4 Reading Mistakes You Need to Stop Making

Are you enjoying the book you’re reading?

Be honest.

Or maybe, let me ask this instead. Do you like reading? Again, be honest.

I never really enjoyed reading, moreover, I despised it. I was introduced to reading in a not “welcoming” way, to say the least. Later on, I rediscovered reading, but, I picked up the habit again because “reading was being productive and you learnt a lot from it”.

Aha, nice one.

Maybe you are at that point as well, which is totally fine. However, if you are planning to make reading a lifetime habit, it’s a no-go. Trust me.

I gave up on reading more than 10 times. With stops ranging from 2–6 months.

I wasn’t enjoying reading. I wasn’t doing it for myself.

Playing video games or watching Netflix was a better alternative. That was way more fun.

When it came to reading, I was counting down the remaining pages. My mind would constantly interrupt the reading process. I was reading so slow, it took me ages to finish a book. When I finally finished the book, I haven’t learnt sh*t from it. All this time spent reading, and, for what?

Sounds familiar?

The majority of people find themselves in the same situation.

Fast forward 3 years. Reading 90 minutes a day, it became my everyday habit. Finished 14 books this year, on my way to 24 by the end of the year.

What has changed?

Finding out about the stupid mistakes I used to make.

I’m not the only one who encounters these mistakes, however. It took me more than 3 years to realise how crucial they were.

Love, at first sight, isn’t always the case. Sometimes it takes time, lots of tries and actual analysis of what you are doing wrong, to fall in love . That’s how I fell in love with reading.

Discovering my mistakes.

So, here are the mistakes I suggest everyone to avoid when it comes to reading books —

1) Reading only 1 book at a time

Make me do this for the rest of my life and I will give up on reading today.

No, but honestly, how are people doing that?

I would go insane.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you find “that one book”. You think about it all day long. You can’t read other books because you are too immersed in that world. You wouldn’t cheat on it with others?

Totally understandable.

At the moment I’m reading “On Writing” by Stephen King. It’s slowly turning from a “5-star” rating to a “life-changing” rating. Don’t worry, I will write an article about it soon enough.

It’s extremely boring to read 1 book at a time.

Try reading 2 books at a time. If you can, add 1 more, it will make the game even more exciting. You are immersed in 2–3 worlds at a time. You make reading addictive by taking a break between books.

No, you won’t forget the plot of other books.

Calm down.

This is probably the biggest excuse when it comes to reading more books at a time. As soon as you start reading the book, you will be welcomed back to its world sooner than you think.

Make reading exciting, read at least 2 books at a time!

2) Reading without a pointer

Does it take you a lifetime to finish a book?

You are reading too slow.

Grab a pencil or a pen, use a finger if you read on a physical book, and increase your reading speed by 40%. That was my result. You will get at least a 20% boost.

How many people self-diagnosed themselves with ADHD? Raise your hands. *Raises hand*

At this point, everyone has ADHD.

Most people find reading difficult, because of its slow process. Of course, you can’t compare the dopaminergic burst we get from watching Tiktoks, Youtube and other addictive sources. However, increasing the speed of your reading will make the activity way more fun.

I started understanding more what the book was about, because of the speed increase. Yes, you are more concentrated when using the pointer method, but also, increasing you reading speed can balance the same effect we get from our social media consumption.

Nevertheless, making reading a faster process will motivate you to read more.

Because you will read more books.

Read more by increasing your reading speed!

3) Reading random books.

How do you decide on what you read?

Reading articles on Medium is a good choice, but. Most people don’t read the books that they recommend. They go online and type the top 5 “insert topic here” books to read and write articles about it.

Asking this advice from Google is not a good idea as well.

Research before you start reading a book.

I recommend 3 things:

• Reading books from Youtubers that are trustworthy. Pewdiepie, Ali Abdaal & John Fish are my favourite advisors. They have great taste and give honest reviews.
• Read the reviews from Goodreads, here are the ones I recommend. The biggest reading/books community and arguably the best one.
• Choose a book that resembles your present moment. If you started writing, read books about writing. If you go through a tough time, read biographies that will humble you and make you grateful. If you are too immersed in the real world, grab a fiction book.

Invest some time when it comes to choosing a book!

4) If you start a book, you must finish it

If you start a relationship, you must never end it.

Imagine…

I have given up on lots of books. Some seemed boring. Others were too hard, I didn’t understand sh*t when I was reading Nietzsche. Some books were just bad.

That’s totally fine.

I will return to Nietzsche in future, that’s for sure. Until then, I must read some introductory philosophy.

I will never return to Atomic Habits by James Clear. Many have found this book very valuable, however, I found it pretty boring. That’s because I understood long before reading this book how to create and maintain habits in my life.

I will probably never read Romanian/Moldovan literature. One of the reasons being the lack of interest in the genre, but also, a hatred towards my teachers and parents who would force me to read them.

Some books are just not for you.

Become more confident and criticize the book you’re reading and its author. He or she is not always right.

I recommend reading at least 2 chapters before leaving the book. Sometimes it can turn out to be your favorite.

Abandon books. Don’t waste time on literature you find boring!

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Thank you for reading. I believe avoiding these mistakes, will make your reading process more enjoyable and productive! ❤

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