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When was the last time you lost yourself in a good read?
Reading books has been shown to improve your critical thinking skills, reduce anxiety, expand your knowledge, and prompt deeper, more reflective thinking.
While we already may be well aware of these benefits, cultivating the reading habit is easier said than done. As we go about our busy days, reading a book is often the very last thing on our minds.
However, there are some easy ways to incorporate more reading into your life. If you’re looking for ways to develop your own reading habit, look no further than these 6 tips.
How to Make Reading Books a Habit in Your Life
1. Use your free time wisely. Think about all the time you spend waiting, scrolling through your newsfeed or surfing the net on your phone. Whether it’s waiting at the doctor’s office for an appointment, waiting in line to check out, waiting between classes, or waiting to pick up the kids after school, this extra time adds up fast. Use extra time like this to read instead. Pack a book in your purse, or use the Kindle app on your phone to read. Read whenever you have a few minutes on your hands, and you’ll find that reading is a habit that you can easily make a part of your lifestyle.
2. Use technology. Reading anywhere at anytime is easier than ever with phone apps and e-readers. This makes it insanely simple to download tons of content onto your electronic device of choice so that you’re never without enough reading material.
3. Read what YOU want to read. There’s a lot of pressure out there to read certain books or genres, or to buy the newest “book of the year,” but don’t force yourself to read content you’re not genuinely interested in. If you’re not truly passionate about what you’re reading, then what’s the point? Read what YOU want to read if you truly want to develop the reading habit.
4. Incorporate reading into one of your routines. When you think about it, so much of our day-to-day lives are comprised of the routines we engage in. It’s much easier to make reading a regular habit if it’s already carved into one of your daily routines. Whether it’s a few minutes that you spend reading when you drink your coffee in the morning, or in the evening before bed, having reading as part of a routine will ensure that it’s a habit that sticks.
5. Join a book club. A great way to make reading a habit is to utilize accountability. It’s much easier to stick to a goal when you have the support of others. Join a book club through your friends, or even online!
6. Have several books at your disposal. Having a stockpile of books to choose from will ensure that you always have a variety of good reads at your disposal. This way if one of them starts to get boring, or isn’t exactly what you had in mind for a good read, you can easily switch to another book without interrupting your reading routine.
