This is the Year You Make Reading a Habit Once And For All
Bonus: Zero to Novel: A step-by-step guide to increasing your reading stamina.
Do you tell yourself every year that this is the year you finally start reading more but struggle to make it a habit every time?
I struggled to read books for a very long time as well. I bought many books with an intention to read but procrastination always got a hold of me and a few days later I would fall back into the old routine and stop reading. I even carried the new books around in my bag with an intent to read them when I had some time at work but that plan always fell flat because I didn’t have a good base of reading. I failed over and over again to add reading to my daily routine until I changed my approach to reading.
In today’s post, I will show you specific steps you can take right now to make this a breakout year for your reading.
Why is reading beneficial?
Through reading books, we can gain the knowledge to help learn new ideas and skills to help us succeed. Reading books stirs our imagination and helps us make new connections which in turn makes us more creative. Research has shown that reading has positive effects on us such as feeling better through having less stress, improved memory, and helps our brains be more elastic and active.
A few of the benefits I gain from reading:
- Reading exposes me to new ideas and concepts
- Reading keeps the mind sharp
- Reading reduces stress
- Reading increases my empathy
- Reading improves my concentration
- Reading helps me write
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss
Getting started with reading
This is it. You are ready to change. You have made the commitment to make reading a habit. Before you dive into reading, let’s take a step back. Let’s take some basic but critical steps to ensure that you will be successful sticking to your reading goals.
Here are some steps I suggest you take before jumping into the wonderful world of reading. Consider these your warm-up exercises.
Know thyself!
Do you know which topics interest you? Of course, you have them in your head but writing them down will arm you with a list of topics to choose from instead of the few you can recall off the top of your head.
Exercise: Brainstorm Topics
Do a 5-minute brainstorm and write down 30 topics which are of interest to you. These can be anything from skills you want to learn or ideas that pique your interest. The broader the ideas the better.
Prioritize the topic list by the ones you are most passionate about.
Now you are armed and ready to go on a search at your library or bookshop. If you’re like me, you will want to borrow/buy a lot of books to keep you reading when your mood changes.
Handcuff your social media
Don’t check social media first thing morning or the last thing in the day. Instead, reach for a physical book so you are far away from the distractions of devices. The time you would have spent browsing other people’s carefully curated posts and stories can give you enough time to read something.
Set device limits or even delete social media apps to make time for your reading.
Start with small goals
Great news! You have options to begin your reading journey. You can start by setting a time-based goal, you can go for easy reading or a combination of both. Figure out which option works best for you.
- For a time-based goal, you can go start with reading 10 minutes a day and keep increasing the time as you get comfortable with reading.
- For an ease-of-reading goal, you can start with books for children or young adults and then make your way up to deeper reading. Small wins early on in your reading journey will give you the confidence to keep growing as a reader. Plus, you want to make reading fun. There is no shame in my game. I am not above reading kids books. I love reading the books my kids read, the stories are short, uplifting, purposeful, and the illustrations are wonderful.
Listen on-the-go
Make use of the time you are out and about or on your commute to work by finding audiobook versions of the books which interest you. I recently learned about the Libbyapp. Through this app, you can check out thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your local library. Tip: When searching, set your filter to currently available books so you don’t have to wait for your next read.
Date your library
Yes, date your library each week. Visit your library on a regular schedule to keep you motivated and surrounded by books. Browse the aisles of the library, you could find a book on a new topic which you hadn’t thought about before. Take in the atmosphere and the people who like you are on a mission to find their next book. Tip: Checkout books on different topics so that you have enough variety and options to pick from if and when your mood changes.
Find your local library: https://www.overdrive.com/libraries
Variety is the spice of life
Have a hard time committing to a single book? By having a variety of reading materials to choose from such as books, magazines, comics, novels, and audiobooks you can make sure you always have something to read.
A Day of Reading In My Life
I truly believe you need a good option to keep you busy when trying to break a bad habit. Reading books is the replacement option for me. To give you an idea of what my reading day looks like. Note: This is an average day. Some days are good like this and some are full of distractions. What can I say, to err is human.
Mornings: Read the news and articles online on topics such as current global events, smart living, arts, etc.
Commute to work: Listen to audiobooks and podcasts related to the design field.
Commute to home: Listen to self-improvement, cooking, comedy related audiobooks or podcasts.
Evening: Read books with my kids.
Nighttime: Sneak a few pages here and there of an interesting book before bedtime.
Exercise: Break up your day into chunks and write down which topics interest you throughout the day. Seeing how your mood flows from the morning to night time can provide you with structure while adding variety to help you stay the course as you build up your reading stamina.
Bonus: From Zero to Novel, a step-by-step reading challenge for 2019
Let’s make 2019 a breakout year for your reading. What better way to do that than with a guide to follow. The options below are meant to increase your reading confidence step by step. Refer back to the topic list you created earlier in this article and use that to find topics which resonate with you.
Level 1: Listen to audiobooks
Let’s start things off with an audiobook you can listen to any time. Find a good book that will make use of the time during your commute to listen to a good book which will hopefully get you energized to read.
Suggestion: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.
Level 2: Read articles
You can find different lengths of articles online or in magazines. Make a goal of reading at least one article a day to increase your reading stamina.
Suggestion: The New York Times has quality articles on style, culture, music, and sports. It has something for everyone. Find articles that interest you and read them on a daily basis to build up your reading stamina.
Level 3: Read graphic novels
Graphic novels are basically larger comics and you can find them in a variety of topics. They are a perfect stepping stone to motivate and build confidence in your reading skills.
Suggestion: Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection by Kate Beaton. Genius is the only way to describe this book. Kate has a way of parodying historical figures with her razor-sharp wit. Warning: Try not to pull a muscle as you will be laughing hysterically. You have been warned!
Level 4: Read short stories
Short stories will provide quick wins to keep going in your reading journey and build your confidence along the way.
Suggestion: Best American Non-Required Reading 2018. A lively collection of fiction and non-fiction short stories, comics, poems, and articles written by students around the country.
Level 5: Read novellas
A novella is longer than an article and shorter than a novel. Take a step up and push your reading stamina further by going a bit deeper into a story.
Suggestion: Lord of the Flies by William Golding. This is an exciting and thought-provoking book that will keep you engaged and wanting more once you have finished reading it.
Level 6: Read Novels
Now you are able to read longer and deeper stories. Your reading stamina has increased and hopefully, your love of reading has developed as well. Now you can
Suggestion: The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
A modern classic and the start of the amazing adventures of Bilbo Baggins. This book is the prequel and a good start to diving into the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
For me, reading is at the top of my list along with writing. The more I read, the more aware I become of the world around me. Reading fills my mind with new ideas and concepts which in turn help me have better conversations and increase my creativity.
Now you have a blueprint for making this year the year you finally make reading a habit. If you’re like me and have a lot of books that you bought but never read, now is the time to dust them off and dive into them.
Start reading now. A world of knowledge awaits.
Till next time. Keep on reading! 🤘
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