Tips to Develop a Reading Habit

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” George R.R. Martin

After “staying fit”, “stop procrastinating” and “learning actively”, one of the most common goals that people set for themselves is “reading more”. And we won’t be surprised if you are one of those people.

Like all other habits, starting and keeping up with book reading may be difficult initially. But once you go down that road, there is no coming back.

Having said that, let’s discuss some tips to develop reading skills.

1. Choose a Book You Like

First things first, try to find a book that you enjoy reading. If you have a book that is extremely difficult to read or something that does not interest you, you are most probably not going to enjoy reading.

Reading preferences differ – some people enjoy reading fiction, while others enjoy reading self-development books. Whatever your preference is, make sure you choose books accordingly.

2. Set a Time

You should set a time during the day which you will spend reading. Initially, you can start off by 10 minutes per day and gradually increase the time.

Instead of setting a number of minutes, you can choose to play around events that happen every day. For example, you can read after you are done with breakfast or maybe during lunch or while you are going to work/college or before going to bed.

This is entirely your choice, anything that works for you, would help you achieve your goal.

3. Always Carry a Book With You

Carry your book with you wherever you go. Just like your wallet, cell phone and house keys, start considering it as another essential item that you must have before you leave your home.

Having your book with you all the time will make it easy for you to enjoy your leisure time and will also play a huge role in strengthening your reading habit.

4. Find a Peaceful Place

Choose a comfortable spot in your home where you can sit and read without any interruptions.

Try to sit at a place where there are no distractions, like no television/computer, no music, etc.

5. Make a Log

You can create a log of books that you would want to read or that you have read already. Along with this, you can also make a small note about your thoughts beside the name of the book. After a couple of months, you will feel extremely satisfied when you go through this log.

While some people may not face a lot of difficulty in developing a reading habit, they may find it difficult to purchase a new book after every few days. This could be a huge demotivating factor.

6. Purchase Used Books

There are various physical as well as online stores that sell used books that are obviously cheaper than brand new ones.

If you are interested in buying used or brand new books/magazines, you can visit OLX Pakistan’s website.

7. Make Reading Pleasurable

Instead of a task, make your reading time fun. Make some tea or coffee, grab some snacks, get in a comfortable chair and enjoy making reading a habit.

8. Cutting Down Television/Internet Time

Cutting down on television or internet time will also help you increase your reading time. We are not saying that you reduce it to none, but reducing a few minutes here and there will help you become productive.

While all of these are tips that will help you develop a reading habit. Make sure you keep a check on your bad and good reading habits.

That is about it! We hope this blog will help you achieve your goal. If you have any other tips in mind, drop them down in the comments section below.