How to Start a Reading Habit and Stick With It.

Have you ever felt jealous by seeing year-end social media posts with a long reading list and YouTube thumbnails like “I read 100 books in a year” etc.? I have and still do. Personally, I am not a marathon reader or someone who clocks high numbers, but I can say for sure that I am a consistent reader. So, in this article, I will try to share some steps that I do to keep a consistent reading habit.

1. Start with a small book

Let the first 3-5 books be of less number of pages, say 200. Finishing more books at the beginning stage in a fast manner will give you the fuel to continue with your habit and reach bigger milestones.

2. Start with a fixed time amount per day (even 10 minutes per day is fine)

The number of hours (or minutes) one can spend leisurely reading varies from person to person. Just pick a doable quantity of time. If you calculate, reading 10 minutes per day amounts to around 60 hours a year, a good number for a beginner. Just make sure you read 10 minutes everyday, no matter what.

3. Plug the reading routine into your existing schedule

When I say read 10 minutes a day, those 10 minutes could fit into any of the 1440 minutes we have in a day. Keeping the reading routine floating around the day may not work. You should plug it into an existing routine - say, just after waking up or after work-out or while eating breakfast or just before going to sleep etc. Make it part of an existing habit.

4. Decide where to read (a reading app on your phone is highly recommended)

E-reading is still a divided conversation. I personally suggest a hybrid system. If you are a person who is on the move most of the time, it is better to get an e-reader. Some e-readers like Kindle have a mobile app and desktop version and it syncs across all your devices. If that is not affordable, download a reading app into your phone, because you are probably carrying your phone everywhere you go. If you are comfortable with listening to books, audio books are great to go. Don't worry about subscription fee, if you can't afford them. There are free audiobooks available for a lot of classic books. And if you are someone who cannot part with the addictive smell of books, hard copy is obviously the choice. If you have financial trouble buying books, always opt for the nearest library or get second hand books.

5. If possible, try reading two books at a time

If you want to use a hybrid system like me, read two books at a time - one book as hard copy, another one on your reading app. One you can read at the leisure of home, another, while you hustle through the day.

6. Make use of the trickling time

Say you have five minutes at the bus stop while you are waiting for the bus, you can make use of that time to read five minutes on your reading app. Reading on and off from a book may be uncomfortable. But reading the second book on your phone is far better than scrolling through social media.

7. Do not worry about the number of books you read

If you have been around the book-tube community or books related blogs, you might have seen big numbers like 121 books a year or 8 books in 24 hours. The thing is, reading is not a race. We all are different. An English literature student may read 100 books annually, but this is a very difficult number to pull off if you are a science student (not that a science student can’t, but it is a bit challenging generally). So, start with whatever you have and build along as your reading speed and focus increase. The number doesn’t matter. What matters is you sticking with the habit no matter how busy your days get.

8. Still, it’s good to have an yearly goal

Once you get familiar with your reading speed, you could perhaps gauge the number of books you can read a year. It could be six or twenty one or ninety nine. Start with what you are capable of and smash your own challenge. Websites like goodreads can help one with yearly challenges.

9. Track what you read

Have a journal or an app to track what you read. I personally use goodreads for the same purpose. If you want to build your own log, try to include the following parameters into your tracker - starting date, finishing date, some points about the author, a rating out of 5, review and a quote collection. Trust me, it feels really good to go through one’s reading journal after a couple of years.

10. Just show up everyday

I think the key to the creation of a habit is showing up everyday no matter what your mood swings say. Some days could be leisurely, other days could be tumultuous. Suppose your daily target is 30 minutes and you are running through your assignment deadline and see no way to fit in those 30 minutes, just read 5 minutes. Keeping the streak alive is utmost important. If even those 5 minutes happened to be impossible on a particular day, get back to the streak the next day, as if nothing happened. But, do not miss two consecutive days :)

11. Spend time reflecting

Reflection upon what you read is good for retention. That is why I suggest a reading journal. Also, talk to your friends and family about the book you read. If that is not possible try joining online book clubs. And, don’t let the quotes you underlined or highlighted in the book remain in the book. Write it down in your journal or quote collection book. And, do not forget to sprinkle them around in your conversations and blogs.

12. Keep the motivation alive

To stay consistent and motivated with something, we all need awards. My reward is the moving bar on my tracker when I finish each book. You can also stay motivated by helping other people who struggle to keep up with their reading habit. Or try following some YouTube channels and social media accounts of avid readers.

Additional tips

• For an enjoyable experience and satisfaction, it is very important you read what you actually like.
• Do some 8-12 hour readathons once in a while.

• While in confusion, go with a theme - say, a celebrity reading list or book’s cover with a particular colour or an ‘around the world’ theme or try a reading bingo.

Also, do not forget to forgive yourself if you fall short of your own goals. Do not give up. You can always build back into your habit.

“When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness.” - Jules Renard

Happy reading!

Note: none of the links provided in the article are promotional.