Stop Force-Feeding Your Brain
I used to read less than one book per year. According to Code Complete, this is the same as the average programmer.
That was while I was at uni though. I sort of expected to learn slowly at uni, and anticipated rapid, mind-blowing learning when I entered the industry. My first job had me working under some of the smartest people I have ever met - it was at a game company. Unfortunately they ran out of money and I had to find a job at a slower-paced place, where I didn't have the luxury of mentorship.
My mind was going stale, I had to do something. I looked up recommended reading lists online and the first programming book I picked up (that wasn't for a uni course) was The Pragmatic Programmer. Are you sick of me mentioning this book in every post yet? ;)
PragProg recommends that you treat your learning as investment, and your knowledge as a portfolio; you should invest regularly, diversify, balance it between high-risk and conservative, buy low and sell high (i.e. take interest in emerging technologies). It recommends several goals, such as reading a technical book each quarter, and when you've developed the habit, one per month. It also recommends reading non-technical books too. I totally fell in love with this idea, and have been reading like a mofo since.
There is a slight problem though...
