You can read twenty books — every year. I loathe ridiculous claims and guarantees and click-bait titles, but I’m very serious.

Now what if it wouldn’t take any extra time? And, what if I said you wouldn’t have to flip one page or even look at a book?

I know what you’re thinking. No way. How?

You have dozens of hours you can use for reading. And no, I am not talking about your free time.

You just need a little perspective.

Your commute is an excellent time to read.

I get it, I should listen in the car. But how will I get through 20 books in one year?

Let’s do the math. The average one-way commute time is 25 minutes (feel free to verify my research). In my recent experience, the average non-fiction audiobook is 10 hours.

Using the commute calculator, a 50-minute roundtrip commute costs you 200 hours each year.

Two hundred hours divided by ten hours equals 20 audiobooks.

And all without spending a moment of your free time!

[Ten hours per book is my rough estimate. Even if the average is 12.5 hours, it still comes to 16 books a year.]

Are you on board yet?! You really can read without sitting alone at home flipping pages. Without blocking off your evenings and weekends. All while just traveling to work and back.

So how do I get started?

Audible.com is a wealth of good audiobooks. If you need more inspiration, read this post.

Other than that, just start listening already!

Don’t you just hate traffic on your commute? There’s nothing like a backup to derail what could have been a peaceful drive.

I felt the same way, until I discovered Mobile University.

Now, I’m a bit less concerned with the time it takes to get to and from work. If an accident backs up traffic, I no longer get upset.

It just means more time to learn and grow.

Zig Ziglar called it Automobile University, but I found the title a bit exclusive of motorcycles — my transportation of choice.

Mobile University is an excellent use of your commuting time. This is your opportunity to listen to language CDs, catch up on educational podcasts, or read.

Two years ago, I dove into audiobooks — and I haven’t recovered yet! I find visual books require a level of focus difficult for me to achieve reliably at home.

But I love engaging my ears while using the rest of my body to commute. I wouldn’t be surprised to know engaging in educational materials sharpens driving skills.

It works for The Stig, doesn’t it?

Now, when I see nothing but taillights for the next mile, I smile. With a calming breath, I soak in the extra time for growth. So can you.

Bring it on.

A friend recently admitted, “I should probably start reading your website, huh?”

To which I quickly replied, “No!”

“Not unless you want to,” I continued. “Do not read it out of any sense of obligation. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t read it.”

The best part is her response.

She often feels pressured to read what her friends have written or recommend. But the truth is she loves being active with friends much more than she likes sitting down to read alone. (Though she does enjoy audiobooks and podcasts.)

I respect her for understanding her shape. She is an extrovert, not an introvert, and she is making great use of her time building powerful relationships.

Back to obligation.

We pressure others into liking what we do, so we can feel more secure about ourselves and our contributions to society. We want our friends to put our drawings on the refrigerator.

This is a sign of insecurity and placing your sense of worth in the wrong place. What others think of you does not define you.

On the side of the coin, the pressure and obligation you often feel are bogus at best. You are not a slave to what others want from you. You have a unique shape which others will never fully understand.

Don’t be ashamed about your bent. Grasp it with both hands and live it out.

And by all means, realize your freedom from obligation, like my friend.

The question is not whether things will change; this is guaranteed. Waste no time wondering if you can stay the same. This is impossible.

Change will happen, and happen often.

The real questions is this: How will you respond to change when it calls your name?

Will you be overwhelmed? Will you play the victim? Will you kick and scream and claw at how things used to be?

Or will you jump in and make the best of it?

If you are taking laps on the track of life, then change happens each time you cross the line. Count on it.

What you control is your response. Positive or negative, useful or useless, growth or withering. You can make the best or worst of it.

Will this last setback take you down? Will you cower and drink and lament over the good old days? Or will you use your negative experiences as unlimited fuel for progress?

Change is upon you. The direction it sends you is your choice.