7 Tips How to Create a Healthy Reading Habit
Let’s be honest, the easiest way to start any habit is to do it every day. They say (whoever “they” is) that after about 21 days or so a habit is formed.
I think this thought can be challenged slightly depending on how rewarding the outcome is of the habit. If it’s extremely rewarding a habit can be formed in a day. If it takes much discipline and work on our part then 21 to 30 days sounds about right.
Not everyone will have the same way in which they form a healthy habit and this might not work for you, but hopefully, it helps you think of a reasonable reading plan that works for your specific lifestyle.
We are hoping this post will give you some ideas on how to create a healthy reading habit. Creating a reading habit is not easy, but we would argue that it is worth
1. Choose 3 Books
Choose 1 Book that seems very appealing to you and would be considered an easy read.
Choose another book that is small and could be easy or difficult. Your choice.
For the third book, try to pick one that’ll take more work on your part. Consider this book an accomplishment you want to make by reading it completely.
By picking at least one book that is extremely easy and more of an enjoyable read you are rewarding yourself for reading and it’ll be easier to pick up every day.
By picking at least one more book that is more difficult for you and more of an accomplishment you will be rewarding yourself by doing something hard and achieving an accomplishment and you will surprise yourself with what you can accomplish if you stick to it.
2. Pick a Number of Pages or an Amount of Time
This can be done in many ways but you should start out with something reasonable for you that it will almost be impossible for you not to complete.
For example,
Read 1 page of each book.
Or,
Read each book for 1 minute.
The point is to build the habit of reading. If you really want to build it, start somewhere and start small.
If you get done with your one page or one minute for each book and want to read more…#winning…kudos to you! Read more!
But the point is pick goals that are almost impossible not to complete.
As each day and week goes by slightly bump up your minimum amount you allow yourself.
1 minute then 2 then 3 and so on and so forth.
1 page then 2 then 3 and so you get the point.
Start small goals that would be difficult not to accomplish and each week bump them up just a little.
This will help you start reading every day and you’ll have the added rewarding feeling of success knowing that you are building something.
Important note: if you miss a day just skip it and move forward. We can’t change the past. We can only affect the present.
If we miss too many days and we can’t catch up we are likely to avoid the “burden” of trying to catch up and then that avoidance will end up destroying our reading habit.
Just skip the days you miss and accomplish the goal for the next day and try not to get down on yourself for it.
3. Pick a Place to Read
For some people learning how to create a healthy reading habit means picking a good spot.
Some people like to be cozy while they read. Others like the sense they feel while moving and reading.
Pick a place that seems right to you.
I’m a fairly adjusted reader (it’s a big part of my line of work) so I read from almost anywhere, but I do find myself reading from bed a fair amount. Especially right before sleep. It’s an easy place to leave a book or just tune out and read something while my wife is socializing on her phone 📱.
Some people have long commutes on trains, planes, cars, and subways. These would be great places to read each day. For instance, just the other day I started two books on a plane:
And
(Side note: I would highly recommend Storyworthy for those that are interested in honing their storytelling skills both on and off the page. Illium, I’m not sure yet. It has an interesting take on ancient history but it also has adult themes that seem unnecessary and maybe even perverted, but I digress.)
Remember how we talked about the smaller book you picked out. This is where it would come in handy (<see what I did there? Okay…you’re right…dumb joke…nevermind) to take with you on your commute, but real talk, these days we have phone apps for books.
So thinking further on it. If you have your book on your phone you already have a small device you can read from anywhere.
You might find though that you strictly like the feel of pages when you’re reading. That’ll be up to you. Me personally? I love reading on my phone and find carrying around books almost tedious.
The point is, it is convenient to have something to read when you are traveling, especially if you find yourself commuting often for whatever reasons. Try skipping the movies and reading something instead.
4. Personal Goals aren’t Always Necessary
Making personal goals can be very helpful for some people while they learn how to create a healthy reading habit.
Others just need to feel like they are free to pick and go.
The people that find it the hardest to start a reading habit are mostly the latter.
So for those people I say, just pick a book that seems most enjoyable to you and try to read 1 page a day.
If after some days you find the book really boring, pick a different book and put the first down. Leave it.
If you repeat this pattern of trying different books and reading at least a page each day then you too will have started a reading habit of your own in your own unique way.
I was this way. I have probably started or skimmed through hundreds of books and only finished or read fully through some. (It’s not something I feel great about, but it’s the truth.)
In school, it was almost impossible to sit down and read anything. It was a real chore. (In fact, I had to repeat K-5 because of my reading deficiency.) I would start reading and then before I knew it my eyes were flying over the words, but my mind was off elsewhere. It wasn’t until college that I started enjoying reading more and started to read a lot.
And later on, I figured out how to skim most things and now I enjoy it even more. You get to a place where you can find the important information you like and skip the fluff.
All that to say, you don’t have to have a natural affinity for reading to start reading and enjoying it. You just have to make the choice to take the time to figure it out for yourself.
7 Tips How to Create a Healthy Reading Habit
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5. Most Importantly, Have Fun
At the end of the day you do want to start a good habit and skill to have, but it’s nice when it is also enjoyable.
When you’re going through any type of schooling it’s hard to always make it fun, but the more you do it the easier it will be and the faster you’ll get, which means your reading work will be done faster.
For those that just want to read more, I’m biased, so it is hard for me to say that you will regret starting a reading habit (as long as it’s a healthy one).
Inevitably, I think becoming a better reader will be an enjoyable and rewarding endeavor.
6. A Thought on Audiobooks
I enjoy audiobooks myself and believe they have merit.
They will not help your reading skills or habits, but they will bolster your auditory listening skills, which is good as well.
I think that both skills are worth pursuing but for this post, I am going to just say that audiobooks will not help your reading habit specifically.
Will they help you capture more information from books you might not otherwise read? Absolutely. Will they make you a better reader? Absolutely not. (Unless you are learning a new language, but that’s not really the point of this post.)
So the final verdict: audiobooks are helpful but they will not help your reading habits.
7. Utilizing Cues
Some people find it helpful to have a cue set up to help you get into a habit (no we aren’t talking about a cue ball from billiards 🎱).
A cue would be something that signals to yourself that you’re getting ready to do something. A very simple cue that almost everyone uses is an alarm to wake up for work.
When your alarm goes off your body knows it’s about to do your get ready for work routine.
So what’s a cue you could set up for reading. A simple cue could be making a cup of tea or turning on a light in your reading space. It could be both.
The benefits of the idea of “cues” are doing things that help you enjoy the moment, thus it becomes even more rewarding and the habit is even more powerful. Cues are basically extra habits you do around your desired habit in order to help yourself succeed in your goal over the long haul.
Final thoughts:
In order to start a reading habit you want to start out around other things you enjoy.
Take a walk and read. Sit outside and read. Get cozy and read. Make a cup of cocoa. Soak in the tub. Read on your way to work. Take a lunch break and read.
Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. You won’t be able to find out if you don’t just start. Don’t wait for the perfect day. Just start today and learn as you go.
At some point, you’ll just automatically find yourself reading more, but for starting out, try to have added rewards to this idea of reading more and figuring out what works best for you and your lifestyle as you go.
Hope this helps!
We hope you enjoyed 7 Tips How to Create a Healthy Reading Habit. How to create a healthy reading habit is not an easy endeavor, but we think it is an important one.
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7 Tips How to Create a Healthy Reading Habit
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