Elon Musk's Methods for Reading Over 100 Books a Year as CEO of Twitter

Why do you struggle to read plenty of books?

Without even knowing you, I can tell your explanation is a lack of time & energy. You want to obtain loads of information and become incredibly productive. But no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to work.

Right? You think, “If I can go to the bookstore, find something interesting, and make time for reading in my schedule, then I’ll finally read more books.” But sooner or later, you know nothing will ever change until you acquire improved reading habits. Like Elon Musk previously said:

“That’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.”

I understand how you feel. For a long time, I struggled to read novels. I likewise procrastinated for as long as possible and was scared to read the opening page of a large work.

But one day, I listened to advice from Elon Musk that altered my reading habits. He offered various tactics that motivated me to read more books in a year than I ever believed possible.

Here they are:

Think Of Knowledge As A Giant Tree

According to Elon Musk, “It’s important to view knowledge as a sort of semantic tree. Make sure you grasp the basic concepts, i.e., the trunk and major branches, before you go into the leaves/details; otherwise there is nothing for them to cling on to.”

If you’re interested in a certain subject, read books on similar subjects to increase your knowledge and become intellectually inquisitive about the world.

I adore science fiction. I’ve reached a stage in my life when I like nothing more than relaxing on the sofa, reading an engaging sci-fi novel, and sipping a nice cup of coffee. The technology I read about frequently drives me into a rabbit hole that encourages me to research AI, driverless cars, and many other tech-related issues.

In Project Hail Mary, for example, I adored the way Andy Weir depicted interstellar space travel. After reading the novel, I went to the library and checked out numerous factual books about space, astrobiology, and humanity’s destiny in the universe. Needless to say, all of those publications were incredibly entertaining since I wanted to understand more about the science underlying Project Hail Mary.

You can do the same. Whenever you appreciate a book, recognize some of its core ideas and utilize them as motivation to read something new. Doing so will assist you in cultivating knowledge like a tree, boosting your grasp of intriguing subjects, and raising your enthusiasm to read every day.

Every Book Is An Opportunity To Learn New Things

Elon Musk was reared by literature. He typically spent many hours a day reading science fiction since it was a chance to peek into humanity’s future amid the stars, per CNBC. “It’s said he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica at age nine and would pore through science fiction novels for more than 10 hours a day.”

Elon Musk also learned new things (and life lessons) from every book. “The lesson I drew from the works of Isaac Asimov,” he continued, “is that you should try to take the set of actions that are likely to prolong civilization, minimize the probability of a dark age, and reduce the length of a dark age if there is one.”

I’ve done my best to adopt this method from Elon Musk every time I read books. And while I was doubtful at first, it’s had a tremendous influence on my capacity to learn quicker (and better) than everyone else. After all, I’m listening to guidance from individuals throughout history, paying attention to how they got successful, and avoiding difficult years of trial & error.

To offer you a realistic example, I recently read Never Finished by David Goggins. He’s an ultramarathon runner and former Navy SEAL who set the world record for pull-ups in 24 hours (4,030 repetitions).

In the book, David highlights the necessity of pushing beyond mental obstacles to accomplish 10x more than you ever imagined possible. “It is a lifelong quest for more knowledge, more courage, more humility, and more belief. Because when you gather the courage and discipline to live like that, the only thing restricting your horizons is you.”

David’s counsel has tremendously enhanced my life & career. Whenever I feel like giving up, I keep going. I also remind myself that I’m capable of reaching my greatest dreams... as long as I don’t half-assess anything and consistently put one foot in front of the other.

View every book as a chance to learn new things. Perhaps Steve Jobs’ story, for example, can motivate you to create inventive methods to expand your own firm. Or, if you’re reading fiction, evaluate what you can learn from each character’s past, relationships, and general view on life.

You get the idea. When you discover methods to better your life by reading books, it’ll be simpler to feel driven to read as much as possible.

Conclusion + Takeaway

Like you, I want to read more books and build a lifetime enthusiasm for learning. So, when I started adopting these tactics from Elon Musk, it became 10x simpler to read more books.

It goes without saying that you’re probably not going to feel inspired to read every day. However, if you take little actions every day to become a prolific reader, the force of compound interest will yield remarkable effects over time. So, what are you waiting for?

Start now.

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