I'm not a faster reader. I didn't develop some productivity system. I just changed a few defaults.
I Quit Books Freely
The biggest unlock was giving myself permission to stop. I used to feel obligated to finish every book I started, which meant slogging through bad ones and losing momentum entirely.
Now I give a book 50 pages. If it hasn't earned my attention by then, I set it down without guilt. This sounds obvious but it took me years to actually do it.
Physical Books by the Bed, Phone Not
My phone charges in another room. A book lives on my nightstand. The default activity when I wake up or wind down is reading, because it's the thing within reach.
Friction is powerful. Remove it for the things you want to do; add it for the things you don't.
I Read Multiple Books at Once
One non-fiction, one fiction, sometimes one short story collection. When I'm not in the mood for one, I pick up another. The paralysis of "I should be reading X but I don't want to" goes away entirely.
Audiobooks for Dead Time
Commuting, cooking, walking — I used to just scroll. Now I listen. I get through an extra book or two a month this way without carving out any additional reading time. They don't replace physical reading but they complement it well.
Stop Tracking, Start Reading
I kept a Goodreads account for a while and found myself more motivated by the number than the books. Chasing the count led me to pick short easy reads over long rewarding ones. I deleted the account and immediately started reading better books.