How to start reading more books?
Reading is a hugely important process for all of us. It teaches us new skills, helps to relax, improves grammar, and makes us better writers. But we're all busy. Constantly running around, trying to keep up with everyday's chores. I'm guilty of not reading as much as I'd like to, as well. But here are a few methods that helped me in getting more books read.
#1 Find a time slot to read
Reading for 20 minutes a day exposes you to to 1.8 million words a year. This is significant. 20 minutes is not a lot, considering we have 1440 minutes to spare every day. The hardest thing about reading is creating a habit. The best way to create it is to find a slot in the everyday routine and dedicate it for reading. Getting up earlier is not the easiest, but can be hugely beneficial if we use this extra time to get through another book.
#2 Set yourself a limit
Reading 20 pages a day means you'll read 140 pages a week. It might take a while at the beginning, but reading more increases the reading speed and makes the whole process faster easier to get through. Make sure to take advantage of the point #1 and read at the similar time.
#3 Eliminate distractions
One of the trickiest things in the digital world are distractions. Notifications can get in the way of focusing on the important tasks. In order to spend the dedicated time for reading, rather than checking email that could be read later on, make sure to put your phone away -- on the silent mode.
#4 Read during your commute
I see a lot of people in the tube in the morning playing Candy Crush. This is none of my business, but their time can be used much more productively. Reading while on the tube or bus is one of my favourite things about the commute. So instead of playing games or mindlessly browsing your social media, make the best of your journey, getting through another chapter of a book.
#5 Develop a reading routine
It doesn't need to be a massively sophisticated routine. Just prepare your favourite cuppa, grab your favourite biscuits (watch out for the crumbs!), or listen to your reading playlist. Developing a routine that will make it easier to sit down to the book will make the process more enjoyable.
#6 Subscriptions
I read books in both physical and digital form. I've recently discovered the Kindle Unlimited service from Amazon. £7.99 a month gives access to more than 650,000 ebooks and a couple of thousand audiobooks. Some of the books available might be old, some of them lousy. But in general, the service gets updated frequently and you can find there a couple of gems. In addition, Amazon have recently rolled out a couple of magazines. The selection is not the biggest, but it's a good start.
Reading will make your time more productive and will enrich you in new knowledge. But make sure you don't limit yourself to one genre of books. And go beyond books -- read magazines and blogs, too!
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