Becoming a Reader : A Beginner’s Perspective (How to do over What to do- 3 Easy Steps and a Bonus!)
It doesn’t come as a surprise that most of us want to be regular readers, but are unable to build a reading habit, simply because of lack of time! But worry not! There is always scope to fit in reading in your schedule, without having to compromise with the other important day to day chores. Through this post, I mention the three most important steps that personally helped me transform from being a random reader who managed to read 5–8 books a year, to being able to read a total of 30 books while also attending college, doing co-curricular activities, internships etc.
1. Set a Reasonable Goal
It is important to firstly sit down and set a reasonable annual reading goal that you’ll be able to finish.
How to do it? Pretty simple! Make a profile on Goodreads, enter the Annual Reading Challenge and the app does the rest! Now, every time you finish a book you add it to the ‘Read’ section and it gets added to the reading challenge automatically. Cherry on the Cake- the app also gives you an analysis of whether you are ahead of time or lacking behind which encourages you and helps you regulate your reading speed. (Personally, this motivates me a lot!).
2. Picking up the Right Books
It is not a secret to anyone that it is easier to do things that one finds interesting. Likewise, it is imperative to make reading seem interesting rather than a herculean task!
Here’s how to do it! Find out the genres you love reading and stick to them for a while so that you feel compelled to read. If you’re starting to read for the first time, can also go on to read the original book version of a movie adaption that you found interesting. For me, I started with The Harry Potter series and the suspense kept me glued to the books! (Even though I have seen the movies a million times!).
Also, books are segregated based on genres on Goodreads as well, so if you are utterly confused, you can look for your fav-genre related books on Goodreads, go through their brief summary, rating etc. and start reading them or mark them ‘Want to Read’ so they get added to your shelf (this makes it easier to remember the books).
Once you get into a regular habit of reading, feel free to expand your horizons and try new genres. You can also read multiple books simultaneously to avoid getting saturated from reading one particular book. This will help you take breaks from one story and dive into the other temporarily.
Pro Tip- It is okay to not like a certain book, and leave it midway for reading it later (or not at all). We all feel compelled to finish a book we started reading, but if you’re just doing it for the sake of finishing the book, trust me it isn’t going to help you build an interest in reading.
3. Set up a Reading Time
It is essential to be able to maintain a balance between important day to day activities and reading, but it isn’t a very hard task.
Here’s how! Make a mental note of all the activities that are really important and cannot be compromised (like work/school/college etc.). Thereafter look for activities that aren’t on your priority list, like social media for instance. Then all you have to do is invest more time into reading from the ‘non-essential activities’ time slot.
You can also set up a reading time. For me it’s before going to bed, as you can completely focus on reading at that time.
Also, when you start reading something you enjoy, you’ll get hooked to it and automatically look for free time to complete the book. That’s the magic of choosing the right book!
Bonus- Invest in an e-reader
“I’ll get an e-reader once I develop a reading habit” is a myth, and I say it from experience because honestly, I’ve developed a reading habit after getting a Kindle.
Investing in an e-reader, means you can carry it everywhere and just start reading it whenever you have some spare time.
Now, I love how a physical book feels in your hands, but an e-reader does have its advantages, like a Kindle shows the percentage of book that you’ve read/approximate time to complete a chapter/time left to complete the book etc. and it is highly motivating! You can also sync your Goodreads account with your e-reader and this helps in automatic updates on the app. It also allows you to highlight quotes or information you like, and you can also access the meaning of a word you do not know by simply clicking on it! So if you can, invest in an e-reader!
Always remember that it isn’t a competition, and the goal is to enjoy reading! It’s always up to you to decide what you want to read and at what speed you want to read. However, the above mentioned steps will definitely act as catalysts while developing a reading habit!
