Reading can be cumbersome and it can be enjoyable as well. It all depends with your approach to it. Just like watching movies, reading can also be very addictive. Like any other habit, you have to develop it so that you can get to a point where you can read more comfortably and perform it with so much ease.
To start you off, here are a few things you can consider.
1. Pick An Interesting Genre
There are various genres of books. If you are just starting out, you will need to identify the kind of books that you enjoy the most. This way, you will have something to look forward to.
2. Read At Least 20 Pages Per Day
The secret to reading several books is doing it little by little every day. If you commit to reading 20 pages per day, at the end of the week you will have read 140 pages which translates to 560 pages per month, an average of 2 books. At the end of the year you will have read more than 24 books.
3. Measure Your progress
Measuring how much you have read gives you the motivation to keep reading. You can team up with friends and read together. You can also update your reading progress on reading apps such as Goodreads. Goodreads also allows you to create a reading challenge for each year where you can set the number of books that you intend to read throughout the year. The app also tells you if you are on schedule or behind schedule as far as your reading challenge is concerned. You can also compare your reading challenge with your friends on the app.
4. Do Not Force Yourself To Read A Boring Book
Some books can be very boring. If you keep reading a book and it doesn’t seem to appeal to you, drop it and pick a more interesting one. Don’t let a bad book kill your reading morale.
5. Avoid Spoilers
Spoilers can ruin your reading morale. Avoid them at all costs. That way you will have the suspense of wanting to know more and that will make you want to read on.
6. Make Good use of Book Reviews
Book reviews can be good way of identifying your next read. Just remember to avoid book reviews that have spoilers. However, not all books that have good reviews will be enjoyable to you. People have different tastes and that cuts across including books. What appeals to one person may not appeal to you.
These six pointers can help you start off on your reading journey. Just like any other habit, reading can be cultivated. It might take you some time to adjust but you will eventually get there.
“One myth that has become established in the self-development arena is that it only takes 21 days to form a new habit. This simply isn’t true in all cases. Sometimes it takes a shorter time, sometimes a longer time, and sometimes old habits are so hard to break that new ones never take hold.”
― Gudjon Bergmann
So when you start and relapse, don’t give up. Keep trying till it becomes part of you no matter how long it takes. Happy Reading.
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