How to Read a Book a Week | WowEssays Review

Vicki Mata
8 min readDec 21, 2021

I bet the list of books you want to read is very long, and so is mine! But for one reason or another, we never finish this list. Daily obligations, “lack time,” and many other things make us fall behind on our academic goals.

Indeed you have set monthly goals to read books, and that’s fine because this makes us strive to achieve the task. However, if I tell you that you can read one book a week, what would you think? Come on! It’s not impossible. It’s an entirely achievable goal. It just requires your discipline and desire to achieve it.

In this opportunity, I will talk to you about what you can do to read a book a week and thus be able to fulfill the list of pending books you have. Along with tips for reading a book a week, I provide you with wow essay coupon code.

How to read a book a week?

To meet the goal of reading a book a week, you need to carry out some practical tips. Reading is a habit that you must cultivate.

So beyond practicing the tips I mention below, you must create the habit of reading. My main recommendation is to practice reading some short stories to get into the challenge of reading a book a week.

Here are the tips by wow essays you can follow to read a book a week and not die trying.

Pick a book

Okay, I think this is a little obvious, don’t you? To read a book a week, you should choose which book you want to read (if you can). I say this because it may be that for work or study reasons, you must read a specific title.

If so, avoid this step. Otherwise, follow the following recommendations to choose a book. You should only choose a book that you have wanted to read for a long time and have not been able to do so yet.

Research the author

One of the critical points to fulfill reading a book a week is that you research the author. Why do I say this? Because by reading about the author, the way they think, and their beliefs, you can probably get an idea of what the book will be like or what it’s a bit of.

Maybe when you are reading this, you think why I should research the author if I am only interested in one book? Well, it’s very much related. The author is the one who writes the book, and in it, they express many of their beliefs or thoughts.

Keep in mind the size.

I say this not to discourage you, far from it. I say it because it is straightforward to observe the case of people who choose concise books to “meet” the challenge, while others avoid a book because it is too long.

My recommendation is not to choose a book because it is short or long. Choose it because you like it or want to read it. However, the advice I can make regarding the size of the book is that you evaluate your average reading pace.

If you, on average, read a book of 600 pages in two months, you are aware that you should not choose a book of 600 pages or more since it is doubtful that you will not reach the challenge and you will not try it again. So choose a book with a regular size that you can read according to your reading average.

The idea is to learn and progress so that you will read faster and faster. But for your first time with the challenge, you should not force yourself too much.

Choose a plot that interests you.

You must choose a plot that interests you. It’s no use choosing a romance novel if you hate romance books. The idea is to complete books that you want to read and not to finish books to achieve them.

And believe me, it will be a waste of time if you struggle to complete a book you don’t like. And, besides, you’ll hardly want to continue with this technique later.

Be organized and make the most of your reading time.

One of the best tips I can give you so that you can read a book a week is to be organized and make the most of your time.

We often don’t finish books, or if we do, we do it after a long time because “we don’t have time.” If you combine work, studies, home, family, and friends, you might think that you don’t have time.

However, there are some cases in which this does not apply, as I can quickly tell you some moments that you might miss. The most common example is in traffic or commuting to work or elsewhere.

From half an hour and even more, it can be the time you invest in going to your place of work or study. What would happen if you used that time to read? You would finish the book faster.

Another time you can spend is while waiting for a meal to be cooked, while waiting for the washing machine, among others. These are small moments that become very big and valuable if we talk about reading.

Leaf through some pages

There are some cases (not all) in which I recommend you leaf through some pages. I don’t like to do it, since I must and want to know every detail, no matter how small, of the book I am reading.

However, there are some techniques you can put into practice to move forward a few pages, especially when the story is not being that interesting or has what can be known as “filler.”

Below, I’ll give you some techniques to help you read a book faster by skimming a few pages.

Read the titles and subtitles.

It will help if you read the titles and subtitles of each page or chapter in the book. These are the prelude to what the chapter will be about. Therefore, you must read them to know what it is about.

In the titles and subtitles, you will find all the information in the summary of what you will see in the chapter. So you must read them to understand the rest of the chapter, especially if you will be skimming through it.

Focus on introductions and conclusions.

Some authors add a kind of “summary” or introduction and conclusion to each chapter to briefly explain the chapter or highlight some critical events. It is highly recommended to read this since by doing so, you will be able to know in a summarized way what the chapter is about or what was the teaching or summary it had.

Outline each chapter

This point is only for experts in the field, so it requires practice if you want to carry it out.

When I say outline each chapter, I mean read-only vital points. For example, the first words or the first sentence of each paragraph and the last sentences of the section.

Additionally, read the headings and subheadings mentioned before and some points that you consider relevant.

It is about doing a quick “scan” in the text and reading only some punctual parts, such as each paragraph’s initial and final sentences.

Do not fall behind in your reading.

My recommendation is that according to the number of pages in the book, choose an approximate number of pages that you can read daily. The idea is to set a goal. Remember that it is much easier to perform the activities that will make you meet the objectives when you have a plan.

For example, if you choose a 700-page book, you should read approximately 100 pages a day to read the book in a week. Of course, this figure can be varied, i.e., on average, you should read between 80 to 120 pages each day to reach the goal.

Therefore, when you have the estimated number of pages you should read daily, you should not fall behind. If your average is 80 to 120 pages, and one day you only read 50, you are already off to a bad start.

Maybe you will say, “I’ll make up the missing pages tomorrow,” and really, don’t do it. According to studies already proven by me (haha, it’s true, it happened to me), you will never read those 30 pages you missed the next day. So you will only get further and further behind in everything you have pending to read.

So don’t fall behind! That’s my recommendation. And if by any chance, your day got complicated, apply the technique of “skimming” the pages I indicated above.

Limit any distraction you may have

Distractions are the worst enemy you can have in accomplishing your goal. The only thing they do is make you waste time and delay you in your dreams.

That is why I recommend that when you read, try to do it somewhere a little quieter and away from distractions such as cell phones, instant messaging, social networks, any game or factor that makes you get distracted.

Also, devices such as televisions try to keep them away from you while reading. Why? Because the only thing they do is distract you from your work because you will be watching that favorite TV show or movie you wanted to see.

So when you are going to read, my recommendation is that you read in a quiet place, without distractions nearby that make you waste your time.

Avoid reading when you are sleepy.

An essential tip for you to carry out your goal of reading a book a week is to avoid reading when you are sleepy.

I know you don’t want to fall behind or want to get more reading done, and you probably try to read when you can’t sleep anymore.

However, when you are sleepy, you can’t concentrate fully, so you will end up re-reading a few sentences, and even then, you won’t quite understand what the chapter is about. It will undoubtedly waste a lot of your time, as you will not be making any progress or accomplishing anything at all.

So my main recommendation is that instead of wasting time reading when you are sleepy (you will not understand practically anything, and you will have to reread), take advantage of that time to rest and get up with more spirit the next day.

In short: Can you read a book a week?

Of course, you can! Many people have been reading one book a week for years, and in this way, they have been able to read an extensive repertoire of books.

It’s a great way to get used to this technique, learn to read faster, and complete your to-read list quickly.

However, not everything is rosy, and although I believe that it is entirely possible to achieve this goal, it requires a lot of discipline and dedication.

If you follow the tips mentioned above, I do not doubt that you will be able to reach your goal of reading a book a week. However, you must be perseverant and disciplined.

As I have told you, speed reading requires a lot of practice. The more you practice, the more expert you will become, and you will be able to achieve your primary goals. Make reading a habit and see how little by little you will improve.

It should be noted that if you could not meet the goal at the first attempt, you should not feel bad for some reason or another. What is recommended is that you identify the mistake you made, where you failed and kept trying to apply the necessary corrective measures was, do not give up! Fast reading comes through practice. Let’s practice!

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Vicki Mata

I started writing in 2013. Since then, I tried my hand in copywriting, composing for blogs, and working as an academic writer at WowEssays.com