7 Tips To Make Reading A Habit
A reading habit is likely the most effective way to acquire new knowledge. To read more books, you should turn reading into a regular habit.
Books often contain the experiences and insights of an author who has spent decades researching a specific field. The author distills the essence of their knowledge into a book, allowing you to absorb this wisdom in just a few hours.
Books also offer the best way to learn from remarkable figures. Few people have the opportunity to meet role models like Benjamin Franklin or Warren Buffett regularly. However, anyone can read the books and biographies of these figures to understand what has contributed to their success. This provides an excellent way to learn both the principles of success and the lessons from their mistakes.
If, for example, you want to start a business, you can read about how others have successfully founded companies and the mistakes they made so that you can avoid making the same errors.
Here are seven tips on making it a habit to read one book per week.
Tip 1: Read daily at specific times
You should read for at least half an hour each day. It helps to establish set times to read, such as before bedtime, in the morning after waking up, or during lunch. Choose a designated reading spot and turn this into a concrete habit. For example, decide to read for 30 minutes at your desk every evening or in the train on your commute each morning.
Tip 2: Reflect on why you want to read the book
Choose books that truly interest you and set a specific goal for what you want to gain from each book. Formulate questions you hope the book will answer.
Tip 3: Skim through the book first and only read the parts that interest you
Before diving in, get an overview of the book’s content. Check the blurb, table of contents, and perhaps the introduction. Then, skim through the book and decide which chapters are most interesting or relevant to you. Start with those chapters and skip any parts that don’t hold relevance for you.
Tip 4: Keep a list of every book you’ve read
Create a numbered list of all the books you’ve read and keep it updated. This way, you’ll always know how many and which books you’ve read. Seeing the list grow will motivate you to read even more. Set a yearly goal for how many books you’d like to read.
Tip 5: Collect summaries of all the books you’ve read
Write a summary for each book you read and collect them in one place. For example, you could file all your summaries in a binder sorted by topic, or you could keep a journal where you write all your summaries. Watching this collection grow can be motivating.
Tip 6: Apply at least three concrete takeaways from each book
Ultimately, you will benefit from books only if you apply what you’ve read. For each book, write down at least three things you intend to implement. The results will motivate you to continue reading and applying what you learn.
Tip 7: Train your reading skills
By learning to read more efficiently, you can absorb new knowledge faster and read more books. This will drive you to read and learn even more. Through this book, for example, you can learn speed-reading techniques, practice reading with greater focus, and learn memory techniques to help you understand and retain much more of what you read. You can also learn to create better highlights, notes, summaries, and action plans, enabling you to implement more of what you learn.
