Reading appetite differs from person to person. If you’ve spent your fair share of time reading then you definitely know that sometimes reading isn’t much fun.
But the fact remains, it is still a great activity to boost your knowledge as well as stir up the right mental activity for your brain.
One interesting question i came across after going through a number of reading blogs that sounded interesting was:
“Can I read 2 books at once?”
This post will therefore dive deep into this and give you some understanding, so you get a better sense of whether you should open up two books and read them at the same time.
With said, can you actually read 2 books at once?
It is possible to read 2 books at once with the right focus and concentration.
Of course this is tasking on your brain but it is doable and can help you get through your reading pile faster.
However, you have to be mindful with how you consume and process information from both books and the complexity of the material in them; because if your comprehension falls apart you’d have wasted your time.
Furthermore, like I always say, some books are harder to read than others so it would take some doing if you’re to read 2 difficult books at once…. but even with that said, it is still doable.
Let’s look at how and why reading two books at once can actually work to your advantage.
Two birds, One Stone
Reading two books at once can seem daunting in your early days as a reader.
You may wonder whether actually doing it would be to your advantage or not and feeling like this is natural.
Before I became a passionate reader this bothered me too and only through practice did I actually start to appreciate the beauty of reading two books at once.
One of the benefits of reading two books at once is that it allows you to kill two birds with one stone. What I mean by this is that you can read two books in one seating.
If you have a huge pile of casual stuff to read this is great news because reading 2 books at once can allow you to get through your reading pile that much faster.
Let’s face it, having a huge pile of stuff to read can be daunting. Reading 2 books at once can give you a more efficient way to move through your pile quickly.
Which brings me to my next point
A strike of balance
Reading is almost a science or a science of sorts in that some conditions have to be in place for it to take place efficiently.
With that in mind, we can hack our brains by balancing and combining two different books and using them to our advantage.
This is the second benefit of reading 2 books at once. It simply can allow you to mix pleasure reading with casual reading. It can also allow you to read two different genres of books at once.
You may be wondering where I’m going with this, not to worry, let me explain.
Sometimes reading certain books can be boring and can easily lower your ability to read for extended periods. Therefore, reading two different books at once can help you switch between them in order to strike a balance.
This balance can help you counteract laziness and boredom which is usually the case when it comes to reading for reasons like ” because you have to”.
Required reading is usually not so fun to read because you’re literally forced to have to do it in a sense.
You can therefore balance required reading with preferred reading by reading 2 books at once.
Some people are quick readers and can go through an entire book in a single day. Is it a bad thing? LEARN MORE HERE I also have another article detailing whether or not reading too much is bad, check it out here.
Connecting the dots
When we read for research, we often have a lot of material to go through. This can be a challenge when complex material is at hand, which is why it is usually advisable to read more than one book on a topic.
This gives you atleast more information surrounding what you’re reading on. It can also help you go over any obstacles to your understanding.
With that said, reading 2 books at once can be really helpful in such situations and others similar to this.
You can easily look for two books that are related to a certain degree and read them both at the same time. This can help you gather better understanding as well as connect the dots in most cases.
You can connect the dots between two book ideas when you cross reference material from one book to the other.
This can be helpful in situations where you need a wide knowledge base that can help you compare and possibly connect ideas.
Reading 2 books at once can be a way for you to decode and understand ideas that make sense when combined.
The more, the merrier
Reading is a productive activity that is not only a healthy habit but a good way to spend time relaxing.
Everyone is accustomed to reading one book at any given moment because that is the norm…
but like I always say, there are really no rules when it comes to how you choose to read.
Reading is a great activity that sharpen your intellect and make you intelligent. This is the reason why most well read people are constantly reading.
They never stop because they’ve read so much already, they’re basically always looking for new things to read and re-read in other situations.
The advantage of reading more than one book at a time is that it is great for your overall brain function.
Reading improves your brain function, therefore the more reading you subject it to, the better it functions.
Reading 2 books at once not only exposes you to more information, it also exposes your brain to 2 different reading materials that can allow it to function much better as well as give it more information to process. (FIND OUT HOW LONG IT TAKES TO FINISH READING A 300 PAGE BOOK)
This will improve its function overall and arm you with better observational and analytic qualities that can improve your intelligence as well your ability to read better.
Good combinations
Books Like music are matter of preference. You don’t necessarily always listen to the same song over and over again.
You basically navigate around a number of songs to give you variety in taste. In most cases people are open to listening to a certain genre of music because it appeals to them.
When it comes to taste, reading is something that is quite preferential and people don’t necessarily read randomly.
They have specific genres that appeal to them on different levels.
Reading 2 books at once can allow you to develop combinations of books that you can read during your reading time.
Good combinations of books will highlight basically, genres that go well together for your taste and this will sort of turn you into a combinational reader.
For example I tend to mix philosophy with science in my reading time. Which is helpful and beneficial because it exposes me to two different thought processes expressing two different disciplines.
Which is important because it helps me form my own basis and foundation regarding how to approach certain book genres.
Since I’m mostly a casual reader, I have developed good book combinations that make every reading session basically interesting.
How to read 2 books at the same time
Let’s face, reading two books at the same time kind of requires some expertise or simply experience.
Below are some cool tips that you can use to read two books at the same time.
Try Different combinations
If you want to get into reading more than one book at the same time, you’ll basically need to make your own process.
This may seem undoable but it’s really not that hard.
If you want to start reading two or more books at the same time I suggest you start by trying out different combinations of books.
When you’re doing this, you’re basically reading books in pairs according to how well combinations of books have worked out for you.
It can be a long process to figure out good pairs of books to read at the same time but if you stick with it, you’ll easily figure out which genre of books you can read at the same time and actually get to enjoy.
Use location for adjusting
After you try out various combinations of books that you can easily read at once. You now have to move on and figure out a way to best read the two books.
My advice is, use two different locations to alternate between the two books.
ofcourse these alternations don’t have to be very separate from each other.
For example, you can use your study room to read one book and any other room to read your second book.
The place you choose to read in is important because reading two books at once is not at all easy.
Therefore any tweaks you can make to ensure that the process goes easier can pretty much help the overall process.
Read in different ways
Figuring out good book combinations and switching locations as you switch between two books is very important.
Another great tip that can help you read multiple books is reading using different mediums.
What I mean is, you can have one book being read on your ipad and you can have your second book in physical paper form.
Moving from one reading medium to another can make going back and forth between books more interesting and feel less repetitive.
Combine what you like
Another cool tip that can easily make reading two books at once an easy task is through the combination of material like earlier discussed…
Reading two or more books at once is something rarely practiced by people and therefore this means it requires a more tactical approach.
It is for this reason that I advise people looking to read more than one book at once to basically read the stuff that they like.
Don’t read material you don’t like if you’re not a frequent reader.
Because chances are, you’ll not get through 10 minutes of your reading session before you dump and put aside both your books.
Therefore read two books you like.
For example, if you like reading philosophy, pick two books of philosophers you like and read their works.
Reading two books you have no interest in will drive you crazy. Speaking of which, Can reading actually make you crazy? LEARN MORE HERE.
Take essential breaks
Reading two books at once is nothing short of draining. Even more so when the stuff being read is of complex nature.
This is why it’s good to take frequent breaks to help your mind rest and take time to stir clear of words for a while.
If you can use your breaks well, you can easily get through a lot of reading without getting burnt-out which can be great.
Its really difficult to stay focused on words for hours. breaks can help you in such situations.
Casual reading
One important factor I have to mention when it comes to reading two books at once is that;
For a beginner, Reading two books at once works best when it’s for casual reading.
If you have a pile of material to read through it’s not always such a good idea to read more than two books at once.
Also required reading usually needs to be handled carefully. It’s not guaranteed that reading two books at the same time can be helpful in such situations for a non-reader.
Therefore you have to tread lightly and test out reading two books at once and see how well it works for you first.
Allocate time
One of the best ways to keep track of things and to ensure that you maintain a healthy reading habit is to allocate reading time.
When you prepare your mind for reading at specific times you’ll be easily able to read two books at the same time because you’d have mentally prepared for it.
So it’s always helpful to set times and to read at those regular times so you build a good systematic habit.
Final Thoughts
ofcourse reading two books at once is possible and generally depends on ones ability to focus and concentrate.
It can be tasking on your brain but doable and can help you get through your reading pile faster.
However, you have to pay attention with regard to how you receive and process information from both books and the complexity of the material in them; because if your comprehension falls apart you’d have wasted your time and energy.
HELPFUL LINKS
Basmo – Pros And Cons Of Reading Multiple Books at Once
Bustle – Reading More Than One Book At A Time
BAOS – Should You Read Multiple Books at Once or One-At-A-Time?
Book Riot – 5 Tips for Reading Multiple Books at the Same Time
The Fussy Librarian – The benefits of reading multiple books at once
