1. Dedicated Reading Time
This is the most important reading strategy for me. I’ve got a couple of times throughout my day that I use just to read.
- Weekday morning ~ 30 minutes
- Before bed ~ 40-60 minutes
- Weekend morning ~ 1-2 hours
These aren’t the only times I crack open a book; they’re not even all times I’m buried in a book! My weekday reading session is often articles that pertain to work (so publishing, printing, and book marketing content) or news-related articles.
In the evening and weekend mornings, I do make a point to set aside anything ‘real’ and give that time to reading fiction. Partly because I love fiction, but also because I spend a lot of time reading and researching ‘dry’ topics. I need that fiction time to cleanse my reading palette.
2. Always Have Something To Read
This used to mean literally carrying a book around with you everywhere. Which I still advocate for. But thanks to technology, we can easily bring our reading with us anywhere and everywhere.
For example, I’ve got a short story collection as an ebook. I bought this volume and initially downloaded it to my Kindle. But with the Kindle App, I can jump right in from my phone. That means I can fill a 10-minute wait in the middle of the day with that same collection I was reading at home without bringing anything extra with me!
Most advice about building focus around your reading habit will tell you to avoid technology. The distraction potential is huge. But we can also lean into our technology. The challenge is to stay with that book when you’re staring at your phone and not becoming distracted by all the other (cough social media cough) apps available to you.
3. Cultivate A To-Read List
People who read a lot do so because they solve one major hurdle: knowing what to read next. As I write this, I have been reading comic books on my tablet for a week because I got to the bottom of my to-read list before another box of books arrived.
The classic solution to this problem is to have a stack of books waiting to be read. For the most voracious readers, this stack is often growing more than shrinking. The glorious to-read pile.
Thanks again to technology, we can (and should) keep a virtual to-read list too. Good reads has been at the forefront, but there are some other cool options.
However you do it, the key to becoming a consistent reader is always having your next book ready.
4. Set Goals
To build up a to-read list, you’re going to need some book recommendations. That means scrolling your Goodreads feed and chatting with your friends about what’s good. You can also follow awesome newsletters like Bookbub’s daily ebook deals.
With your to-read list ready, it’s time to set some reading goals.
Start small. Maybe one or two books a month. Maybe graduate to a list of the best books of all time in your favorite genre and read through the list.
Goals fuel motivation and if you really want to build a reading habit, you have to work at it.
5. Log Your Books
Logging your read books is another great way to motivate yourself to read more. I started using a notebook to write down books I’d read. Then a spreadsheet. Now we have Goodreads making the list easy to track and share.
All three methods helped me keep reading. Just the act of tracking your progress helps build on the habit. Plus you can always go back to the list and look for more books by your favorite authors!
6. Turn Off The Internet
Okay, you don’t literally have to turn off the internet. Maybe just set your phone out of reach for a while.
The point is to avoid distractions. Reading is a sort of meditation. You can’t read deeply if you’re distracted. It can take some willpower to disconnect and sink into a book.
That’s why you have to work at it, to make reading a normal habit. Now, I can sink into a book on my phone with almost no distractions.
You can think about it as similar to exercise and dieting. You need to flex your reading muscles and cut out the waste calories (in this case, social media mostly).