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Every “How to be Successful” guide will inevitably tell you to read more or make reading a daily habit.
For me, reading falls into the leisure category. I enjoy reading, and it is an alternative to bingeing on Netflix. But honestly, reading sometimes takes away from valuable Netflix time.
Even though I enjoy reading, if I’m going to be giving up my Netflix time, I have to get something out of it. Reading a book is a huge time investment. Depending on the size of the book, it could be anywhere from 2 to 30 hours!
Between Netflix, YouTube, and endless hours of scrolling on Instagram, I wanted to make reading a habit for myself. Reading does give me joy, but often it feels like such a chore to block out time for myself and actually sit down with a book without any distractions.
I knew that the only way I’d make reading more of a habit if I got something out of it. I wanted to find a way to make reading more effective for myself!
In search of making reading more efficient, and effective, I wanted to make sure I was getting the most out of each book that I was reading – especially nonfiction books.
Why Read Nonfiction?
Nonfiction books are such a great learning tool. These books can give you insight into the life of the author, or the time or place they write about. Other books can teach you about a particular skill, or be a coping mechanism when you’re feeling lost in a particular aspect of your life.
Nonfiction if done right, can be just as riveting a story as fiction. There are lots of people who have colorful stories in life that they are sharing. I find that just knowing that a story is true encourages more empathy. I automatically feel like I can relate to the author just because they are drawing from real experiences.
There are so many reasons to start reading, but you just have to find books that you will enjoy!
I spent a lot of experimenting, how I can make reading a habit for myself, where I was actually learning from all the books I’d read.
If you want to make reading to learn a habit, these tips will help you get that habit started!
ONE: Track your Reading Habit to Stay Accountable
As I have started more and more, I’ve started to actively search for books that I might be interested in.
I have a variety of interests, and so I have lots of books that sound interesting to me. Sometimes I get recommendations from friends, other times it’s from podcasts, my Twitter feed, or just browsing online.
The number one tool that has helped me keep track of things is Goodreads! Goodreads is a phenomenal online community for book lovers, readers and authors.
Keep track of books you want to read
Goodreads is a great place to find books you might enjoy!
If you have friends who are avid readers, you can follow each other and get recommendations from them as well!
Goodreads also has the ability to recommend books you might like, based on your interests.
I also use it to filter the books. I am all about efficiency – so if I’m spending time reading a book, I need assurance that it might be something I enjoy.
Goodreads is a great tool for this, I usually search the book, and look at notable quotes other readers found in the book. If I like those snippets, I might also enjoy the book!
Track books you are currently reading
I usually read multiple books at the same time (more on that later). The way that I am able to keep track of them, is by using Goodreads. You can also save your progress of a book (which page you are on), and also make comments on your thoughts of the book so far if you like!
Track books you have read
Once I finish reading a book, I like to log it on Goodreads. There’s something satisfying about finishing a book, it feels like an accomplishment!
Set a goal and check your progress
Another feature of Goodreads I love is the Reading Challenge. At the beginning of the year, they encourage you to set a goal of the number of books you want to read. As you track the books you read, you can check your progress to your goal. It forces you to be accountable to yourself, once you log it!
Other Tools and Trackers
There are a ton of other ways to keep track of the same things for which I use Goodreads.
You can use a simple spreadsheet to track your books. Set an annual or monthly goal, create a list of books you want to read, make notes, on the books you are reading, and check off when you have finished the book.
You can also use a notebook, or if you use a bullet journal you can dedicate some pages to it. Pinterest has some amazing suggestions for this!
It really doesn’t matter which tool you use, the important thing is to use a tracker, as it helps you stay accountable to your reading!
TWO: Read at least one page every day to make this a daily habit
Trust me, you won’t stop!
Another habit I’ve tried to cultivate in myself is to read at least one page daily.
Pick a time of day for consistent, whether it’s easier to dedicate this time in the morning, or on your commute, or right before bed.
Just the act of forcing myself to read at least one page has helped me read consistently. There will be days that you will want to stop after that one page, and other days, you’ll finish half a book.
Being consistent in doing this daily, will actually help cultivate this habit, and it will become something that you enjoy daily!
THREE: Have multiple books in your currently reading pile
This helps with the habit of consistency as well!
You will only find joy in a book if you’re in the right mindset at the time. Every day is different, and there are days you will want an easy read. Other days, you will want to be challenged and read a longer book.
I usually have multiple books that I read at a time and every night when it is time to read, I pick the book that speaks to me the most at the time. Some days, that’s a heavy read about science or data, other days it might be a biography, or it might be an easy fiction book when I’m feeling not feeling creative!
FOUR: Reflect on it
Reading a book can be about leisure as much as about actually wanting to learn. For me, it is about both!
As much as I enjoy reading, I sometimes have the memory of a goldfish.
Typically I read at night, so the next morning, as part of my morning routine, I actually jot down what I learned from the book. This might be a simple one sentence of what stood out, or it might be as in-depth as going back to the book and flipping through the section.
You can choose to reflect when you have finished the book, or as you go through it daily or by chapter!
There are many ways to reflect on your books:
- Bookmark or highlight pages that spoke to you
- Take a picture of a quote that you want to remember
- Write about how you felt when you read.
- Write about what you agreed with, or disagreed with
The key is to connect to the book, and record your key takeaways, or what the book made you feel! This way you will remember the book, and what you wanted to learn from it.
FIVE: There are other Books in the Sea
The last tip I’ve followed is that if I can’t get into the book, I just stop reading the book!
I’m a firm believer that you will only enjoy books when you need them the most. If you don’t need a book at the time, then you might resign the book to be hogwash!
There are so SO many books out there, and there are new ones published every day!
Life is too short to read a book you’re not into!
Do you have any tips to read that have helped you create a habit of reading, or getting more out of the books you read?