Most people are lying about how much they read. You see it on LinkedIn or TikTok all the time—some productivity "guru" claiming they crush two books a week while running three companies and hitting the gym at 4:00 AM. It’s mostly nonsense. If you’re actually absorbing the material, thinking about the arguments, and letting the prose sit with you, that kind of pace is unsustainable for anyone with a day job. Honestly, the magic happens in a much more modest range. Aiming for 10 to 25 books annually isn't just "doable." It’s actually the threshold where your brain starts to rewire itself without the burnout of "speed reading" hacks that don't work.
Think about it.
If you finish one book every two to three weeks, you're hitting that 10 to 25 books target easily. You’re not rushing. You aren't skimming the index just to log a title on Goodreads. You're actually living with the ideas.
The weird math of the 10 to 25 books range
Why this specific number? Well, data from the Pew Research Center consistently shows that the average American reads about 12 to 14 books a year, but that median number is skewed heavily by "super-readers." A huge chunk of the population reads zero. By landing in the 10 to 25 books territory, you are effectively entering the top 20% of global thinkers. You’re doing enough volume to cross-pollinate ideas between different genres—say, applying a concept from a biography of Theodore Roosevelt to a modern business problem—but you’re not reading so much that the information becomes a blur.
Quality beats quantity every single time.
I’ve met people who boast about reading 100 books a year who can’t tell you a single meaningful takeaway from a title they finished in March. That's not learning; that's just collecting digital badges. When you stick to 10 to 25 books, you have the "shelf space" in your mind to actually argue with the author. You can highlight a page, close the book, and just think for twenty minutes. That is where the actual neuroplasticity happens.
Breaking down the time commitment
Let’s be real about the clock. An average non-fiction book is about 50,000 to 70,000 words. Most adults read at a pace of 200 to 250 words per minute. If you do the math, that’s roughly four to six hours per book. To hit the 10 to 25 books mark, you only need to find about two hours a week on the low end, or maybe five hours a week on the high end.
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That’s it.
You probably spend more time than that looking for something to watch on Netflix. If you read for 20 minutes before bed and 15 minutes during lunch, you’ve already won. You're in the club.
What your "media diet" actually looks like at this scale
When you aren't obsessed with hitting a massive triple-digit goal, your selection process changes. It gets better. You stop picking "easy" books just to pad your stats. You start taking risks on 800-page histories or dense philosophical texts because you know you have the time to savor them.
A solid 10 to 25 books yearly spread might look like this:
- Five deep-dive non-fiction titles (Business, Science, or History)
- Three "challenging" classics you missed in school
- Seven contemporary novels just for the escapism
- Five biographies of people you actually admire
- A few "wildcards" recommended by friends
This variety is what prevents "reader's block." If you only read self-help, your brain eventually turns to mush because every author is essentially saying the same three things: wake up early, be disciplined, and buy their next book. Mixing it up within that 10 to 25 books range ensures you’re getting a balanced mental workout.
The trap of the "Reading Challenge"
Social media has turned reading into a competitive sport, and it’s kind of ruining the vibe. Platforms like Goodreads or StoryGraph are great for tracking, but they can trigger this weird anxiety. You see a progress bar that says you're "two books behind schedule" and suddenly, reading feels like homework.
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Stop that.
The goal of reading 10 to 25 books isn't to satisfy an algorithm. It's to make you a more interesting person at dinner parties. It's to give you a broader perspective on why the world is as messy as it is. If a book is boring, drop it. There is no rule saying you have to finish every title you start. In fact, if you want to stay in that healthy 10 to 25 range, being "ruthless" with your DNF (Did Not Finish) list is the only way to survive.
Cognitive benefits you can actually feel
Scientists have looked into this. Dr. Keith Stanovich, a researcher in the psychology of reading, talks about the "Matthew Effect." Essentially, the more you read, the more vocabulary you acquire, and the easier it becomes to read even more complex material. It’s a compounding interest situation for your brain.
By hitting 10 to 25 books, you are maintaining a high enough frequency to keep that "reading muscle" toned. You’ll notice that you start processing information faster at work. Your empathy levels usually tick up too, especially if you’re diving into fiction that puts you in the shoes of someone totally different from you.
It also helps with "deep work." Our attention spans are being absolutely shredded by short-form video. Sitting down with a physical book for 30 minutes is like a detox for your prefrontal cortex. It forces you to focus on a single narrative thread, which is a superpower in 2026.
Audiobooks: The great debate
Does listening count? Of course it does.
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If you’re crushing a memoir while driving to work, the "language processing" parts of your brain are still lighting up. However, research suggests that for dense, fact-heavy material, we tend to retain less through audio because it’s easier to tune out. If you’re aiming for 10 to 25 books, maybe use audio for biographies and fiction, but keep the physical copies for the stuff you really want to learn. There’s something about the tactile nature of a page—and being able to flip back to check a fact—that anchors the information better.
How to actually hit your goal without losing your mind
Most people fail because they try to "find" time to read. You will never "find" time. You have to steal it.
- The Phone Swap: Every time you reach for your phone to check Instagram, reach for a book instead. Even if you only read two paragraphs, you’re breaking the habit of the infinite scroll.
- The Bathroom Library: Old school? Sure. Effective? 100%.
- Always Carry a "Pocket" Book: Whether it’s an e-reader or a small paperback, having a book during a grocery line or a doctor’s waiting room is the secret to hitting 10 to 25 books without ever feeling like you're "studying."
- Quit Early: If a book hasn't hooked you by page 50, throw it across the room. Life is too short for mediocre prose.
The "Active Reading" shift
If you want the 10 to 25 books you read this year to actually change your life, you have to talk about them. Join a low-pressure book club. Or just text a friend a crazy fact you learned. When you verbalize what you've read, it moves from your short-term memory into your long-term identity.
Moving beyond the numbers
Ultimately, the specific count doesn't matter as much as the habit. But having a target of 10 to 25 books provides a framework. It’s enough to be ambitious, but not so much that it feels like a second job. You want reading to be your sanctuary, not another line item on your to-do list.
Start small. Pick one book today. Don’t worry about January or December. Just worry about the next ten pages. Before you know it, you’ll be halfway through a stack that makes you smarter, calmer, and significantly more thoughtful than you were last year.
Your Next Steps:
- Audit your current pile: Look at the books sitting on your nightstand. If any of them feel like a "chore," donate them tomorrow.
- Set a "No-Screen" window: Dedicate the first or last 20 minutes of your day to your current read.
- Track for fun, not for stats: Use a simple notebook or an app to write down one thing you liked about every book you finish.
- Visit a local bookstore: Sometimes just being around the physical objects is enough to spark the motivation to stay in that 10 to 25 books sweet spot.