How To Get Better With Books | Jim Mullane | Modern Wisdom Podcast 177

Jim Mullane is the man behind the fastest growing Instagram page focussed on self-development & books @GetBetterWithBooks. Developing a reading habit & retaining what you read is a goal many of us have. Today, expect to learn the most important elements of creating a reading habit, how to avoid the most common pitfalls when starting reading, a ton of Jim's best suggestions for his favourite books including a load you will have never heard of and so much more... Sponsor: Buy a 6 Minute Diary - http://amzn.eu/d/cZiqMGT Extra Stuff: Follow Jim's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/getbetterwithbooks/ Buy How To Win Friends - https://amzn.to/2LVDLtp Buy Shoe Dog - https://amzn.to/2Ty7X1R Buy The Road To Character - https://amzn.to/2TDhOn8 Buy The 5am Club - https://amzn.to/3d1IOoa Buy Zen & The Art - https://amzn.to/3ghAfYh Buy Atomic Habits - https://amzn.to/3c1cvUQ Buy Can't Hurt Me - https://amzn.to/3bWTx1X Buy Deep Work - https://amzn.to/3goosYu Buy As A Man Thinketh - https://amzn.to/3gi8sHf Buy Economy Of Truth - https://amzn.to/2LXqQYc Buy Educated - https://amzn.to/2LSOHrX Buy The Ride Of A Lifetime - https://amzn.to/36v2cqZ Buy Watership Down - https://amzn.to/2yzQ8se Take a break from alcohol and upgrade your life - https://6monthssober.com/podcast Check out everything I recommend from books to products - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom #reading #getbetterwithbooks #books - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

Jim MullaneguestChris Williamsonhost

May 29, 202051mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Build A Powerful Reading Habit: Beyond Book Counts And Hype Titles

Chris Williamson and Jim Mullane (Get Better With Books) explore how to build a sustainable reading habit that actually improves your life, rather than just inflating vanity metrics like book counts.
They debunk common mistakes—forcing yourself to finish bad books, chasing speed and numbers, and pretending to like popular titles—and emphasize reading for genuine interest and practical application.
The conversation covers how to choose the right books, schedule reading, improve retention using analog note systems, and balance audiobooks with physical reading.
They finish with concrete recommendations across self-development, memoir, business, and fiction that serve as accessible entry points and deeper cuts for readers at different stages.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Stop forcing yourself to finish books you don't like.

Treat books like bad movies on Netflix—if a book isn't engaging after a fair attempt, put it down and move on instead of wasting time out of obligation or sunk cost.

Ignore vanity metrics like book counts and reading speed.

Tracking how many books you read can distract from the real goal: understanding, retaining, and applying ideas that actually change your behavior or perspective.

Build your reading habit around what genuinely interests you.

Start with topics, genres, and authors you’re naturally curious about so reading feels like leisure, not homework; once the habit exists, you can slowly expand into new areas.

Schedule dedicated reading time and pair it with context.

Treat reading like training: carve out consistent daily blocks (e.g., 20 minutes in the morning), use non-fiction by day and fiction/biography at night to match your mental state and aid sleep.

Use active, analog methods to boost retention.

Read with a pencil/highlighter, mark and dog-ear key passages, then transfer core ideas to notebooks or note cards and review them weekly to reinforce long-term memory.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

If you read 100 books in a month but you don’t retain anything, is it worth it, or are you just using that metric as a feather in your cap?

— Jim Mullane

You get to have the veneer of looking wise whilst not ever having to deploy any wisdom.

— Chris Williamson

If you don’t like a book, please do not waste the time. It’s kind of like watching a movie—if you hate it 15 minutes in, you don’t sit through the next hour.

— Jim Mullane

To be interesting, be interested.

— Jim Mullane (quoting Dale Carnegie)

Read what you love until you love to read.

— Chris Williamson (referencing Naval Ravikant)

Common mistakes when starting a reading habit (sunk cost, vanity metrics, social pressure)How to build and structure a sustainable reading routineChoosing books based on genuine interest versus popularity or statusStrategies for retaining and applying what you readPhysical books vs audiobooks and individual differences in comprehensionRecommended self-development, memoir, business, and fiction titlesThe role of style, storytelling, and author voice in making books engaging

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