Key Takeaways
- Delete social media apps from your phone to create reading windows throughout the day
- Carry a book everywhere and an e-reader for convenience; alternate between digital and physical
- Read multiple books at once and quit freely — unfinished books aren't failures
Scott O., writing on his personal blog, claims he reads roughly 52 books per year. He didn't start there. A few years ago he finished fewer than ten. The shift came from treating reading not as an extra activity but as the default thing he does when he's not doing something else.
His argument is simple: most people reach for their phones the moment boredom arrives. Readers reach for books. The trick isn't scheduling reading time. It's making reading the path of least resistance.
The phone purge
Scott deleted Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and streaming apps from his iPhone. When he picked up his phone out of habit, only boring utilities remained: weather, email, banking. Within days, his brain stopped expecting entertainment from the device. The muscle memory faded.
He also switched to a cheap analog watch. Checking the time no longer meant unlocking a screen full of notifications.
The discomfort is real at first. Ten minutes with nothing to do feels strange when you've trained yourself to fill every gap with content. That discomfort is the opening. Fill it with pages instead of feeds.
Always have a book on you
Scott reads a few pages when he wakes up, before sleep, while cooking, while eating breakfast, on trains, walking the dog, and yes, in the bathroom. He brings a book when going out with his partner, even if he rarely opens it. The point is insurance: if a gap opens, he's ready.
Carrying thick hardcovers everywhere is impractical. His solution is an e-reader. It fits in a pocket, holds hundreds of titles, has a backlight for dark rooms, and lets you highlight and look up words instantly. He calls it "one of the best inventions ever" for readers.
But he doesn't read exclusively digital. After a while, e-readers make every book feel the same. He alternates between digital and physical, preferring paperbacks because they're lighter and cheaper than hardcovers.
Read in parallel, quit without guilt
Scott typically has several books in progress. Sometimes one grabs him so hard he pauses the others, but variety keeps things interesting. He mixes fiction and non-fiction to widen his options at any given moment.
He also quits books freely. He starts far more than he finishes. An abandoned book isn't a failure. Some books need the right time. He tried Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse at least three times before finishing it, and now considers it formative.
“It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read.”
— Umberto Eco
What should you actually read?
Scott cites advice he found somewhere: "Read what you like until you like to read." His suggestion is to read broadly across genres and subjects. Good writing exists everywhere, and switching contexts teaches different perspectives. Eventually you'll learn which genres stick.
The goal isn't to optimize for productivity books or business biographies. It's to build the habit first. Taste refines itself.
The numbers behind reading habits
The average American adult reads about 12 books per year, according to Pew Research. Gallup data shows 27% of Americans didn't read a single book in the past year. Hitting 52 books, one per week, puts you in rare company. It's not a matter of intelligence or time. It's structure.
Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's longtime partner at Berkshire Hathaway, put it bluntly: "In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time. None, zero."
Logicity's Take
For founders, the system here isn't about reading. It's about reclaiming attention. The same phone purge that creates reading windows also reduces context-switching, which kills deep work. Tools like [Notion](https://logicity.in/r/notion) for capturing book notes or [Calendly](https://logicity.in/r/calendly) for blocking reading time can help, but the real leverage is deleting apps. Most productivity advice adds complexity. This subtracts it. The insight worth borrowing: don't schedule a new habit, delete the thing competing with it.
Disclosure
Some links in this post are affiliate links — Logicity earns a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. We only link products we have used or actively recommend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to read a book a week?
Most books run 200-300 pages. At 30 pages a day, roughly 30-45 minutes, you finish one every week. The author's approach is spreading that across small gaps throughout the day rather than one long session.
Is an e-reader better than physical books?
E-readers are more portable and convenient for travel or commutes. Physical books offer variety in texture and format that prevents reading fatigue. Many prolific readers, including Scott, alternate between both.
Should I force myself to finish every book I start?
No. Quitting books freely is part of the system. Some books aren't right for you now but might be later. Forcing yourself through a book you're not enjoying slows the habit.
What's the best genre to start with?
Whatever you enjoy. The goal is building the habit first. Read what you like until you like to read, then branch out.
Need Help Implementing This?
Want to build systems that help your team read, learn, and stay sharp? Reach out to Logicity for coverage of productivity tools and founder routines that actually stick.
Source: Hacker News: Best / Elia Scotto (hello@scotto.me)
Manaal Khan
Tech & Innovation Writer
Produced with AI assistance and reviewed by the Logicity editorial team. Learn more in our Editorial Policy.
