6 practices you must follow while reading a book
This might have happened to you when you start reading a book and leave it in the middle of the desert. This happens to many people. All they say is “I prefer documentaries or movies”. Which is a lie to most people. The problem with reading a book is people think it’s an effortful task, they might not make efficient use of time while reading a book instead why not watch a video? The unaddressed problem with this is the way people read books.
The thing is, I was the same person. I didn’t love reading books, it seemed a hectic and boring task to me. I didn’t even give it a try until it was February 2022 when I read my first book, Atomic Habits by James Clear. Then I realized that book reading is a very relaxing thing for me. Now, even when I am feeling low, I read a book, it gives me immense calmness and positivity.
So, in this article, I will share some of the best practices that I discovered and followed which you must follow while reading a book. Let’s begin
1. Select a good book, you would love to read
Trust me, there are thousands of books you would love to read. It can be an autobiography, self-development book, fiction, based on a real event, and the list goes on. Even people have a certain taste for a specific style of book writing. Selecting a good book is the first thing you should do, cause you will be in a relationship with this book for a couple of weeks or months. Yayyy…you are remembering all the bad relations you had. hmm. Google the best book in the domain you want to read or ask your reader friend, parents, or anyone who reads books. Why someone should read a “Self-development book”?
2. Have an environment that gives you a vibe to read a book
Just don’t start reading a book lying on a bed or in the hall with thousands of noises or a place where you do your hectic jobs. Reading a book is a completely different task, so your environment for doing this should also be different. The place could be a balcony, desk, or park. I have a friend who describes his vibing moment as sitting beside a table near a window with light rain, a coffee cup in his left hand, and reading a book on a table lamp. Just imagine this. Select or form a little space for only you and your better half, book.
3. Don’t let your brain sleep. Think, ask, imagine
Be an active reader. You can only get full out of a book when you are completely engrossed in it. It’s the same as a relationship, you have to be an active part of the conversation, otherwise, you all know what happens. While reading a fiction book, just imagine the scenes. While reading a self-development book, ask yourself questions. When reading an autobiography, try to relate the situation and how they came out of the situation. While reading a book try to explore your own life and mind. Be an active reader.
4. Everything in a limit is good
Select a convenient time of day when you think are free and can read a book with a free mind. It can be a morning after bath, evening, or bedtime book reading is also a great time to read the book. Don’t read books for excess of time, Bill Gates has a fixed 1 hour time a day for reading books. I will not comment anything on this relationship, sorry. Excess may someday make it boring or you will just leave reading books when the hectic days come to the doorsteps. So, it better is to be practical and fix a portion of an hour each day to perform this holy task.
5. Reflect back on what you read
Always after completing a chapter, episode or station have a habit of recalling a few great things from that chapter, it could be scenes, some great quotes, or advice that can change your life. I have a habit of making a summary of every chapter after completion, I call it a “post-reading ritual’’. It’s like your own interpretation of what you just read. Same as you think about your better half for hours after having lunch together.
6. Be ready to get surprised
No one knows, the next line they are going to read can just make your jaw drop. It could be a scene full of magnificent imagination, or an answer you were looking for your entire life. So always be prepared for a surprise.
So, That’s all from my side, hope you enjoyed the article, and have learned something useful. If yes, then just go and explore the world of deep knowledge and imagination, ready to get surprised at any moment, and don’t keep your experiences to yourself. Enjoy more, read more, learn more, experience more, that’s what life is.
If you are deciding to read some good books, try out my list of books, 4 Books you must read for self-improvement
Keep smiling, keep learning, keep growing!!!!
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