Whether you read for pleasure, to learn, or connect with others, reading good books can change your life.
“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries,” Descartes said.
In the modern world, reading is massively underrated.
Only a tiny percentage of people benefit from the immense value of reading good books.
Taking seriously and practiced daily, reading can expand your worldview, upgrade your mindset and set you up for an extraordinary life.
It’s easy to forget the incredible power of reading in our lives.
Ryan Holiday is right, “Reading is the shortest, most established path to total self-improvement.”
Learning to become a better reader can help you get more out of what you read and make your reading experience more enjoyable.
Reading not only improves the way we think but prevents cognitive decline. Reading regularly improves empathy and attention span.
Reading also has other benefits, such as improving critical thinking skills, relieving stress, triggering relaxation hormones, and aiding in sleep quality.
Books are also a great way to explore new topics or ideas without taking risks, except, of course, the possibility of changing your mind.
Reading is a must if you write or intend to write for a living. It will enhance your communication skills.
If you are serious about improving your life and career, make reading a daily habit. The benefits are too many to ignore.
If you’ve not made reading a habit yet, you haven’t found the right books
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life,” says W. Somerset Maugham.
The question then is: how do you build a successful reading habit?
Super reading is a skill that can be learned like any other skill you have mastered recently.
If you are reading for fun or pleasure, start with a book you will deeply enjoy. I can’t stress this enough.
Many people stop reading as soon as they start because it becomes too difficult or boring. Choose books with a goal in mind.
Making reading can be difficult if you find it boring.
The key is finding what works for you.
From the genre you enjoy to the time of day that suits you, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for building a reading habit.
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all,” Oscar Wilde once said.
The choice of the book will determine how fast you can build a reading habit. Don’t select a book because an influential person recommended it.
Do your own research about it: how will it change, improve or make you a better person? Can it hold your attention long enough to benefit from it?
If you are reading to improve yourself, start with a book that solves a specific problem or helps you gain specific knowledge.
Find a reason for selecting that book?
If you want to start a side hustle and pick a book about building a successful side project, you are more likely to dig deeper for insight to solve your problem. Use the personal problem approach to select good books.
You can use the same principle to select books for almost every area of your life. Successful readers choose books to improve particular areas of life.
Elon Musk was once asked how he learned about rockets.
He said, “I read books.”
His super reading habit was crucial to launching SpaceX.
When you finally decide on the kind of books to read, make a reading schedule — it doesn’t have to be an hour every day, but make sure to plan for at least 15 minutes per day if possible.
You don’t have to change your current schedule to embrace a reading habit.
You can find pockets of time outside work: early morning, on the train, work breaks, waiting for your coffee, before you turn on the tv in the evening and before you go to sleep.
Try reading something that will challenge your skills but not overwhelm them. You may find that some books that are too difficult for you actually explain things more clearly than others.
If you’re looking for fun ways to increase your reading skills, tons of apps are out there for this. But I encourage you to read slowly. There is more value in deep reading.
Aim to absorb good knowledge. Make notes. Underline good ideas.
You’ll find that you learn more and retain what you read better when you take time to process what you’ve read.
Become a super reader in only four simple steps:
- Find a book that suits your interests and level of expertise in the beginning.
- Pick a time and place where you will be able to read without interruption.
- Create a routine for when and where you’ll read
- Allow yourself to enjoy your reading experience.
- Repeat the process every day. You don’t have to read the same book daily. Mix them up, but they should all help solve a problem, upgrade your mind, entertain you or expand your worldview.
Reading is a habit that takes time to develop into a lifelong love of great books. Getting into the habit of reading might seem difficult at first, but it will become second nature once you continuously read for a few weeks.
Socrates once said, “Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.”
Whether it’s for pleasure, to learn a new skill, or to improve your knowledge of the world, reading is an excellent pastime. Make it a lifelong habit.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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