Here’s the warning: I am not recommending these tips and techniques for anybody. What I did was extreme, and driven by an intense desire to expand my mind and broaden my understanding of the world. I went beyond what was reasonable—almost the way a high performance athlete trains for some ultra-competitive event.

That’s why I’ve never discussed this publicly or written about it before—although this reading strategy has been a major part of my life for decades.

You could even say my lifetime reading plan was an extreme sport—only without the physical exertion. I stayed in my comfy chair instead.