“You Should Read More.”
This is a common phrase that is told to both kids and adults throughout most of their lifetime. But how well does it hold up in today’s society? One could argue that books are a dying medium of disseminating information. With the internet and ease of access to (quite literally) an endless amount of information, it seems almost silly to purchase a bulky collection of words and paper when you can just ask Siri all of life’s questions.
“Siri, why should I read more books?”
“Searching for ‘why should I read more books.’ No results found.”
Aww, if only it would have been that easy!
Even with the immense searching power of the internet, It is my honest belief that reading a nonfiction book is one of the most effective ways of learning about a specific topic from an expert in the field. Also, reading top fiction books is like having a front-row seat to a blockbuster movie in the comfort of your own home. You just have to do a bit more work with your eyes.
Despite the power of the internet, book sales continue to increase year after year. Interestingly, the sales of paperback and hardcovers are actually increasing more than eBooks! So, there is still an obvious desire for books and reading in today’s technological boom. Even more astounding, with the ease of self-publishing a book, there is an estimated 2.2. Million new books being published every single year. So, the question becomes, how in the world do we read all these books?
Reading has been a constant in my life and every year I give myself the goal to read at least 50 books a year. Today, I will be going over 7 simple ways to make reading more enjoyable and rewarding. It is my hope that after this post you understand the joy that can be had from reading books and begin to make reading a part of your daily routine.
So grab your bookmark and get that index finger nice and moist, because it’s time to get these pages turning!
1. Buy More Books
Okay, don’t grab your pitchfork just yet. I know this seems like a silly tip to give right off the bat, but it’s honestly the most important one there is. If the only books you have to read besides old books that your grandparents gave you or the occasional book from a birthday or holiday, there’s not going to be much motivation to read anything at all. So, I recommend that you spend a few minutes scrolling through Amazon’s bestseller list to see if anything piques your interest.
Even better, spend a few moments and write down a list of the top 10 topics you would like to learn or read about. Maybe you want to read some thrillers, learn more about a new culture, or even how to fix the carburetor on your car. With this list, you can now use the internet for some good by finding some popular books in that niche. If you’re worried about spending too much money on books, there are plenty of ways to get books at a discounted price or even free! See if Amazon is selling the same book used at a discounted price, buying lightly used books on eBay, getting a great deal on Humble Bundle Books, or even borrowing books from your local library.
With a nice collection of self-chosen books ready to be read, you’re much more likely to be turning pages instead of turning into a couch potato.
2. Explore New Genres
Yes, I get it. You really love mystery novels. That’s great and all, but just like eating cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can only shove so much of a good thing down your throat before it makes you want to gag.
There are so many books out there! Steamy romance novels that feature a bad boy with all too much too loose, looking for the one lady that will save him from his inevitable doom. Biographies about the invention of the unicycle. Ten part fantasy novels that will have you locked in your bedroom with your wizard’s hat on tight for months on end. But, have you taken a dip into those waters? If not, it may be worth a try!
And don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from reading what brings them pleasure. However, to quote a very wise man and a company that sells somewhat overpriced shoes, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to just “do it” and read something new. If you don’t like it, then cool! Just stop reading it (another tip you’ll encounter later in the post). You’ll never know if something is worth reading until you actually read it.
Who knows? You may find that golden nugget and sea of new books you’re interested in reading, all thanks to taking a step outside of your comfort zone.
3. Have a Book With You at All Times
I know where your mind went already. No, you don’t have to be that person walking into the doctor’s office with a book in your hand. But, you can be and that would make you super awesome!
Even if you want to conceal your inner nerd, there’s certainly no excuse nowadays not to have a book available at the palm of your hand. E-readers, such as the universal juggernaut that is the Kindle, allow for the easy transportation of hundreds (if not thousands) of books wherever you go. The battery life lasts longer than a late-night TV infomercial, it weighs less than a pound, and you can read in the dark (like a superhero). But, on the downside, the Instagram pictures you take reading intently while enjoying a heart-shaped latte won’t look quite as hipster. Gotta take the good with the bad, my friend.
If even a Kindle is too much for you, then just use your smartphone. There are plenty of free apps that allow you to read e-books anywhere and anytime. American’s spend upwards of three hours on their phone every single day. Imagine if you spent just a quarter of that time reading a good book instead of scrolling through your Facebook feed or looking at cute dog pictures on Reddit?
The best part? It’ll look like you’re just scrolling through your Facebook feed or looking at cute dog pictures on Reddit! Nobody will ever know you’re actually reading a book on the history of glass blowing. Go you!
4. Set Aside Time to Read Every Day (or Night)
In his bestselling book “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, he talks about how we as humans develop both good and bad habits. There is a cue, which establishes a routine, which leads to a reward. Then the cycle repeats ad nauseum, creating a habit. One of the easiest ways to make reading a habit is to create that cue for yourself. If every single morning you make yourself a pot of coffee and then go read for 30 minutes, you’re creating that cue (making coffee), which will lead to a routine (sitting down and reading), which is going to lead you to that sweet, sweet reward (books being read, yo). Do this every day, and you got yourself a habit.
Of course, this all sounds easier on paper. Sticking to this routine may not be perfect and it’s not like reading is on the same reward scale as watching Netflix or scrolling through social media. But, with perseverance, you’ll create a habit that will help you read multiple books every month. Heck, even if you only read 10 pages a day, you will still be reading at least a book a month, or 12 books every year. That’s impressive no matter who you are!
It doesn’t have to be in the morning either. I’m a huge fan of reading at night before I head to bed. Just turn on your bedside light or pop open your Kindle. Typically, I find that reading before bed helps me quiet my mind, gives me something to focus on, and helps me fall asleep easier than any sleep aid ever could. With a society that constantly ends their day staring at a screen with billions of moving pixels, it’s no wonder we all have a problem with getting enough sleep!
5. Read 3-4 Books at a Time
Alright, stay with me here. I know you’re thinking “I already have trouble reading one book. Now you want me to read FOUR?” Yes. I do.
One of the biggest hurdles that I (and many others face), is the inevitable wall of not being able to finish a book. Maybe it’s at a slow part. Maybe you just got burned out of reading mystery novels (told you!). Or, maybe you really want to read that new book that just came out, but you feel bad for leaving it at the school dance. I get it. These next two tips will be barriers to procrastinating reading a book you’ve started and dreading the whole process of reading altogether because of it.
However, there is one way. Read more than one book at a time! Yes, even four at a time (or more if you’re feeling spicy). This gives you the luxury of jumping between books when a section gets stale, a topic becomes less interesting, or you just really feel like reading something else. It’s okay! Books aren’t your needy friend who makes passive-aggressive statements when you don’t invite them to your nieces 7th birthday party. They’re happy to have been read and will be ready for you to continue when you’re ready.
Most people feel that reading multiple books at a time can be difficult to retain information. Obviously, if you wait months at a time before resuming a book, you may have trouble remembering where you left off. However, once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll find that it’s easy to pick up where you left off. Yes, even if you’re jumping between a thriller and the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. If you really want to ensure you’re not losing your place, try to highlight or note major points in every chapter as you read. This way, when you jump back into the book you can spend 5 minutes refamiliarizing yourself with the material.
I typically like to jump between a fiction novel, a personal development book, a biography, and a more dense book on a particular topic. This way I have plenty of options to choose from when I want to get some reading in. I’ll pick up the dense book for a handful of pages and then finish off my reading with my fiction novel. This prevents procrastination and makes it exciting to choose what’s going to be next to read on the rotation!
6. If You Don’t Like a Book, Stop Reading it
For most readers, this is equivalent to putting a gun to the head of someone who has a crush on you and telling them “It’s not you, it’s me.” BANG!
Okay, that got a little dark for a moment there, but hopefully you catch my drift. When you’re reading a book, the last thing you ever want to do is stop reading it before it’s completed. There’s a lot of guilt in that. The author spent months or years writing, just so you have the luxury to read it. How in the world can you just leave the rest of the pages to rot?
Although I completely understand the reluctance of giving up on a book before you’ve finished it, trying to push through a book that’s a slog is a sure fire way of procrastinating your reading and resenting the entire process. Even if you have that book on rotation, if you don’t actually want to finish the book, then what’s truly the point of finishing it? Life only has so many minutes and there are millions of books out there. Not every single one of them is going to be worth reading.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the book is bad or that you don’t understand the nuance of a book that many consider to be good. Sometimes you just don’t connect with the author’s message, find the author’s style of writing to be off-putting, or maybe the topic is just boring to you. Although John’s Steinback’s “The Grapes of Wrath” won a nobel prize in 1962, after getting halfway through the book I wanted to bury myself in the dirt, just in the hopes that the family in this book would grow some crops and the story would finally end. And that’s okay.
I want to remind you that it’s not your job to like the book. It’s the author’s job to pull you in and show you that the book is truly worth reading. Typically, if I get through a fourth of the book and the material still hasn’t pulled me in, then I stop reading. If I get through half of the book and it still sucks, I skim the final chapters for anything else that’s interesting and consider it read.
There’s truly no reason to put yourself through the pain of spending time reading a book that isn’t for you. Put it down, mourn it’s life, then move on to the next one.
7. Listen to Audiobooks!
You’re a busy person. We all are at times. With work, school, kids, housework, and having to binge that new series that everyone is talking about, it can be difficult to find time for reading. Well, my friend, audiobooks were made for you in mind.
As of writing this post, there are hundreds of thousands of books that are also available via audiobook format. This means that you can now listen to some of the most thought provoking books while you’re on your morning commute, washing the dishes, or even feeding your dog. The best part? So many of these books are read by the author themselves, which allows you to develop an even deeper connection to the passion they’re sharing with you.
There may even be bonus content in the audiobook. In one of my favorite books, “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins, the audiobook includes conversations between the author and his ghostwriter. These provide additional story, context, and ideas to an already wonderful book on discipline and self-worth.
If you haven’t tried audiobooks yet, I recommend you give it a chance. You can try a free trial with Audible or download hundreds of audiobooks from your local library. Give your eyes a break and start listening!
Bonus Tip
After sharing this list with a close friend, they added a great idea that I want to share. What better way to read more than by doing it with like minded people who can hold you accountable? To do this, you can either join a book club or start your own! This way, you’re both creating a goal to read a book by a specific time and including others to join in on the fun.
Conclusion
“You should read more.”
Hopefully, this quote reads a bit differently now. Instead, it should look something like this:
“I will read more.”
By following these simple tips, I’m certain you will read more and love the process. I know that if everyone read at least one book a year, it would benefit the world immensely by opening our minds to new ideas and thoughts. And think if that one book a year turned into one book a month, then 3 or 4 books a month. The outcome would be absolutely astounding! In my humble opinion, a world where more books are read is a better world to live in.
Do you have any tips for reading more books? Let me know! I’d love to hear them.
Well, what are you waiting for? It’s time to crack open a book.
