Reading is one of the most important skills you can develop. It’s a skill that will serve you for a lifetime, and it’s also one of the best ways to improve your existing skills. Reading is an activity that can be done anywhere, and it’s probably one of the most effective ways to learn new things and expand your knowledge. If you want to be more successful in life, you need to read. If you want to learn how to do something new, reading about it is an excellent way to start. And if you have trouble remembering things or keeping up with current events, reading is the best way to improve your memory and stay informed.
In this post, we’ll take a look at how you can form a reading habit and why it’s so important.
Tips to build a habit of reading
Find a quiet place to read
It’s easy to get distracted when you’re in a noisy place. You might not even notice it, but when you’re reading, every little sound can be like a tornado of noise that distracts you from your book.
If you want to form a reading habit, it’s important to find a quiet place where you can relax and focus on your book. Reading in bed has its advantages—you’re comfortable, and it doesn’t matter if you fall asleep—but it’s not ideal for getting the most out of your reading time. Your body will want to go to sleep when it sees that it’s dark outside and you’ve been sitting still for a while.
Read actively
If you want to form a reading habit, it’s important to study actively. When you study actively, you’re not just passively absorbing information—you’re actively engaging with the text and trying to make sense of it in your own way. This means that you’re not just looking at the words on the page, but thinking about what they mean and how they connect with other things in your life.
Reading actively can help you form a reading habit because when you engage deeply with what you’re reading, you’ll remember more of it and be able to apply it more easily. You’ll also be able to recall those memories more easily when the time comes for them to be useful.
Set a goal
If you want to read more, create a plan. If your goal is to study one book per month, then set aside time each week to do it. If your goal is to be able to read faster, find ways to practice speed reading. If your goal is to improve your vocabulary, work on learning new words and using them in conversation.
You can set a goal for how many pages you want to study each day or week. If you’re new to reading habit formation, try setting a goal of five pages per day. Once you’ve got that down pat, increase your daily goal by one or two pages per day until you reach the 10-20 pages per day range.
You can also set goals around reading genres or topics that interest you. You might decide that you want to read only books about social justice or books about black history for example. There are many ways to create goals for yourself when it comes to reading.
Set times for reading
Reading is a great way to relax, unwind, and get lost in a world that’s not your own for a few moments. But if you’re like most people, you don’t just pick up a book at random and read pages endlessly until the story is done. You probably have some kind of routine for reading: maybe you like to study before bed or on your lunch break, or maybe you prefer to study at home after work.
Whatever your routine is, it’s important to stick with it. This will help you form a habit of reading regularly.
Always carry a book
If you want to form a habit of reading, it’s important to always carry a book with you.
You never know when you’ll have a few minutes to spare, or when you’ll need something to do on the subway.
Carrying around a book means that, if the moment arises when you need something to do, you can pull out your book and start reading immediately.
Have a library day
If you’re looking for a way to get into the reading habit, one of the best things you can do is visit your local library.
The library is a great place to start because it has so many books available for you to read—and most likely, none of them will be due back for years! At the same time, though, it’s nice knowing that if you don’t love what you’ve picked out at first glance, there are thousands more waiting for you just down the street.
Plus, libraries are filled with people who love books as much as you do. It’s a great place to meet like-minded friends and acquaintances who can help keep you motivated and inspired when it comes time to pick up another book. A library day is when you go to a bookstore, library, or another place with lots of books and spend a day reading as much as possible. You don’t need to buy anything, but it’s helpful if you have some cash on hand to buy any book that catches your eye.
If possible, try to go on a day when there’s no school or work—that way, you’ll have time to read for hours without feeling like you’re wasting time.
Put away distractions
One of the most important things you can do to form a reading habit is to put away distractions. If you’re trying to read, but you have your phone next to you and there are multiple tabs open in your browser, it’s going to be very hard for you to focus on the book.
If you have a friend or family member who keeps coming over and interrupting your reading time, try using headphones so that they can’t hear what’s happening on your end. This will help them respect your space while also allowing you to enjoy being alone with a book without distraction.
If there’s no way around distractions when it comes to reading, consider making a list of all of the things that distract from reading (like TV shows) and then blocking them out at certain times each day (like after dinner).
Keep a reading journal
Keeping a reading journal is one of the best ways to form a reading habit. It’s a simple way to track your progress, and it helps you stay accountable. Keeping a reading journal is a great way to keep track of what you’ve read when you read it, and how it made you feel. It can be as simple as writing down the title of every book or article you read, along with a short summary of its contents and how long it took you to read.
A good place to start is by keeping track of what you read on Sundays. Choose one day of the week that works best for you, and write down everything that you read on that day for the next few months. It’s helpful if you choose a day when most people are off work and school—like Sunday or Saturday—but if that’s not possible, any day will do.
That way, you’ll have a clear sense of how much progress you’ve made and what kinds of habits are working for you. This way, when someone asks what kind of books you like or recommends to you, you’ll be able to tell them with confidence.
Read multiple books at the same time
Reading multiple books at the same time is a great way to keep your reading habit going, and also to improve your skills. You can read one book for enjoyment and relaxation while reading another book for its content.
When you read a book, try to take notes on it and then use those notes to make connections with other books you’ve already read or are reading. This will help you make connections between different works of literature and will also give you a better understanding of how all books fit into the grand scheme of things.
Conclusion
I hope this guide has helped you to form a reading habit. The best way to do it is by starting small and building up, so take your time and don’t get discouraged if you don’t feel like you’re making much progress at first.
You can also help yourself by getting rid of distractions like social media or other apps on your phone, and finding a place where you can read without feeling distracted by others.
Finally, remember that reading is not just about the number of books you read—it’s about how much they mean to you.
