If you want to change your habits and build healthy new ones, one of the best things to do is the commitment to learn and try out new things. For example, developing a reading habit can help you improve yourself and stay in the competition by learning new strategies and tactics that make you unique and tough.
When you develop a reading habit, not just by reading any books, but high-quality books, you strengthen your mind. You get new ideas and concepts when you read good nonfiction books.
If you want to find ways to develop a reading habit, this guide will help you.
Let’s begin.
Top 10 Ways To Build A Reading Habit
1. Quit Reading Books You Don’t Enjoy
It’s pretty ironic to say quit more books when you want to make reading a habit. But this is what we mean: the desire to read more is fueled by a strong desire to have fun. So when you enjoy a book, you are more likely to want to keep reading it.
However, when you don’t enjoy reading a book, your urge to read gets weakened. You’ve probably heard the idea that you must finish reading a book even if you don’t enjoy it. It almost feels like a “sin” when you don’t complete a book.
Of course, that’s ridiculous. Life is far too short to waste time reading novels that you don’t like or find rewarding. It’s also a recipe for not doing much reading. After all, why would you want to read if it’s a chore?
So, if you want to develop a better reading habit, start by committing to reading fewer poor novels.
2. Establish a Reading Objective
The first step in building a reading habit is to set an objective, a goal. However, this goal should be stated clearly and with a specific purpose.
Developing a habit of reading can help you improve different aspects of your life like your finances, relationships, work, etc. You’ll be more inspired to keep pushing until you achieve your objective if you can identify solid reasons and a purpose.
You can make it a goal to read 12 books a year. Break it down into smaller chunks after you’ve assigned a target figure to your reading objective.
Reading at least one book every month, for example, to achieve a larger goal of 12 novels in a year. Try and turn your reading routine into an enjoyable experience, not a chore.
3. Make A List Of Reading Books Each Month.
To reach your reading target, you’ll need a list of backups. Make a list of all the fantastic novels you want to read. Inquire of friends and mentors for referrals. Keep a journal or notepad with a list of books to read for each month or even a year.
That will keep you focused and prevent you from reading other books you come across if you’re deliberate about your reading list. If you believe that reading investment or financial books can help you advance in your job, make a list of excellent marketing books and read them.
A reading list will also aid your organization. However, take it a step higher by attaching a journal to that list, complete with start and completion dates and lessons, to make it easier to check off each book once you’ve finished it.
Keep in mind that reading these books doesn’t imply dismissing them. On the contrary, writing down your thoughts after reading a book can motivate you to go back and look at them months later if you need some inspiration.
4. Get Time To Read
You won’t be able to maintain a reading habit if you don’t make it a habit. Set aside a limited amount of time that doesn’t interfere with your daily routine. You can begin by exercising for ten minutes each day. If you wish to, you can skip the weekends.
Try to read at the exact same time each day, if you can. For example, you can read in the morning, before bed, or after lunch. You won’t have to adjust anything to fit your new habit because ten minutes is all you need.
Use the ten minutes wherever you get time if you have a busy schedule. Regardless of your schedule, you can get ten minutes to read. If you’re too busy to read for ten minutes, you’re really busy (pun intended).
5. Get Time To Read A Minimum Of 10-20 Pages.
Setting aside a certain number of pages every day would be ideal for establishing a consistent reading schedule. If you have a busy schedule, consider setting aside at least 10-20 pages every day to read if minutes don’t work for you, like reading for ten minutes, as discussed in the previous point.
This strategy will assist you in staying focused on your daily goal of finishing a set amount of pages. When you concentrate, you become efficient, and in no time, reading becomes your second nature.
When you’re reading, be proactive. Don’t be in a hurry to finish your book. Take time to digest every word. You’ll be more willing to learn and pass on your expertise to others if the occasion arises.
6. Start By Reading Thinner Books
When you read a book that’s huge, you can hit a mental roadblock. You’ll have a psychological benefit if you choose a smaller book because it’ll require less effort compared to a voluminous book. Finishing a poor 150-pager is better than a 600-page behemoth that you’ll never finish.
Even better, you now have a finished book to be happy about. After a few more books, you’ll have gained confidence in your reading ability and made it a habit.
7. It’s Not Wrong To Use Book Summaries
In point one of this guide, we covered that quitting a terrible book allows you to move on to better, more rewarding novels and develop a stronger reading habit. However, there is a better way to avoid reading bad books, and that is not reading them at all.
And the best way to not read books you don’t like is by reading book summaries. Blinkist is an excellent website for this. They provide accurate and short summaries of many of the most popular novels available, and their collection is continually updated.
Another way is to listen to podcast interviews with the author. This is particularly handy for new novels, as authors frequently use podcasts for advertising their work. Rather than spending hours reading a book, listen to a 20- or 30-minute radio interview to evaluate if the book sounds interesting or useful.
Listening to the podcasts will help you know how the author thinks, which is frequently a good indicator of the book’s quality.
8. You Can Skip The Stories
This point applies to nonfiction books, particularly business-style and self-help books. Many modern nonfiction works include large parts devoted to delivering detailed stories or anecdotes to promote the book’s main point or idea.
While some are useful and entertaining, it’s okay if you don’t want to read them all. When it comes to nonfiction, it allows you to be a much faster and more efficient reader.
Stories help to illustrate concepts, although they aren’t always required.
If you want to read more, an excellent general rule is to read more efficiently. Skipping tales when necessary is also a fantastic method to improve your reading efficiency.
9. Make Use Of A Reading Tracker
Many people don’t like the word “tracker.” They associate it with obligation and confinement, like monitoring your expenses. While it’s true that using a tracker can help you stick to a new reading habit, the more important benefit of using one is that it will increase your motivation to read more.
The experience of progress is one of the most significant but underappreciated sources of motivation. No matter how slow, seeing our progress feels excellent and boosts our enthusiasm to keep going, especially when things get tough.
10. Limit The Time You Spend Online
If you really want to read more, maybe you should consider watching less Netflix or social media. Many people may find this difficult. Every minute you save from social media or watching Netflix might be spent reading.
This can help you get time to read more books.
Final Thoughts
It’s a wise decision to invest your time learning to develop a reading habit. Most successful people say that their reading habits have helped them advance in their careers. That isn’t to say that reading will make you a billionaire, but it will help you become a better version of yourself.
You will take a long time to better yourself if you don’t read. Reading increases your knowledge and expertise.
When two individuals have years of experience in a field, the one who reads more has an advantage. It isn’t difficult to develop a reading habit. The first step is to start. That’s all you need.