Reading always seems to be one of those hobbies that sounds great, but in reality can be hard to actually implement. Our culture of immediate refreshes and constant stimulation have sadly made sitting down and reading a book from cover to cover harder for us to actually do. But it’s so good for our brains and such a healthy reprieve from just reading headlines and short snippets of information all the time. Escaping into another fully-fledged world gives us a break from our own lives and gives us a chance to vicariously experience life in someone else’s shoes for a little while.
Have I painted a rosy enough picture of books to make you want to pick one up? I hope so. Read on to see my top ideas for making reading a habit that sticks in your life.
1. Only read what you like
No one cares what you read. We *know* this, but somehow we tend to put weird expectations on our reading life. This could manifest in a few different ways.
- Maybe you tend to read bestsellers because they’re hyped up on social media or they make you feel like you have something current to talk about. This is great–if you like the books! If you don’t it’s a waste of time.
- Sometimes we feel like our book choices don’t “count” because they’re too short, too indulgent, too weird, or too anything.
- Other times, we may want to read a certain type of book, say a longer non-fiction book that requires some time and brainpower to get through. But a current season of life has you too drained to really devote the energy to it.
Whatever the hang up is, when you’re developing (or rekindling) a habit, you need to get some wins under your belt. So start off with some books you know are high-interest and you will move through quickly. It’s similar to exercise. There may be certain exercise goals you’d like to reach, say, running a marathon. But without the energy or desire to stick to a rigorous plan, you could easily end up failing. It might be better in the long run to start off with short, one mile runs to build up your stamina and get the taste for running so you can stick with it longer, without burning yourself out.
2. Step away from social media
Okay I promise I’m not going to tell you to delete all social media from your life. We can save that giant of a discussion for another day. But we all know what an enormous time suck it can be. Try eliminating just 15 minutes of mindless screen use with reading. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how many books you can get through in a year just be devoting 15 minutes a day to reading. Obviously the idea is that if you spend 15 minutes reading you might get wrapped up enough in the story to go a little longer. If so, great! If not, you still got 15 minutes in. You can even use social media as your reward if that works for you. 15 minutes of reading = 15 minutes of scroll time. Whatever works!
I also suggest carrying a book (physical or on an e-reader) with you to places like doctor visits, kids’ sports practices, or anywhere you have a chance you might be waiting around. This is a simple way to get in your 15 (or more) minutes in and give you a different option than automatically grabbing your phone if you’re bored.
3. Nix or reduce bedtime TV
I think reading is on one of the best before bedtime routines there is! Think about it: you get to spend the last few minutes of your day immersed in another world instead of worrying about the one you’re in. Hello escapism! While I have nothing against TV, the bright lights and loud sound can make going to sleep a little tricky. Reading is much less over-stimulating and makes me feel more tired instead of waking me up like TV can. How’s that for productive? You get to knock something off your to-do list that actually encourages sleep. Yes please.
Alternatively, listening to an audiobook could be a great way to fall asleep too! I’d make sure to set a sleep timer just in case so you’re not constantly having to rewind to the last part you remember if you fall asleep.
4. Timers and page goals
Alright so this tip will work great for some and might feel like a chore for others. Experiment and see what works for you. The timer tip is pretty easy. Set a timer for reading and go for it. It seems overly simple but it can really be a good way to train yourself if it’s been a long time since you sat down and read. You might find that your attention span is shorter than you thought. Sometimes when I read I see a word I don’t know and I’m tempted to grab my phone and look it up. Or I remember a quick text or email I needed to respond to and get distracted doing that. By using a timer and setting your phone away from your body, it helps you sink into the story and get in that uninterrupted time. Bonus: it makes you feel super intellectual and productive when that timer goes off. (Even more of a bonus if you aren’t pressed for time and turn off the timer and keep reading.)
Page goals are a little trick I use with myself sometimes to keep myself moving through a book. I usually don’t pay much attention to how long a book is unless it’s obviously thin or tome-like when I pick it up. Typically most of the books I read are in the 300-400 page range (assuming normal size text is used). The first 100 pages or so I’m still deciding if I like the book and getting invested in the plot or topic. About halfway through I will sometimes check to see how many pages are left. Then I set a goal for when I want to finish the book.
Example: I’m on page 159 of a 324 page book. I have 165 pages left. If I can read about 50 pages a day, I can finish this book by Thursday.
Now I have a goal to get those pages in each day and get this book done so I can move on. This totally might not work for you if you enjoy the slow pace of reading and taking your time through a book. That’s fine! Personally, I like to keep things moving so I can move on to the next item on my TBR (to be read) list. Again, this tip won’t work for everyone, but it’s worth trying if you are a type-A, cross things off the list person or even a serial book abandoner!
5. Track your reading
There are many apps out there that can do this for you. I have personally used GoodReads for years and I love going back and counting how many books I’ve read in a year. Or comparing how many books I’ve read year to year. It’s also a good way to keep track of what you liked and didn’t with their convenient star rating system and keep track of books you want to read.
You can obviously use another app or website or even a paper/pencil journal to keep track. I’ve got my eye on this one coming out September 2021. Whatever excites you is perfect. You can also use a tracker to set goals for how many books you want to read in a a year or a season. Those who love goal-setting or perform better with a goal in mind will really benefit here. So satisfying! And the best part is, even if you don’t reach your goal, you’re far more likely to read more than you would have without a goal in the first place. So you win even if you don’t meet the goal!
Hopefully these ideas will spark an idea for you. Again, they may not all work for you, but they’re worth trying and seeing what sticks!