8 Ways Develop the Habit of Reading

If reading is a habit you’d like to get into, there are a number of ways to cultivate it.

First, realize that reading is highly enjoyable, if you have a good book. If you have a lousy book (or an extremely difficult one) and you are forcing yourself through it, it will seem like a chore. If this happens for several days in a row, consider abandoning the book and finding one that you’ll really love.

Reading is more than just a professional skill. It is a way to enjoy creative, inspiring, and informative pieces of written work for our personal development. Reading books for personal development, is different from reading fictional material.

Just like any other skill that requires proper masterly, developing your reading habits requires dedication, time and the right practices, to develop it. Once you master it, it is a lifelong source inspiration, motivation and, pushing yourself forward through an affordable way. If you want to get into a reading culture, here are some tips to point you to the right direction.

1. Set times for reading

Just the way you commit yourself to going to the gym at certain days, set aside some time during the day, let’s say a minimum of 10 minutes. This can be during your lunch break, tea break or before you retire to bed. Despite what happens, do not allow distraction to take away your reading time.

If you can read during breakfast, lunchtime and evening, then you will have accumulated thirty minutes of reading every day. That is a good start. By itself, it would help you to get into a good reading habit. However, you can still do more. You want reading to be part of you, just like the way you take meals.

2. Always travel with a book

Always take a book with you, wherever you go. Just the same way you can’t forget you drivers license and your keys inside the house, the same case should apply to books. Books should always stay with you, in your car or your travelling pack. Whether you are going for appointments, or a weekend trip, you should always carry a book.

Make use of those few minutes before a meeting starts to read a book. The only time you should not carry a book, is when you are going to the movie! If you have any waiting time, let’s say at the doctor’s office, or during a long queue at the cafeteria, remove your book and read a few pages.

3. Choose a good reading book

Deciding what to ready can be a tricky affair. You might have heard your friends talking about a certain book and when you read a few pages, you felt like throwing it on the shelf right away. If you want your reading to be more satisfying and interesting, then choose books that have topics that are dear to you. If you are passionate about investment and finances, then go for personal development books from renowned experts in the industry.

Your personal interests and hobbies should help you choose the right book to read. This will give you more incentives to better your reading culture. Before you go for a book, you might consider reading online reviews about a particular book. This will help you to determine, whether it is worth a read.

4. Create a reading list

Once you have chosen the books you want to read, the next step is creating and maintaining a reading list. You can keep it in your pocket notebook, inside your journal, on an app on your phone or somewhere where you can easily retrieve it. Update your list every time you hear a nice book online or someone mentioning it. Ensure that you cross the ones that you have already read to avoid confusion.

Setting up a list on Amazon with your reading selections is another great choice for keeping updated on what to read next.

5. Find a quiet reading environment

If you want to properly understand and internalize what you are reading, then you need to find a nice and comfortable reading environment. At home, ensure you have a comfortable chair and you are seated in the right posture. Avoid reading when lying down, unless you are going to bed.

To minimize distractions, ensure that there is no computer or television near your reading station. Stay away from noisy family members or roommates. Reading is something that requires utmost concentration, and you can only get this from a quiet environment.

6. Cut down on internet and television

If you really want to develop a good reading habit, then you need to sacrifice some of the time that you spend online or watching television. This might prove difficult for some people, considering others are movie or gaming addicts. However, some sacrifices are worth it. Every minute you cut down on watching television, plough it back with reading motivation books. This gives you more reading time. It will be good for your health and personal development.

7. Read to your children

If you have kids, then it is a good idea to read to them. getting into a reading habit with your kids is the best way to prepare them to pick up the habit when they grow up. it will also help them to succeed in their personal and professional endeavors. Children books are different from what is on your reading list. Find some interesting children’s books. You will be entrenching the reading culture within you and at the same time spending quality time with them.

8. Volunteer as a reader

If you want to take your reading skills to the next level, then you can spare some few hours of your time to volunteer. Correctional facilities, schools correctional facilities, nursing homes, and even rehabilitation centers can appreciate a volunteer reader. You don’t need to quit your job to do this. It is something that you can be doing on certain weekends during the month.

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