This year, I made a commitment that many people laughed at:
“Jerry, you? 100 books? In one year?”
Well, ladies and gentlemen… as I write this, I am sitting on 91 books completed — and the year is not yet done.
People always ask me:
“How do you manage to read so much when you are running companies, travelling, consulting, training, and dealing with Zimbabwean traffic?”
Simple.
My Reading Routine
I’ve turned my day into a learning machine:
● First hour of the day → exercise + audiobook
● Travelling to meetings → 1–2 hours of learning
● Before sleeping → one final hour
● I have never read a book or written during working hours
With that alone, I get 3 hours of books every single day.
Most audiobooks are 6–8 hours, so completing 100 books a year is not magic — it’s consistency.
y.
My Secret Weapon: Long Journeys + Physical Books
After listening to audiobooks, I don’t stop there.
When I get time, I also buy the physical copies and read them. There is something powerful about underlining, highlighting, and arguing with a book in your hands.
And let me confess — long journeys are my favourite library.
Give me a trip to Bulawayo, and that’s one to two books finished!
By the time we pass Gweru, I’m deep into chapter six.
By the time we hit Shangani, I’m starting another book.
By the time we reach Byo? I’ve travelled the world and attended 3 motivational seminars — all inside my mind.
Most people sleep on long journeys…
Me? I graduate.
What I Discovered After Reading 91 Books
I read across all my favourite fields: Sales, Marketing, Strategy, Leadership, Personal development, Money, Entrepreneurship Religion
And here’s the fascinating discovery:
Almost NONE of these world-class authors recommend the traditional school system.
In fact, many of them say things like:
“School wasted 17 years of my life.”
“Education prepared me for exams, not success.”
“I learned more from failing in business than I ever did in a classroom.”
Yet in Africa?
Having a diploma or a degree is celebrated like a wedding.
Your whole family arrives with pots, ululations, outfits from China Mall, and a photographer shouting:
“Daddy, look here! Smile, Mommy!”
But after the celebration?
Many graduates cannot sell, market, lead, or communicate, Create value, Solve problems, Build a business, survive without a job application form
But they have a certificate.
A very expensive certificate.
We wear education like a badge of honour, even when it has no practical value.
A Quick Disclaimer: I’m Not Against University
Let me be clear —
I’m not saying going to university is bad.
Education is important. Degrees open doors.
Some professions require it.
What I’m simply sharing is what I’ve noticed from the 91 books I’ve read:
Most of the top authors succeeded because of skills, not certificates.
In fact, I strongly believe:
If you combine a university degree with the knowledge from these books… you become dangerous.
A real weapon.
A complete package.
Unstoppable.
Formal education gives you the foundation.
Self-education gives you the elevation.
Put them together?
Game over.
So What’s the Solution? The University of Life
After reading 91 books, consulting thousands of companies, failing, rising, building across Zimbabwe and Zambia, and applying real principles…
I now believe:
The greatest university is LIFE.
Here, the curriculum is different:
● Tuition fee: pain
● Campus: your environment
● Lecturers: your mistakes
● Exams: challenges
● Assignments: responsibilities
● Graduation: success
● Graduation gown: discipline
Life will test you, shape you, and expose you.
But every test you pass becomes a degree.
And every mistake becomes a new skill
Because the world rewards SKILLS — not certificates.
Degrees open doors.
Skills build doors.
Sales builds the entire house.
Why I’ll Keep Studying Beyond 100 Books
Books give me new worlds to explore.
But life gives me new battles to fight.
And the combination?
Unstoppable.
This is just the beginning.
2025 — I’m raising the bar.
More books.
More skills.
More growth.
More action.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading 91 books this year:
Your mind is your greatest asset. Feed it daily.
Invest in knowledge.
Invest in your skills.
Invest in yourself.
Because in the University of Life…
the only pass mark is ACTION,
and the only degree that matters is RESULTS
