Why you should read more and make reading a habit
Whether you are a lost reader or just a curious mind, this article is for you. Here are some methods to find the time to read more.
Writing is the way we transmit knowledge. From the tales that our parents used to read to us when we were little to the history books, the tales of Tolkien, Victor Hugo, or the Grimm brothers: everything seems to revolve around books. Whether you are a book-lover, a lost reader, or just a curious mind, this article is for you. Here are some methods to find the time, and the desire to read more.
Why should you read more?
If you want to read more, this is probably the first question you have to answer: why do you want (or should) read more? Is it for a professional purpose, a school, or a personal one?
On a personal level, reading will be beneficial because it will stimulate your brain and decrease your stress level (it's one of the most relaxing activities), soothing your mind and entertaining you. If you read fiction, you can even experience dozens, even hundreds or thousands of adventures, without even moving from home.
« Reading is the only way to live many times. » — Pierre Dumayet
On a professional level, reading (from fiction to non-fiction) will also be very useful. This activity will mainly develop your vocabulary and knowledge. As you read, it will also develop your analytical and concentration skills.
1) Read books that you like
Probably the most effective method: the best way to read more is to read books that you like and that make you feel happy, calm, and entertained. **If you enjoy the world of the book you are reading**, you will not even have to force yourself to keep reading: your brain will not miss an opportunity to go back to it. So: define a genre and type of books that you like and read it.
Kid reading and laughing — You should read more books that you like.
2) Always have a book on you
Always having a book about yourself is also a very effective method to read more. It is especially useful in "dead moments" like when you are in transport, in a waiting room, in a park, etc. Rather than letting boredom take you, you can then take out your favorite book and instantly go into another universe. But for that to work, you will have to accept to take the book rather than the phone out of your bag!
If the weight (or fear of damaging your precious book) bothers you, you can also opt for an e-reader.
3) Set regular reading hours
If despite the two previous methods I mentioned, you still cannot find time to read, it is time to take out the agenda. The simplest way to make reading become a habit is to choose a specific time when you, deliberately, allow yourself to read. For example, you might want to read a few pages (or chapters) in the morning when you get up or in the evening just before going to bed. Remember, the most important thing is not to read a lot, but to read more.
Clock, coffee, and book — Set regular hours to read and actually enjoy reading.
On a personal note, I mostly read in public transportation in the morning and the evening (and often the last chapter just before going to bed).
4) Listen, share and recommend!
Often discussing a topic is enough to make us love it. So if you have friends, colleagues, or family members who enjoy reading (or have the same challenge as you), take the opportunity to discuss what you read. Sometimes, these people will even be able to advise you some books which they think correspond to you and your tastes.
« To read is to travel, to travel is to read. » — Victor Hugo
Alternatively, on the Internet, you can find hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds?) of communities of readers that you can join. Whether you like to read romance, crime, classics, self-help books [...], you will inevitably find a community of readers that suits your tastes. And, of course, as they are passionate, making them speak about what they love will not be the hardest thing to do. The largest communities are on GoodRead, Livraddict, Booknode, Babelio, but that's far to be an exhaustive list.
Go Further
If you want to dig a bit more around this, here are some articles I would recommend you to read :
Last updated: 10/31/2021
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