Have you ever asked yourself, how do I start reading every day? Reading is really beneficial, I think we can all agree on that. But how do you develop a long-lasting reading habit?
The key to developing a long-lasting reading habit is to start small and keep consistent. It is about doing it every day, no matter how little at a time. That might mean reading one page every day for a month or even longer to form a habit that lasts.
In this post, we will go through how to make a reading habit in 5 steps. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Choose books that you interested in
The first step for me when I started to read, was to actually read books that I was interested in.
In school, we were forced to read fiction books that I found no interest in, nor did I find any value in those kinds of books.
Luckily, later in life, I discovered business and biography books that I found really interesting. That was it for me.
What you are interested in might be something completely different. Find the kinds of books you really enjoy reading, whether that is fiction or non-fiction books.
It makes reading and developing the habit of reading so much easier and more fun. When you actually enjoy something, it doesn’t take too much willpower to keep doing it.
Choose books that you are truly interested in, look for reviews, and find the best books that way it makes forming a habit of reading so much easier, trust me.
Here is a post about how to set good and realistic reading goals, check it out if interested.
Step 2: Make specific and realistic daily or weekly reading goals
The next step is to make specific goals on how much you want to read each day. Instead of just saying “I want to read more”, say “I will read at least one page every day”.
Reading at least one page every day will eventually help you to build the habit. It might sound like nothing, but it actually helps. There is even a great book written about it, it’s called “The Art of Showing Up”. If you are interested in self-development books, check that out.
Keeping that daily goal realistic and preferably low-balling it, rather than making it too difficult, make it really difficult for yourself to not do it one day.
I would suggest starting with just one page a day or maybe 10. Of course, it’s up to you in the end, but having a goal of 100 pages a day might be difficult to keep up with.
I have a post about why are reading goals important, check it out if interested.
Step 3: Schedule a certain time of the day for reading
The next step in making a reading habit is to always read at the same time of the day, or at least try to.
That might be right before school or work, right after, or just before bed. Whatever suits you the best.
Keeping the time of the day the same each day will become more natural and automatic to read. You don’t have to think about it too much after you form the habit of it.
It’s like taking your jacket off as you get home, pouring yourself a coffee, and drinking that while reading. When your cup is empty, you may stop reading. It can really be as simple as that.
Kind of like brushing your teeth right before and after bed, reading always at the same time of the day becomes more natural, just a habit without too much willpower necessary.
Step 4: Keep yourself away from distractions when reading
This can also be really crucial when it comes to reading for longer periods of time, but try to keep yourself away from distractions.
That might mean going to read into a separate room and keeping your phone on a do-not-distract mode. Alternatively, even better, you can leave your phone in another room to avoid the temptation of checking your phone or how much time has passed.
Step 5: Keep track of your progress
Last but not least, keeping track of your progress can make a big difference when it comes to motivating yourself to keep going.
If you mark an X on a calendar every day you have read at least one page or write down the number of pages you have read every day, it can be really motivating.
Imagine having a calendar full of reading achievements going back for weeks, who would want to end a streak like that?
You don’t have to do this indefinitely, but it might help if you do it for the first month or so to develop the habit.
Bonus tip: Take notes about each book you finish
If you successfully developed a reading habit, you will start reading books like it’s a second job for you.
That means a lot more information, and a lot more to remember.
Therefore, it might be helpful, to write down bullet points from each book as you finish them. That way, you don’t necessarily have to read the entire book again to recall what it was mainly about.
You can get a pretty good grasp of a book you have previously read just from some notes you made right after reading it. I have been doing this for a long time, and it really helps to go through some of the notes every now and then.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, there are a lot of ways that can help you to develop a reading habit, but in the end, it is all up to you.
What do you think, can you make reading a habit? Let us know in the comments what your reading goals are and if you have some additional tips on how to develop a reading habit.
Keep in mind that developing a habit can take some people a lot longer than it does for others. That’s why it’s important to only compare yourself to the person you were yesterday, not to other people.
Here is a post about reading goals for struggling readers with 4 examples, check it out if interested.
Hopefully, this was helpful and good luck with your reading goals! Have a wonderful day!
