How to Read More
As 2020 is ending and as a new year approaches, many people are creating resolutions for the next twelve months. As modern-day commitments increase, ‘reading more’ has become one of the more popular resolutions. If you’re regretting the lack of reading time in your life—or if you just want to learn—you’re not alone. In order to read more, reading needs to become a habit.
Perhaps the easiest way to start reading more is to make it part of your daily routine. Both physical books and audiobooks are accessible to pick up and get absorbed into! Maybe you could wake up early each day to read, dedicate an hour or so before bedtime to a novel, or spend your lunch breaks with a book. Consistently integrating books into your schedule—and actually abiding by it—will eventually make reading an automatic habit. There are only so many hours in the day and so much to do. So, try reading a book while you’re doing something else that doesn’t require your full attention. Be it cooking, cleaning, exercising, or walking, you can read (or listen to) books anywhere. Not only are they suitable when it comes to multitasking, they are a great way to avoid eye fatigue.
The next solution is simple: set a goal. Any attainable goal. With a goal in mind, you will be able to stay motivated; you will be forced to stay on track to reach it. One tool to help with this is the Goodreads Reading Challenge. This site provides an easy way to track your progress, and it helps you to stay on schedule. If you aren’t into setting goals for yourself, you could try joining a book club. Since book clubs have scheduled meetings, you would likely be motivated to finish your book by a certain date. As an added bonus, discussing your thoughts with other people in the club would be a great way to feel more engaged in your reading. If you commit to a monthly book club, you will end up reading ten books without even having to go through the process of searching for a book for yourself! If you aren’t into the socializing aspect of book clubs, reading with a friend might be a better choice for you. I find this particularly effective, as a friend and I started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde separately, but we never actually finished it. So, we decided to read it together, and we read a chapter or two every other day to talk about it. Discussing what you’re reading with just a friend can help encourage you to reach the end of your book.
If you want to read more, you need to make it a priority. This could mean having to change your daily habits and routines to set aside time for reading. Whether it is tracking your books or joining a book club, different options work for different people. All you have to do is find the way that works for you and stick to it.
Citations:
Dumond, S. (2020, July 06). 20 Easy Ways to Read More Books in 2020. Retrieved from https://bookriot.com/read-more-books/
Jean-Philippe, M. (2020, December 02). 20 Ways You Can Read More Books in 2021. Retrieved from https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/a25451441/how-to-read-more-books/
