It mostly works for non-fiction books, but luckily, that’s where patient reading is needed most. The trick is to read as if the author was reading the book out loud. As if you’re having a conversation with the author.
Reading is an essential part of life to many. And its a difficult habit to get hold of for some. A lot of people decide to start a reading habit but are unable to pick a process that will help them stick to it. Here’s a few things that can be used to start and maintain a reading habit:
Think on why you want to start reading
The reason could be to improve language, to gain knowledge or just to do something in pastime. For each of these reasons, the books you pick must vary. For getting better at a language it’s better to start off with the newspaper. The language a newspaper uses is fairly balanced in terms of difficulty of words. It will help you get hold of everyday words and phrases since it is current. For gaining knowledge,start off with books that interest you and are related to your passion and hobbies. Such books are easier to read for a beginner since you will actually be interested in it. For a pastime, its better starting off with comics or something easy on the head. Age is no bar to read comics. The pictures will keep you interested.
Start easy and small
Do not pick a 500 page book as the one to start a reading habit on. Chances are you will go no further than a couple of pages. Large books require patience from the reader because they take their own sweet time to unravel and become interesting. This kind of patience is very difficult in a novice. A 100 page book will be fast moving and give you a result sooner. The mind quantifies stuff. The fact that you have finished your first book will go a long way in helping you continue. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 pages or 5000. One book is one book for the mind.
Get book recommendations from friends
This is a great way to start reading and get ideas for what is popular amongst your peers. In addition, you can see if they will loan you the ones they recommend (a great way to avoid purchasing books that you are unsure if you’ll even like).
Set aside time each day to read
Deciding that you want to figure out how to read regularly doesn’t also mean that you have to read a lot. It just means that you do what you can each day to get through it. Progress is progress, no matter how fast or slow of a reader you are. For me, my preferred reading time is in the 30 minutes to an hour at night before bed. Sometimes if I’m really tired, I can’t even make it that long; in which case, I opt for a quick 10 minute read and then it’s lights off.
If you find it difficult to sit still and get into a book, then I suggest incorporating other elements of your life that you love that you equate with relaxation. For instance, I always make a cup of herbal tea, change into pajamas and curl up in my office with music playing in the background. By doing all these other things, I feel that I signal to my brain that its “downtime”. This equates to sitting and relaxing, and then I consciously choose to pick up a book instead of flipping through Netflix or watching TV shows.
Always have a list of books to read
Have a list on your phone and keep adding to it. Don’t let that list finish. The best way to continue reading every day is to constantly have a “next book” to pick up. I’ll add to mine by getting recommendations from friends or looking up recommendations online. For instance, Bill Gates puts out a list of great books every year, and there’s a Forbes list that usually goes out as well with best sellers and intriguing reads. Plus, there is the New York Times bestseller list and the Amazon recommendations for popular reads.
Basically, there is no shortage of options and resources out there to help you build your list.