How to 'Read' 100 Books a Year (Without Sitting Down)

When I tell people I read over 100 books a year, they usually assume one of three things:

1. I am unemployed.
2. I am a hermit with no social life.
3. I am lying.

None of these are true. I have a full-time job, a family, friends, and I sleep 8 hours a night.

The secret is not that I have more time than you. The secret is that I have stopped separating "Reading Time" from "Living Time."

Most people try to read by sitting on a couch for 30 minutes before bed. That is a noble goal, but life gets in the way. You get tired. The TV is tempting. You scroll TikTok.

To hit triple digits, you need a paradigm shift. You need to stop reading with your eyes and start reading with your ears during the "Dead Zones" of your day.

This is the concept of N.E.T. Time (No Extra Time). Here is the exact blueprint I use to consume 100+ books a year without sitting down once.

The "100 Book" Math (It's Easier Than You Think)

Let's break down the mountain into molehills. Is 100 books really possible for a normal human?

The average non-fiction audiobook is roughly 10 hours long.

• 100 Books = 1,000 Hours of raw audio.
• But we are Speed Listeners. We listen at 1.5x to 1.75x.
• At 1.5x (with Silence Removal), a 10-hour book takes ~6 hours.
• Total Time Needed: 600 Hours per year.

The Magic of "N.E.T. Time"

You cannot "find" 98 minutes. You have to "recover" them.

Tony Robbins coined the term N.E.T. (No Extra Time). It refers to time where your body is busy, but your mind is free. These are the Gold Mines of productivity.

Psychologists call this "Temptation Bundling." You bundle a behavior you want to do (listening to a thriller or a business book) with a behavior you have to do (dishes, commuting).

Suddenly, you stop dreading the dishes. The dishes become the "ticket" to hear the next chapter.

My Daily "100 Book" Routine

Here is exactly how I find those 98 minutes, every single day.

Total: 90 minutes. That puts me on track for roughly 92 books a year. The weekends (long walks, drives) easily make up the difference to hit 100.

The Gear: Hardware Matters

You cannot build a habit if your equipment fights you. If your headphones hurt after 20 minutes, you will stop. If your battery dies, you will stop.

After testing dozens of devices, here is the essential Speed Listening loadout.

1. For the Commute: Noise Cancelling

Top Pick: Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QC45.

When you are on a train or a plane, the background hum fights the narrator's voice. This forces you to lower your listening speed to comprehend. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) creates a "Studio of Silence" anywhere. It allows you to maintain 2.0x speeds without strain.

2. For the Walk: Bone Conduction

Top Pick: Shokz OpenRun Pro.

This is a safety necessity. If you are walking the dog or running outside, you must hear traffic. Bone conduction headphones sit outside your ear, vibrating your cheekbones. You can hear the book perfectly while still hearing the car coming up behind you. They are game-changers for outdoor routines.

3. The Pocket Essentials

• A MagSafe Battery Pack: Speed listening drains battery (especially with screen-on for notes). Don't let a dead phone kill your streak.
• The "Tap" Configuration: Map your headphone buttons. Single tap = Pause. Double tap = Skip Forward (Ads). Triple Tap = Rewind 15s (The Drift). You should never have to take your phone out of your pocket.

The Social Contract (Don't Be Rude)

Living with headphones on can annoy the people you love. My wife used to hate it. "Are you even listening to me?"

You need a "Social Contract."

Here are my rules for maintaining relationships while hitting 100 books:

• The "One Ear" Rule: When I'm in the house with family, I only wear one earbud. I am technically listening, but I am present enough to hear my name.
• The Immediate Pause: If someone speaks to me, I pause immediately. No "Hang on, let me finish this sentence." Immediate attention shows respect.
• No Audio at Dinner: Meals are for humans, not for books. Period.

Advanced: "Habit Stacking"

James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) talks about "Habit Stacking."

The formula is: "After I [Current Habit], I will [New Habit]."

For us, it looks like this:

• "After I put on my left shoe, I will press Play."
• "After I start the car engine, I will connect Bluetooth."
• "After I turn on the faucet for dishes, I will put in my earbuds."

By tying the audio to a physical trigger, you remove the decision fatigue. You don't "decide" to listen; it just happens automatically.

It's Not About the Number

100 books is a vanity metric. Nobody cares about the number but you.

But the lifestyle of a 100-book reader is transformative. It means you are constantly downloading new ideas, new perspectives, and new stories into your brain.

It turns the boring parts of life—traffic, laundry, waiting rooms—into the most exciting parts of your day. You stop resenting the commute and start looking forward to it.

So, grab your headphones. Your dog is waiting. And so is your next favorite book.