targeting pages that’d be enough to keep all the flunking and fumbling at bay. 

Image courtesy: freepik