I used to really enjoyed the library and I still do.

But when I look at my shelves I realize that I own so many books that I havent read.

This post originally appeared onMedium.

I bought them because I learned over time that for me toowna bookintellectuallyI needed toown the damn book.

I needed to have it close by for reference.

But I keep adding.

The book I put down wasThe Power Broker, by Robert Caro.

The glory and curse of the book, though, is that its adoorstopper.

It runs at about 1,110 pages dense ones.

I think Caro said it came to about 700,000 words.

(Which was down from his original finished draft of over amillion.)

Still counts, right?

Then I thought about all of theothergreat works I wanted to get to in my lifetime.

Caro has four (eventually five) books about LBJ that are masterpieces on 20th century American politics.

I want to read GibbonsDecline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

I want to read TolstoysAnna KareninaandWar and Peace.

I want to readBoswells Johnson.

ShirersRise and Fall of the Third Reich.

Adam SmithsThe Wealth of Nations.

More of Ron Chernows biographies.

(Titanis one of my favorites of all time and I hear great things aboutAlexander Hamilton.)

That got me thinking.

Its the same for any busy person with a profession that takes up their days.

The solution I devised for myself is a simple one:Its 25 pages a day.

Just commit to that, and then do it.

What will 25 pages a day get you?

Lets say that two days out of each month, you probably wont have time to read.

That gives you 340 days a year of solid reading time.

25 pages a day for 340 days is 8,400 pages.

So lets call the 8,400 pages 10,000.

(Id only need to extend that 25 pages into 30 to get there.)

With 10,000 pages a year, at a general pace of 25/day, what can we get done?

Well, like I said at the start, The Power Broker is 1,100 pages.

The four LBJ books are collectively 3,552 pages.

Tolstoys two masterpieces come in at a combined 2,160.

Gibbons is six volumes and runs to about 3,660 pages.

This is how the great works gets read.

25 pages at a time.

Before anyone takes this too literally, the point isnt the number.

(Although 25 pages is myliteral rule.)

Did you ever want to readMoby Dick?

Or some of Jane Austens books?

Or David Foster WallacesInfinite Jest?

Then do it tomorrow.

And then youll be a person who reads the books everyone else simply talks about.

What you choose to read is up to you.

Tolstoy aside, I dont read many novels.

But the task no longer seems daunting, does it?

All it takes is commitment and a little assiduity.

Solets go get smart.

Shane Parrish writes for Farnam Street.

Image byiunewind(Shutterstock).