How to Effectively Develop Reading Habit

There are numerous benefits of reading good books. They can make your mind think deeper, teach you more about your field, sharpen your skills, solve your anxieties and generally just help you grow to the next level. Whatever your field or interests might be, it’s very important to create a consistent pattern and habit to read.

Here are some tips to help you cultivate a better and consistent reading habit:

Determine Your Reading Goal

To create a reading habit and culture, it’s important to start by setting a goal. This goal should be articulate and backed up with a purpose.

Start by thinking about how a consistent reading pattern can help you grow in different areas of your life- spiritual, academics, career, relationships and more. When you find concrete reasons and a purpose attached to your goal, you’ll be more motivated to keep pushing and achieve it.

Identify one hour every day when you can reduce one or more of your time-wasting activities and then create a daily calendar reminder that blocks off that hour for reading.

Find Good Books

Finding good books can be a real challenge. In the beginning, you’ll be prone to decision fatigue because of the great number of books available. This can drain your energy before you even starting reading. To reduce the effort in selecting books, you can search for a curated list compiled by leaders you admire. You can also Google the “favorite books” of successful people you follow, ask people you admire what they read, or simply follow your own interests.

Find a Quiet Place

Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair and curl up with a good book without interruptions. There should be no television or computer near the chair to minimize distractions, and no music or noisy family members/roommates. If you don’t have a place like this, so, create one.

Make a List

Keep a list of all the great books you want to read.

Keep a Log

Similar to the reading list, this log should have not only the title and author of the books you read but the dates you start and finish them if possible. Even better, put a note next to each with your thoughts about the book. It is extremely satisfying to go back over the log after a couple of months to see all the great books you’ve read.

Make it Pleasurable

Make your reading time your favorite time of day. Have some good tea or coffee while you read, or another kind of treat. Get into a comfortable chair with a good blanket. Read during sunrise or sunset.

Always Carry a Book

Wherever you go, take a book with you.

Place Reading on your Priority List

If you get busy and sidetracked during your workweek, you should know that there is something you can do to change this. Turn your reading habits into specific and time-sensitive goals and place them on your priority list.

Start With Your Favorite Subject

pick up a book from the topic you like. If you love sports, pick a biography of your favorite sports person. If you are into psychology, pick a book that covers a topic you like. If you like science, pick a book that you’re interested in.

Read Thinner Books When You Start

Choosing a thinner book gives you a psychological edge because you know the effort required is lesser. Completing a not so great 150 pager is better than opting for a 450-page monster that you will never finish.

Even though, Learning how to develop a reading habit is a great investment of time. Most successful people acknowledge how their reading habits added value throughout their careers. Now that does not mean that reading alone will make you a billionaire, but it does assist you in becoming a better version of yourself. Cultivating the habit of reading isn’t that hard. All you need is the will to begin.

I hope this article will be helpful to you. Follow Lone Thread Books to learn more about reading, writing, and publishing.

| By, Aswy Hanna Paul, Lone Thread Books. |