Should you read 100 pages per day?
The 8 strategies to do it (if you want)
In "The One Hundred Pages Strategy” at The Lamp, the author/editor Matthew Walther outlines his approach to reading at least one hundred pages daily.
Sounds ambitious. I hadn’t heard of this concept before, but I guess it’s a thing.
The key guidelines he follows include:
Daily Commitment: Read one hundred pages every day, regardless of circumstances.
Flexible Content: Any book counts, whether it's a first-time read or a re-read.
Exclusions:
Reference materials like dictionaries don't count unless read cover-to-cover.
Browsing through essay collections or similar works isn't included.
Books read aloud to children are excluded, though others might choose to include them.
About children’s books:
"I also do not count books, even comparatively serious ones, read aloud to children, though I would not think it strictly contrary to the spirit of the exercise if someone else did.”
There are some suggestions for balancing your reading to make it to 100.
Probably not gonna bang out a that astrophysics textbook 100 pages at a time. Instead, you gotta balance the heavy w/ the light.
Here’s a suggestion:
Like many people, I generally read more than one book at a time, but—this is crucial—never more than one book of the same kind. By this I mean that if I have one fairly heavy book going—say Heidegger on Anaximander and Parmenides—I try to ensure that the others are all at least comparatively lighter (the second volume of Ronald Hutton’s life of Cromwell, for example).
Lol, I like that a second volume on the life of Olive Cromwell is considered “light.” Not in my bookstack, at least.
Here are the 8 strategies (summarized) to actually do it:
Slotting is important (don’t read all at once)
Walther suggests breaking the day into manageable slots for reading. He divides his reading into several sessions throughout the day rather than trying to do it all at once.
For instance:
Morning (e.g., 20–30 minutes before starting the day)
Midday (lunchtime or breaks)
Evening (before bed)
2. Use idle moments
Use downtime, such as commuting or waiting, for reading instead of scrolling on your phone or watching TV.
But he does read during football, and I like to read while watching the NBA.
“The rest of my reading takes place at night. After my wife and children go to bed, my time is generally my own. I usually read for an hour in my office and another half hour in bed, unless it is football season, in which case I read during the commercial breaks of primetime games. (So much of the tedium of pointlessly long N.F.L. broadcasts can be avoided after discovering that advertisements can be ignored safely without missing any of the game itself; even with the sound muted your peripheral vision will let you know when the action has resumed.)”
He advises balancing "heavy" (challenging, dense) books with "light" (easier, faster) ones. This ensures the process doesn’t become overwhelming. For example:
If you’ve tackled a demanding piece of literature or history, switch to something lighter like a novel or narrative nonfiction.
This alternation keeps reading enjoyable and avoids burnout.
3. Balance between heavy & light reading
He advises balancing "heavy" (challenging, dense) books with "light" (easier, faster) ones. This means 100 pages doesn’t become overwhelming.
If you’ve tackled a demanding piece of literature or history, switch to something lighter like a novel or narrative nonfiction.
This alternation keeps reading enjoyable and avoids burnout.
4. Avoid perfectionism
Walther suggests that the goal is to cultivate a habit of reading, not necessarily to extract every detail from every book. Skimming lighter works or reading selectively in essay collections is fine as long as you’re engaged. This is also how I generally read my Bible on those Bible-in-a-year plans. You can get the gist, but not every detail. You have to go back for that.
5. Count all the books (even guilty pleasures)
As long as it’s a “real book” (not social media or reference material), it counts. This helps reduce mental barriers about what is or isn’t “worthy” of inclusion. Walthers doesn’t seem to have a problem with the typical “guilty pleasure” reading i.e. a biography of Cromwell isn’t light for most of us
6. Daily reading has to be habit
By making reading a part of your routine—like brushing your teeth or eating meals—you build the habit over time. Missing one day makes it harder to keep up, so the focus should be on daily practice.
7. Be realistic, do 20 instead of 100
I think this is where I’m at. If 100 pages feels intimidating, begin with 50 or even 20. The momentum will build over time, and achieving a smaller target can be motivating.
Use simple tools like a notebook or an app to log what you’ve read. This reinforces accountability and provides a sense of accomplishment.
8. Choose books strategically
I tried to read all of Faulkner in a year once, and that wasn’t good because I quickly got tired of Faulkner and then didn’t want to read any of it. I needed to mix it up more.
Include a mix of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to keep things fresh.
Always have the next book ready to avoid decision fatigue when finishing one.
Yes, but should you read 100 pages a day?
If you already read regularly…
I’ve never thought of reading this way. I’ve thought of it in terms of books instead. If you hit 100 pages per day, you’ll end up reading more books, no doubt about it.
I read 23-ish books last year (I finished one on Jan 1 and a few audibooks over vacation). That number felt low to me, though I did read some longer fiction books.
The 100 pages a day seems a bit more measurable than the book goal—book lengths vary a lot.
But I like the # of books because then it’s ironically easier to measure once completed.
The reading log could help with this, because you’ll track which books those 100 pages encapsulated.
That said, I have a bunch of books I haven’t read and have never opened frankly, this system would probably help me plow through a few of those and make a decision about them.
I also hate when I start a book but don’t want to finish it—the 100 pages goal just means you pick up another book, but it messes up my book count, it feels like wasted time.
I’m not sure how to reconcile this.
If you don’t read books regularly…
Well, then, start. 10 pages per day makes the most sense. Some books you need to stick with for a bit before giving up on it. At least have 1 book easily accessible to you, like in the living room or on a table. I’d also suggest print books to build the habit—reading on your phone or iPad makes it too tempting to jump out of there.
Happy reading & keep going.