How To Cultivate The Reading Habit?
Of late, I have been receiving continuous requests from people as to how should one motivate oneself to read. Though hearing this makes me happy because people are now developing an interest in reading books it is sad that they are directionless about how to do it. More and more people are struggling to develop a reading habit. Remember, there can really be no external force pushing you to grow that penchant for reading and this truth will stand its ground forever. It is you and your actions which will aid you in reading more.
A habit is said to be formed if you practice it regularly and wholeheartedly. So, if you are keen to become a reader and cultivate reading habits, here are some of the tips that might be of help to you.
- Keep aside a chunk of your day exclusively for reading. In this way, reading will become an inextricable part of your routine.
- Reading has numerous benefits for the brain and heart. But it all works only if you enjoy the process. If you wish to read more, then you’ll have to love reading.
- Pay regular visits to a library or a bookstore. The ambiance of books will surely motivate you to pick a book and get going.
- Join a book club in your near vicinity or become a member of an online book forum. Interacting with the like-minded peeps will help you a lot in shaping your reading habit and improving your taste.
- Don’t be in a hurry to read. Be calm and composed in picking up a short and easy read to start with. You don’t need to work on hyped books to call yourself a reader.
- Experiment with the genres you read. To discover what specifically interests you, you need to mix and match with what you read. A change in the genre can help you in engaging yourself with reading.
- Keep a track of what you read. Set a goal on websites such as Goodreads and try to complete it. Challenging yourself is one of the best ways to improve manifolds in any area.
- Keep away your distractions when you read. NO mobile phones around. We, humans, are prone to be easily distracted. So, make sure that when you read, you only read!
I hope these tips help you in motivating yourself to read more. Note that these are steps you need to take on your own to accomplish your goal. So, shred your doubts and get set Go!
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Bookish Fame 
Recently I experience that many people take great pride saying ‘I have read 50 books or 100 books’ in a year or month or whatever. But like watching a movie marathon they don’t stay or retain in brain. Many times when I ask how they lied a certain book or what was it all about, they can’t answer. I feel it has become a fad to be a voracious reader. That is much better than reading no books at all, but the quality of reading is also important. Not just the quantity but the quality too.
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I absolutely agree with you. Quality is way more important.
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Sometimes it’s harder to carve time in a day for reading than one would think! I have a very demanding job that sometimes has me working for up to 16 hrs a day… By the time I get home, sometimes my reading time turns into either sleep or Netflix time because my brain just can’t handle anymore! 😅
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I would suggest you utilise more time in sleepin than in netflixing. Just a suggestion
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Oh, I don’t get much time for that. Usually it’s on in the background while I’m trying to get other things done: dishes, laundry, etc. It’s usually hard to sleep or read while adulting. 😉
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Oh hoo… I get your point. It’s okay 😀
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Excellent advice. I’d add don’t choose for pleasure reading what you think you SHOULD read. Read what you WANT to read. And, to be honest, some of the best reads I’ve experienced were books RECOMMENDED by friends; I find my tastes similar to those of people I have a lot in common with.
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Even I find books recommended by peers to be the best ones 🙂
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Helpful article. But it’s still difficult to keep consistency in reading.
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I agree but we can try 🙂
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