“I want to develop a reading habit, but I have no idea how?”
Are you also the one who says this to yourself more than often?
You also want to start your reading journey but are not sure how to start it?
If you answered yes to these questions, then this might be the article that you must read all the way through.
It is not really necessary that reading comes naturally to everyone. Some of us must put in our best effort to form a reading habit at the beginning of our reading journey.
In addition, I also want to emphasize the fact that to build any habit, the first step is to just start. Many people fail to form a reading habit – because they fail to take this first step, which is to pick up a book and start reading.
I personally believe that most of the time, newbie readers use so much energy and determination in finding the ‘right book’ that by the time of actual reading, they are left with less energy and enthusiasm for reading that book in reality.
Things to Remember: What thinking process you should NOT have before starting your Reading Journey
1. Vocabulary
Many people believe that a good book must contain a lot of difficult words. It is one of the biggest misconceptions newbie readers have. Even a book with simple vocabulary can still be a good book.
I have encountered many people who are hesitant to read a book because they fear they will not be able to handle the vocabulary; it practically scares them.
The simplest and best solution for this problem is, as a newbie reader, to choose a book that uses easy to understand vocabulary.
2. Read for Yourself
Don’t read because people say, “If you want to succeed, you have to read.” As much as I love reading, I also believe that you can be successful without reading. Reading shouldn’t be forced that much. You shouldn’t read because people say so or you want to look smart or intelligent with a book in your hand.
Read for yourself, not for anyone else. Read to learn something, expand your thinking process, and to enhance your imagination.
3. Popular Books
The first book you choose to start your reading journey to develop a reading habit can be a book that is not a popular one.
Time and again, people pick up books because they are popular. They don’t bother reading a summary or finding out about the book first. Each and every popular book doesn’t need to be for you as well. It is important to know what the book is about before picking it up.
4. E-Books vs Physical Books
At the starting stage of your reading journey, avoid dwelling on E-Books v/s Physical Books debate. Choose whichever you are comfortable with. Once you get hold of reading daily, you have all of the time to go for Physical books v/s E-Books v/s Audio Books. This topic is not going anywhere soon. Endless discussion.
5. Taking Breaks
Undoubtedly, breaks are necessary. It’s okay to take a pause before restarting. Allow yourself to skip a day or two for reading. The only thing you should keep in your mind is that prolonging your break timings unnecessarily is not a good sign.
How to Develop a Reading Habit?
1. Create a reading list/ Pick up a book to read
Sit down and think about the genre you like – and from each genre, write down the name of at least one book you wish to read. Afterwards, from this list you made, pick up one book to read.
If you are not feeling the book you pick up, it’s okay to put it down halfway and start another one. I am highlighting this point because there are times when people keep on reading the book even if they are not enjoying it. You must enjoy reading it, and you can’t do it if you are not feeling the book you are reading. As a newbie reader, it plays a more important role because reading a book you are not enjoying can feel like a task, a chore and eventually, it can leave an impact on your will to continue reading.
2. Set a Minimum time/Minimum Pages
Here, I am talking about setting the minimum time like thirty minutes a day or minimum pages like ten pages a day for reading. You can choose minimum pages or time, or a combination of both, whichever you prefer.
I would suggest you keep in mind that it is the minimum number you are setting; you can always try to go beyond it. Additionally, if you fail to accomplish this minimum goal on some days, don’t be too hard on yourself.
3. Track Your Reading
Maintain a tracking method for your reading. You can either maintain a journal or come up with something of your own to keep track of your reading time.
The most important benefit of keeping track of your reading is simply motivating yourself to read more. Often, it is easier for us to remember our unsuccessful attempts than our successful ones. Hence, keeping track can make us keep going and get better.
4. Just Read when you Read
When you are reading, it’s best if you try to do this only, just read. During reading, don’t converse with anyone, don’t text or listen to songs with lyrics.
Multitasking seems cool, but it also holds the capability to distract yourself.
Author’s Note:
I hope this article will help you a bit in developing a reading habit. If you have any questions or if you wish to simply say anything, feel freely to reach out to me.
Thank you for reading till the end!
