3 reasons to start reading 1 hour daily

Warren Buffet is one of the world's richest self made billionaire, often referred to as the "Oracle of Omaha". He is the greatest investor of all time and manages his investments through his firm Berkshire Hathaway.

Few years back, he was addressing students of Columbia University School of Business. During the interaction, one of the student asked him to share his biggest success key.

He thought for a moment and than pulled out a stack of papers and reports that he had brought with him. He pointed those documents toward student and said that If you can read 500 such pages every day for the rest of your life, than you will be successful like me.

He continued that when you read daily, your knowledge gets accumulated like compound interest and you start reaping benefits as you progress in life.

He said that any of them could do this, but only few would do it. As per Buffet, he spends 80% of his working hours on reading and thinking.

This little story should inspire us all to understand the value of reading on a regular basis and the benefits it can provide to our long term success. Majority of the people never read a book, once they finish college. No wonder why these people never go beyond a certain point.

It is not that people do not read anything. They may read newspaper, magazines (film, travel, sports, health etc.), comics etc. But what Warren Buffet was talking about and what the remainder of this article will cover is the kind of reading which can stimulate your mind. Material which can real help you become a better person at work and in life.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

Joseph Addison

Sure reading newspaper daily will make you informed but newspaper these days are full of negative and hopeless content. It takes away motivation and instill a sense of fear with all the political drama and crime news. Similarly film or any other magazines will help you pass your time and in some cases help you in increasing your general knowledge but does it really help you succeed in your work?

So before  we talk about the kind of stuff that your should be reading, let's talk about the benefits that you can have from reading.

1. It helps refine your thoughts

Reading daily in your chosen field or from diverse background will help you refine your thoughts. You will get new ideas, knowledge and perspective to think and engage on an entirely new level. Your horizons are expanded. Your brain gets new fuel, resulting in development of neurons and stimulating your thought pattern.

When you have more knowledge through reading and if you can reflect on your learning, you will almost entirely become a better problem solver. You start attracting solutions as knowledge gets built up like compound interest. Once you have read something and internalized it, it remains in your mind.

Whenever you face any problem or difficult situation, you unconsciously withdraw your stored knowledge from the stored pool and start applying it to situation at hand. No wonder why successful people are better problem solvers, because they read a lot.

As per a study done by Forbes magazine, 80% of the millionaires and billionaires read for 30 minutes on a daily basis.

Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day.
Thornton Wilder

2. You become an expert in your field

If you read for an hour daily in your chosen field than with in 2-3 years, you will become an expert and top 10% in your field.

As I mentioned earlier, knowledge gets added up very fast. When you read on a daily basis for 1 hour, you will be able to finish 1 book per week. That means you can on an average finish 50 books per year. This is a huge number considering the fact that majority of people do not read a book after college.

When you read 50 books per year, you will have vast knowledge as compared to your peers. Knowledge gained through reading and coupled with deep thinking and application will catapult you to entirely new heights of success.

You will become a better communicator through the power of knowledge. You can express your ideas conveniently. People will come to you to seek knowledge and advice.

He that loves reading has everything within his reach.
William Godwin

3. Your income and respect will increase

In today's knowledge driven economy, it is very hard to find good talent and experts. People are ready to pay anything to hire experts and knowledgeable person.

No wonder why it is imperative enough to keep investing in yourself for growth. Books are the best way to invest in yourself. Good part is that it is very easy to do and cost effective as well.

All successful people keep a chunk of time aside on daily basis for their reading. This helped them in climbing ladders of success through wisdom gained from other's writing and experiences.

Benefit of  reading is summed up in the following quote by Newton.

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.

Isaac Newton

Books written by others will help you learn fast from their experiences and wisdom and hence you can move ahead faster in your life by acquiring their knowledge.

What you should be reading on a daily basis?

There are wide variety of reading material which you can indulge in on daily basis like

1. Books - They can be of any kind related to your field. You can either read them on your kindle or you can have a print version. Depending on your habit and interest, choose one which suits you better.

I personally read on my laptop as well as print version both. I select books based on recommendation from mentors and friends. I also keep an eye on best books list on Amazon and books suggested by successful people.

These days I have also started listening to audio books while I drive. This helped me utilize my commute time in an efficient manner. To know more about this, read my another article on utilizing commute time.

2. Blogs - I am big fan of reading blogs written by people I follow in my field. Blogs helps me keep an eye on latest trends in my domain and what successful people are doing.

Blogs are also quick to read in a short time with chunks of knowledge soaked in few hundred words. I read primarily on Medium as well as subscribed to few blogs through Feedly. I get notification on feedly and medium app on my android mobile, as well as I get daily list of popular blog content in email.

3. Trade publications, reports, journals - You can read about the latest happenings in your field through various magazines and publications like Wall Street Journal, science journals (e.g. Elsevier) etc.

Most of the time, such publication issues are costly but many companies get subscriptions on discount for their employees. You can also read these stuff online at a much cheaper rate.

So these are some of the ways you can start building your knowledge and start your growth journey.

I like to read self help, motivation, productivity, business, management, marketing related blogs and books. If any body is interested to know more about my reading stuff or want to borrow it than feel free to ping me or drop a comment below.

A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.
Will Rogers