How Reading Session Tracking Helped Me Read 50 Books This Year

I used to be someone who "wanted to read more." I'd buy books, add them to my shelf, and then... not read them. Sound familiar?

Last year, I read 50 books. Not because I suddenly found more hours in my day, but because I started tracking my reading sessions. The simple act of measuring changed everything.

This isn't a productivity hack or a life optimization scheme. It's just what happened when I started paying attention to when, where, and how long I read.

The Problem with "Finding Time to Read"

For years, I approached reading like this: "I'll read when I have time."

The problem? I never "had time." There was always something more urgent. Email, social media, TV, chores — reading stayed perpetually on the someday list.

The insight that changed things: I had plenty of time. I just wasn't seeing it.

What Session Tracking Actually Means

Reading session tracking is simple: when you read, you record:

• When you started
• When you stopped
• How many pages you covered

That's it. Some people use a timer. Some note it manually. The format doesn't matter. What matters is the data.

What the Data Reveals

After a few weeks of tracking, I discovered:

My reading time was fragmented. I wasn't finding 2-hour blocks — I was finding 15-minute windows scattered throughout the day.

Lunch breaks were gold. I had 45 minutes every day I was wasting on phone scrolling.

Evenings were unreliable. I was too tired to read by 9 PM. Morning attempts failed too.

Weekends had hidden time. Coffee on Saturday morning, waiting for laundry — small pockets I'd never noticed.

Some books took much longer than others. My assumption that all books took the same time was wrong by a factor of 3x.

The System I Built

Based on what tracking revealed, I built a system:

Primary Reading Time: Lunch

Every workday, I read for 30-40 minutes at lunch. This alone accounts for about 150 hours annually — roughly 25-30 books.

Why it works:

• Consistent (every workday)
• Protected (I eat anyway)
• No willpower required (it's scheduled)
• Good energy level (not tired yet)

Secondary Reading Time: Weekend Mornings

Saturday and Sunday, I read with coffee for 45-60 minutes. This adds about 100 hours annually — another 15-20 books.

Why it works:

• No competing obligations
• Enjoyable (coffee + quiet house)
• Long enough for immersion

Opportunistic Reading: Everywhere Else

The remaining sessions come from:

• Waiting rooms
• Airport/travel time
• Before appointments
• When I wake early naturally
• Any time I catch myself reaching for my phone

These add perhaps 50 hours annually — maybe 5-10 more books.

The Math

• Lunch: 150 hours → 25-30 books
• Weekends: 100 hours → 15-20 books
• Opportunistic: 50 hours → 5-10 books
• Total: 300 hours → 45-60 books

I aimed for 50. I hit 52.

What Session Tracking Does Psychologically

Beyond revealing hidden time, session tracking changed my relationship with reading:

It Made Reading Concrete

"I should read more" is vague. "I read for 35 minutes today" is concrete. The second is satisfying in a way the first never is.

It Created Momentum

Seeing my reading time accumulate felt like progress. A bad day didn't erase weeks of sessions. The streak kept me going.

It Removed Guilt

Before tracking, I felt guilty about not reading enough without knowing what "enough" meant. After tracking, I knew exactly what I was doing. No more vague guilt.

It Highlighted Patterns

I learned I read faster in the morning. I learned some book types take twice as long. I learned weekends were my most productive time. All useful.

It Made Books Comparable

I used to think a 200-page book was quick and a 400-page book was long. Now I know that's not always true. A dense 200-page book might take 10 hours while a breezy 400-page book takes 6. Time tells the truth.

Practical Implementation

Option 1: Dedicated Timer App

Use a reading app with built-in session timing. Start the timer when you read, stop when you stop. The app handles tracking.

Pros:

• Automatic logging
• Statistics calculated for you
• Low friction

Cons:

• Need to remember to start/stop
• Phone must be nearby

Option 2: Manual Logging

Record sessions in a spreadsheet or notes app. Note start time, end time, pages read.

Pros:

• Works with any book/format
• No special app needed
• Total control over data

Cons:

• More friction
• Must remember to log
• Calculate statistics manually

Option 3: Phone Timer

Use your phone's built-in timer. Start when you read, note the time when you stop.

Pros:

• No app needed
• Simple
• Works anywhere

Cons:

• Still need to record somewhere
• Easy to forget
• No accumulated statistics

My Recommendation

Start with a dedicated reading tracker that includes a timer. The automatic statistics and low friction make it sustainable. Manual tracking works but requires more discipline.

Handling Common Obstacles

"I forget to start the timer"

Put your book on top of your phone. You'll see it before you open the book.

Or: accept imperfect data. Missing some sessions doesn't ruin the system. Track what you can.

"I get interrupted"

Pause the timer or note the interruption. Partial sessions count. 10 minutes of reading is better than 0 minutes.

"I don't want to track audiobooks"

Track them anyway. Audiobook time is still reading time. Use a timer or estimate based on playback time.

"Some books are hard to measure"

Dense books require more time per page. That's fine — tracking time reveals this. Don't stress about page-per-minute variations.

"I don't like being watched"

You're watching yourself. The data is private. No one judges your reading speed or session length but you.

What I Learned About Reading

Reading Speed Varies Enormously

My average is about 35 pages per hour for fiction, 20 pages per hour for non-fiction. Dense academic material drops to 10-15 pages per hour. Knowing this helps me plan.

Consistency Beats Intensity

Reading 30 minutes every day beats reading 3 hours on Saturday. The habit matters more than any single session. Consistency compounds.

Short Sessions Count

A 15-minute session feels insignificant. But 15 minutes × 300 days = 75 hours = 12+ books. Short sessions add up dramatically.

Some Books Take Forever

I thought I was slow when a book took weeks. Then I tracked: it was a 600-page dense history book that took 30 hours. That's just what it takes. Nothing wrong with me.

Abandoning Books Is Fine

Tracking helped me notice when I wasn't making progress. If I haven't opened a book in two weeks and don't want to, I abandon it. Life's too short.

Beyond the Numbers

Session tracking started as measurement but became something more. It made me a reader, not someone who "should read more."

Now reading is part of my day, like eating or exercising. It has dedicated time. It gets done. The tracking was just the catalyst that made me see what was possible.

50 books sounds impressive to people who ask. But it's really just 300 hours spread across a year — less than an hour a day on average. Anyone can find that time. Most people just don't see it.

The timer showed me where my time was hiding. Maybe it can show you too.

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Track Your Reading Sessions with Leaflet

Leaflet includes a full-featured reading timer designed to help you build and maintain your reading habit.

Session timer features:

• One-tap start/stop timing
• Background timing (works with screen locked)
• Manual session entry for offline reading
• Pages read per session
• Session history with time and date

Statistics from your sessions:

• Total reading time (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
• Average session length
• Reading streak tracking
• Pages per hour by book type
• Time invested per book

Habit building:

• Visual progress toward time goals
• Session history shows your consistency
• Reading streak motivation
• Widgets showing current progress

Your reading time is valuable. Know exactly where it goes.

Download Leaflet — Track every reading session.