700 Days of Reading: Lessons, Challenges, and Advice

Today marks 700 days in a row of reading for at least one hour. I’ve maintained this streak through family vacations (with five kids!), while sick, during travel, and even on long road trips with little downtime (reading in the car isn’t ideal). Through it all, I’ve learned a few things — so here we go.

Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

I Didn’t Have Time to Read at All

My journey toward a daily reading habit started when my friend Jeff challenged me. He wanted to read more and suggested a daily reading challenge. At the time, I was swamped with work and family responsibilities, and adding another commitment felt impossible. But I’m not one to back down from a challenge, so I said, “Sure, I can probably read for 15 minutes a day.”

Well, that didn’t cut it. After a little negotiation, we settled on one hour per day.

At first, reading for an hour daily was tough. It was hard to find the time, and even harder to focus for that long. I quickly realized I needed to build new habits — waking up earlier and setting aside time to read before bed. The first month was the hardest as I worked out the kinks in my schedule, but after that, it became my new normal. Now, finding time to read isn’t an issue.

Never Break the Streak

While I’ve officially logged 700 days of reading, I’ve actually read for over 840 days in total. On March 28, 2023, I read for 42 minutes and 59 seconds — just shy of an hour — breaking my streak.

Since that day, my goal has been simple: never break the streak.

I use a habit tracker app to keep myself accountable, marking off my daily reading and getting that small but satisfying sense of achievement. Now that I’ve hit 700 days, I’ll keep going — no matter what.

The Best Books and Authors

I usually read multiple books at a time, balancing half nonfiction and half fiction. Nonfiction helps me grow as a person and in my craft. Fiction builds empathy and imagination. Both are incredibly valuable.

Here are some of my favorite books, series, and authors:

Nonfiction Books

1. The Obstacle is the Way — Ryan Holiday. I’ve read all of Ryan’s books, but this is my favorite. His work introduced me to Stoicism, which has added tremendous value to my life.

2. Thinking in Bets — Annie Duke. A book about decision-making from a champion poker player. It helped me understand that a good decision can still have a bad outcome, and vice versa.

3. The Master Plan: My Journey From Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose — Chris Wilson. A powerful, inspirational book about overcoming adversity.

4. I’m Glad My Mom Died — Jennette McCurdy. A sobering, sad, yet darkly entertaining memoir.

5. The Expectation Effect — David Robson. This book was an eye-opener. It explains how our expectations shape our reality, even affecting our health and well-being.

6. The Boys in the Boat — Daniel James Brown. I read (and listened to) this book long before it became a movie. This is one of the only books that has brought me to tears due to its beauty.

Fiction Series and Authors

I’ll share my fiction picks by series and author:

1. The Expanse Series — James S. A. Corey. The best sci-fi series I’ve ever read. Also, the TV show on Prime Video is fantastic.

2. Blake Crouch. My favorite sci-fi author. His Wayward Pines series was phenomenal, and the Dark Matter book (and show) is also excellent.

3. Brandon Sanderson. I don’t even know where to start. Right now, about 85% of my reading time is spent on Sanderson’s books. His fantasy novels are incredible — even though I’m usually not a fantasy reader. If you’re thinking about diving in, start with the Mistborn Series — you won’t regret it.

Challenges and Growth

Reading for one hour every day isn’t easy. Some days are packed. Things come up. Kids need attention. Work gets chaotic.

I’ve read in cars, on planes, in the ER, in freezing weather — but mostly, in the early mornings on my sofa.

I’ve found the best way to guarantee my reading time is to do it in the morning before anyone else can demand my attention. If I can get 30 minutes in the morning, I know I can squeeze in another 30 before bed.

This challenge has also made me more aware of my time. I’ve had to plan ahead and prioritize what actually matters. Through this, I’ve realized that many daily tasks are far less urgent than they seem — some are even completely unnecessary.

Reading has helped me grow in empathy and perspective. Fiction, in particular, teaches you to step into someone else’s shoes, to feel what they feel and understand their world. That carries over into real life and makes me a better human.

It has also improved my focus. When I started, reading for one hour felt impossible. Now, I can easily do it in one sitting. My personal record? Six hours and three seconds of reading in a single day — on vacation, lost in a fantastic book. Before this challenge, that would have been unthinkable.

What’s Next?

I want to hit 1,000 days, for sure. But after that? I don’t see myself stopping.

The benefits of reading far outweigh any downsides. Why would I want to get off this train?

Advice If You Want to Read More

1. Set an ambitious goal. I thought I could only manage 15 minutes per day, but I ended up committing to an hour. Push yourself.

2. Make it time-based. A time-based goal is easier to follow than a “pages per day” or “books per year” goal.

3. Use a timer and track yourself. I use an app called Timer+, with a widget on my home screen that shows my daily reading time. Checking it throughout the day keeps me accountable.

4. Track your streak. Use a habit-tracking app. Never break the streak.

5. Log your time (if you’re a nerd like me). I track my reading in a spreadsheet. It’s fun seeing my total hours add up into days and weeks.

6. Get book recommendations from friends. Having reading buddies keeps you motivated and leads to better book choices.

7. Ask me for help. If you’re reading this somewhere with a comment section, feel free to ask me for advice — I’d love to help.

Final Thoughts

This reading streak started as a challenge, but it has transformed my time management, mindset, and focus. If you’re thinking about reading more, just start. You’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes a habit — and how much it changes you.

This was originally published on my blog at adamjwalker.com.