I Read 30 Minutes A Day For 5 Years. This Is What Happened
It changed my life
When I was 20, I had an existential crisis.
I had no idea about what to do in life. I had no job, and I wasn’t studying. But then something changed. I suddenly felt an intense hunger for knowledge. First, I started watching YouTube science videos about how the universe and the world work.
Soon after, I found myself reading books.
And that changed everything.
1. Expanding My Worldview
I started accumulating knowledge.
Damn, how much I had been missing! There was so much content, understanding, and perspectives on various topics—physics, biology, philosophy, economics, politics, etc. The books I read opened my eyes to new ideas and helped me form a more diverse worldview.
Reading changed how I perceive the world.
It made me feel like a kid again, full of curiosity and questions about what was happening in my surroundings and why. I rediscovered myself. Book after book, I realized my biggest passion was asking and discovering new things.
I realized I wanted to become a scientist.
So, I read more. I started to fall more into psychology and neuroscience because I realized they were the starting points for everything: time, space, and consciousness. The curiosity I built up while reading made me enroll for a bachelor’s in Psychology at one of the best universities in my country: the University of Buenos Aires.
The beauty of reading lies in introducing new perspectives and information that can be applied to one's life. Books inspire us and teach us to become better humans. So, do not read a book from cover to cover alone. Instead, try to understand how the new information can be applied to your life.
That will create a life revolution.
2. Personal Growth
Knowledge alone didn’t make an impact.
It was the consistency of reading every day.
Before this reading revolution, I never finished a book despite those that made me read at school. So, I started slow. I only read for 30 minutes a day. I know, it doesn’t sound like much. But 30 minutes is equal to 3 hours and 30 minutes weekly. And 15 hours in a month. Insane!
What started as a simple and small habit transformed into my ability to read faster, focus, and sharpen my capacity to absorb and retain new information. Reading became my ritual. Something that I looked forward to, even on busy days. Over time, I started making this automatic. I knew that once my brain started "asking me” for reading and knowledge.
Reading also led me to a learning revolution.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by what I needed to study at University, I learned to take it step by step. I called this the Lego mindset. I started small and easy, making things actionable. This also helped me refine my learning strategies, and I got better at summarizing ideas and information.
Oh, and this was my inspiration in writing articles on Medium about effective learning :)
3. Becoming a PhD Student
Reading gave me the tools and motivation to become a scientist.
I became fascinated by neuroscience, the science that studies the nervous system. Why? As I said before, this is where everything originates: consciousness. But I wasn’t that interested in studying humans. I was more into exploring other ways of being conscious. In other words, I wanted to study non-human animals.
Reading books also made me rediscover one of my biggest passions as a kid: animals.
As I accumulated knowledge from my daily reading sessions, I could engage with and understand research papers, theories, frameworks, etc. This was a gradual process, but it helped me prepare for the extreme demands of a PhD program long before I officially enrolled.
What began as a small habit of reading for 30 minutes a day shaped my entire academic path.
Now, 6 years after my existential crisis that boosted my hunger for knowledge, I’m doing what I love: science. I won a scholarship to pursue my PhD overseas and study the evolution of cognition through the lens of the avian brain. Looking back, it’s crazy how a little habit revolutionized and shaped my career.
Yes, reading can change and save lives.
Ultra-learning saved my career.
It helped me learn anything without overstudying or overworking. But remember, each person has a different life. Perhaps you work full-time and also study. Or maybe you have a family, etc.
Be reasonable, and don’t fall into toxic productivity.
Here are some last recommendations:
Don’t compare yourself with others. Take your time.
This is not a competition. This is about you. Make it fun and healthy.
Please take care of yourself. That’s the most important thing!
Now it is your turn.
What are you going to learn next?
Until the next time,
Axel
Loved this! Really well written.
And this was special: "... my brain started 'asking me' for reading and knowledge."
.. so good!