I love to read, but time constraints have reduced the number of books I read each year. Now I also consume podcasts, blog posts, videos, and other articles alongside the books I read.

Still, over the last few years, I have developed techniques to digest 6-12 books a year without much struggle.

First, I have a few books that are structured to read one chapter a week. I have read Mark Moore’s Core 52 and Quest 52. This year, he is releasing Wisdom 52, based on Proverbs. A man named James Merritt also has several books with this format. This coming year, I will be reading the one on Proverbs and also one on the Psalms. These require 15 to 30 minutes a week, and at the end of the year, two more books are completed.

Second, I have a few books that I read a chapter a month. This is really simple: buy a book with a number of chapters divisible by twelve. You can read a 24-chapter theology book simply by reading half of a chapter a week. I pick up one or two of these and finish them by the end of the year.

Third, I select a few audiobooks to listen to on longer drives or when doing certain activities alone. On an eight-hour drive to see my mother, I usually listen to almost half a book. Do this a few times a year, and you’ll have added another 3-6 books to feed your mind.

Finally, I get involved in personal discipleship or a small group. These groups force me to read a chapter a week so that I will be ready for discussion at the next meeting. That leads to another 2-3 books a year.

I am always amazed at the end of the year when I look at the completed reading list and see a dozen or more books. All of them were completed with minimal effort.

If you were to use just one of these, by this time next year, you will have read at least one book to help you know God better. And I believe that is time well spent.