Smart Authors Secret Sauce… They Increase Their Knowledge Daily

I’ve been a fan of Warren Buffet for decades. Oh, I wished I had gotten on the Berkshire Hathaway train a gazillion years ago like most of the investing population wished they had. I didn’t. It left the station without me.

But what I did do was invest in his words of wisdom several times a week. I read articles written on his tips for business success. Usually short and to the point. My style.

I invested my time with him.

One of his wisdom was this: Build up your knowledge daily. Read 500 pages every week.

The thought, and sometimes task, of reading 500 pages of a book or material a week may move your overwhelm meter off the chart. He refers to his advice as the Buffet Formula and adds:

                                                                                     Go to bed a little smarter each day.

I love this concept. It’s a type of compounding interest, building up on your “smart” wisdom base on an ongoing basis. One page at a time, which takes an average reader less than three minutes. Do you have 166 minutes of free time every week? Unscripted time? Uncommitted time? Wasted time? Bet you do.

How did I get to the 166 minutes? By:

Taking a full week which delivers 148 hours to each of us (24 x 7 = 148). Starting at 148, start eliminating your committed times: sleeping time of 56 hours (8 x 7 = 56); work time of 40 hours (8 x 5); and 28 hours for social, eating (4 x 7 = 28). That leaves 24 more hours or 1440 minutes (24 x 60). The average person READS a full page in a book containing 250 words in less than three minutes.

The Buffet Factor is recommending 500 pages a week. If I use the “average” of reading a page of a book in three minutes, I could estimate that it would take me 166 minutes out of the 1440 leftover weekly minutes, or 24 hours, to add to my author success learning power (500 / 3 = 166 or less than three hours). The good news—you have 21 hours left over each week to add to your regular commitments, play, or whatever.

• You don’t need a potful of money to go to bed a little smarter.
• In fact, you don’t need any money.

What you need is:

• Your time.
• Resources for building your knowledge.

Think Books. Buy them. Download free eBooks that are available on Kindle Unlimited on Amazon’s Kindle. Join your local library and routinely borrow from it.

If reading is a challenge for you, there are other options, as well as bonuses to add to books. Variations include listening to podcasts. Subscribing to newsletters, and blogs. And one of my faves: watching the MasterClass video series.

In 2006, I had one of those unexpected accidents after a speaking engagement that led to a brain injury. Before the incident, I clipped through books at a thousand words a minute. I devoured them and loved what unfolded in my eyes. Wonderful stories. Learning.

Overnight, my ability to read disappeared by 90% plus. It was like a dark curtain closed around me. I could barely read a book designed for a preschooler—meaning big words, few words, pictures. It was a scary time for me. I had to hide how impaired I was … as extensive therapy took over to retrain my brain and me. It took me 18 months before I could read effectively again. Not at my previous thousand words a minute, but at half the rate. Good enough.

Okay, back to the overwhelm meter. Start with a reading goal that is manageable for you. Each day, you will build on your life. I promise.

It’s a LEAP YEAR—you get ONE EXTRA DAY …. 24 hours, you get another 1440 minutes.

What are you investing your time in and with? Are you willing to leap into expanding your expertise? To broaden your perspectives? To enhance your success?

Dr. Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. Often, she must roll up her writing sleeves and become a Book Doctor, juicing up storylines and author words. She empowers authors and works directly with authors who want to be seriously successful and has been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the ’80s. Judith is the author of 45 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms, Snappy Sassy Salty: Success for Authors and Writers, and How to Create a Million Dollar Speech. Her personal memoir When God Says NO-Revealing the YES When Adversity and Loss Are Present is a #1 bestseller on Amazon and her historical fiction debut The Secret Journey and The Secret Hamlet. Collectively, her books have earned over 50 book awards. Judith speaks throughout the year at publishing conferences. 

Throughout the year, she holds Judith Briles Book Unplugged in-person and online experiences: Publishing, Speaking, Marketing, and Social Media. All are two-day intensives limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. Join Judith live for the “AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing” podcast on the Toginet Radio Network HERE. The AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Marketing podcast is ranked in the TOP 10 podcasts for book marketing by Mashable and Feedspot.

Follow @AuthorUYOUBooks and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorYOU, and join the Facebook group Book Publishing with The Book Shepherd. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her.

©2024 Judith Briles – The Book Shepherd™ All Rights Reserved.

AuthorYOU is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Ongoing education programs delivered face-to-face and online, the weekly Book Publishing Tips ezine, webinars, member-only events, monthly live programs, and the mini one-day Extravaganzas are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Become a VIP AuthorYOU member at AuthorYOU.org.

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AuthorYOU is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Ongoing education programs delivered face-to-face and online, the weekly Book Publishing Tips ezine, webinars, member-only events, monthly live programs, and the mini one-day Extravaganzas are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Become a VIP AuthorYOU member at AuthorYOU.org.

Latest posts by Judith Briles (see all)