Building the habit of reading books
Reading books regularly is great. It reduces stress and builds knowledge, empathy and understanding. No wonder it’s a habit so many people would like to master. I steadily increased the amount of books I read since 2015, and I often get asked how I did it, either by people who’d love to read more but can’t seem to do it, or by people who used to read but don’t anymore.
Luckily, it’s no rocket science. Reading (more) feels daunting because it’s easy to go at it from the wrong angles. Below I jotted down 7 tips to build a reading habit, all taken from my own experience. I hope they help you get through that stack on your bedside table 📚
Start with 15 minutes per day ⏰
When I decided I wanted to read more, I started by reading 15 minutes per day. I figured it doesn’t make sense to try and power through long chapters when your attention span isn’t set up for it.
Don’t tell yourself to “read at least one chapter”. A chapter can be very long, and if you can’t bring yourself to finish it, you’ll feel bad about it. Set aside just 15 minutes every day. During your commute, right after a lunch break or while cooking dinner. You’ll find it’s pretty easy to squeeze in that time every day. Every minute you’ll be able to read on top of that is a plus, but don’t force yourself. It’s fine to stop after fifteen minutes. After a while you’ll be able to increase the time you read effortlessly.
“If you assume a reading speed of 350 words per minute, it would require just 20 minutes of reading per day to read roughly a book each week. So reading doesn’t have to require a lot of time.” (from Quartz)
Always bring a book (or buy an e-reader) 📖
I was a big fan of buying paper books. You can hold them, stack them, smell them, write in them and pass them on. I still buy them, but I limit myself to well designed editions, or books I’ve read on my Kindle and enjoyed a lot. The Kindle is the best buy I did in 2015, for obvious reasons. It’s lightweight and I can bring it anywhere. It can carry a gazillion books, the screen is pleasant to read from, and I charge the battery roughly once a month.
As soon as I got it, I started carrying the thing around everywhere I went. It fit into my coat pocket, so I read whenever I had a spare moment (it will surprise you how many spare moments you have). This allowed me to make lots of progress on the books I was reading, as I didn’t have to dedicate specific moments to picking up a book.
If you’re on a budget and can’t (or don’t want to) buy a Kindle, make sure you bring your paper book everywhere. Buy a paperback so you don’t have to lug around a special edition hardcover. Make it as easy as possible for yourself to bring it and pull it out.
Avoid falling asleep: read in the morning 🌅
People often try reading when they go to bed. It’s a common thing to do, and if you’re not used to reading a minute here and there, this is the time you’re reminded of the reading habit you’re trying to build. As a result, you read three pages and feel yourself getting sleepy, before putting the book away and deciding you’ll try again the next day.
Instead, read 10 to 15 minutes when you wake up. Don’t look at your phone and scroll through Instagram or Twitter: grab your book and read a few pages. It’ll help you wake up better than news on Donald Trump, videos of cats or group chats will ever do. You’ll feel more energised when getting out of bed and you’ll feel like you’ve checked something off that to-do list before hitting the shower. Win-win.
If you do read in the evening, go to bed earlier 🛌
By the time you usually go to bed, you’re going to want to sleep. Picking up a book then isn’t going to do you any good. If you want to read in bed, make sure you go to bed earlier. Plan on reading 15 minutes? Go to bed 15 minutes early. If you’re planning on reading for an hour, skip that episode of Black Mirror and go straight to bed to read. Make sure to leave your phone outside the bedroom!
Ditch books you don’t like 🚮
I’ve tried powering through books I didn’t like, causing me to put off reading altogether and slowing down my progress. Now, if a book doesn’t grab me within, say, 75 pages, I ditch it.
Perhaps the topic doesn’t interest you after all, or you find out the writer doesn’t write as well as you hoped (or needed a better editor). Throw it out or delete it, and don’t look back.
Amazon allows you to download a sample to your Kindle before buying a book, saving you time and money.
Read multiple books at the same time 💁🏻️
This sounds like a tip you shouldn’t be giving to someone trying to pick up a reading habit. It is! Your mind isn’t always set on that one book you’re reading. The topic might be heavy, and you shouldn’t force yourself to read a very dark book after a long or rough day.
I usually read a fiction and a non-fiction book at the same time. I tend to save fiction for evenings, when I want to wind down, and non-fiction for starting up in the morning. Besides a novel, I’m currently reading two non-fiction books. One about David Bowie, which is easy to read and has a higher entertainment value. The other is about the human body, which is a bit more challenging and suitable for a different mood.
Start or join a bookclub 🗣
This tip might be less relevant if you’re only just picking up the habit of reading. Last year I joined a book club, which has now grown to six people. It happens every month, and is a great way to force yourself to keep up the reading habit.
It makes me read books outside my comfort zone. The discussions around them are often very insightful. We all take turns hosting it in our own homes, having dinner and discussing the book afterwards. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn about new things. Without a doubt, this is one of the nicest things I’ve decided to do in the past year.
I hope the tips above help establishing a reading habit. Start slowly, and gradually build up the amount of time you spend reading.
Reading tips
The fiction book I enjoyed most last year was Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It’s a thick book, but I found myself racing through it.
If you’re looking to pick up something lighter, Han Kang’s The Vegetarian is worth trying. Be warned: it’s a bit odd.
My favourite non-fiction book was Between The World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. He is an exceptional writer and The Beautiful Struggle, his memoir, also comes highly recommended.
