For me, some words trigger a physical reaction. They carry emotional baggage that makes my stomach flip. When we began our journey to help people read more with others, I kept hearing one of these words: accountability.

Accountability brings an image of past bosses lording their power over me, implying I’m not fit for the job, and basically waiting for a gotcha moment. So, yeah, it’s not exactly motivating, and for many of the readers we spoke to, it actually didn’t sound motivating to them either.

Why are readers calling for something that’s usually reserved for workplace performance reviews? We dug in and learned that much of it stems from moving through a world full of relentless distractions. Instagram, Slack, news alerts, you name it - we heard it. Our attention is constantly being hijacked and yanked back into the Matrix by any means necessary.

We are empathetic and even a little heartened by this full picture. People shared that they want to read more and make their way back to a time when reading wasn’t interrupted by a ping or alert. But the pull of social media and technology is proving too hard to overcome. No one asked us for another reel, AI hack, or algorithmic recommendation to help them read. They also didn’t ask for that boss-employee judgemental type of accountability. They are asking for real support.

A 2015 study from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology helps explain why “...just the sense that we’re working together with others can dramatically increase our motivation to complete difficult tasks - even when we’re actually working alone.”

This is no secret. Anyone who’s worked on a deeply committed team knows how energizing this can feel. Yet, for most, reading is seen as a individual activity - something you can only do on your own. The idea of reading with others isn’t even a remote consideration.

It’s time to change that. From our conversations and research we identified three mindset shifts that help reimagine reading together and bring reading commitment to life.

First, be a Reading Team. Stories of short-lived book clubs paint an isolating and tiresome picture: members racing to finish the book last minute, group conversations dominated by a few people trying to sound smart, and a draining sense of obligation hanging over everyone. Reading Teams change the script. They think about their fellow readers often and check-in during both the reading and discussions. This is the biggest difference: there is more overall effort, and it is shared equally by everyone. Readers didn’t describe this effort as “work.” Instead, they talked how much they enjoy their team and, most of all, how much they look forward to reading.

Second, lead with your why. There is a reason why you wanted to read this book with these people, and everyone should know it. The more personal the better. Put yourself out there. Consider: "When I heard about this book and the main character grappling with legacy in their final moments, I thought about you and your work as a hospice nurse. Is this really what it's like?” This is literally what I told my mom when I recommended we read George Saunders latest book Vigil.

Lastly, keep fueling the Team. Most of the time book clubs quickly get too big and then slowly fizzle out. Members steadily decrease their participation until just a few people are doing everything. Reading Teams go the other direction. They often are smaller in size and keep showing up throughout the whole process, adding short thoughts, updates, or even emojis. These little actions add up, change habits, and build a powerful sense of connection. What emerges is a group of people who really know each other, care for each other, and are ultimately able to keep reading on another level.

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These Gen Z and millennial readers are reimagining L.A. book clubs (Los Angeles Times)

Is reading being “disrupted”? Yeah, I know that term smacks of an eye-rolling Silicon Valley bro, but some book clubs in Los Angeles have evolved from small gatherings into huge events like bookstore crawls and silent reading parties. Disruption or not, it’s another strong signal that there's widespread (and exciting) desire to reimagine reading together. People want to read more with others and are looking for new structure, ideas, and motivation. We’ll keep bringing you new reading stories and ideas for you to put into practice, and, for now:

I want to close with my own recent experience reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It is a longer book and was a demanding read for our team. At times we felt like we were slogging through the pages, but the ending hit us like an uppercut, making us reassess the entire story. Different interpretations and hot takes were shared back and forth.

We ended with one of our members reading a passage from the final chapter out loud at sunset. Tears were shed. Thinking back on it, it almost sounds unreal. When we first choose the book no one said, “Okay, we’re going to close this one out with a shared reading…on a beach…at sunset.” But the combination of the book and the people took us there. I feel lucky it did. That experience is a core memory for me. I doubt I would have finished and know for sure I wouldn’t have gotten as much out of the book if I read it alone.

Keep reading, friends. And if you can, read together.

Do you have a reading story to share? We’re here for you and would love to hear it.

-Joel