3 things to consider when building your reading habit this year

I'm often asked: How do you read books?

Honestly, this question would be better answered if we flip the word you to I.

How do I read books?

This will help you figure out

• Where you’re going wrong

• What is of importance to you (and not others)

Let’s dissect these from ‘your’ perspective so that ‘you’ can find the answer to ‘your’ questions.

Where are you going wrong?

This is where personal circumstances come into play. The mistakes I make will not match the ones you do. The potential areas would be:

• What time do you read?
  If you read after work, there’s a chance you are tired or work ends late that day and your reading for that day is 0. If you read in the morning, there’s more control over your day as work isn’t an intervention. I personally read physical books in the morning and listen to audiobooks 30 minutes before bed.

• WHAT do you read?
  Are you reading books recommended by people? If so, are these books remotely interesting?
  There’s a chance someone recommended a non fiction book on how Math influences the world and you couldn’t care less. Great book to them, zero relevance to you. Reading habit = nonexistent.

• What format do you use?
  It doesn’t matter what the opinion on eBooks and audiobooks are. If it helps you read/ listen, it works for you. Stephen Fry narrating the Harry Potter series makes me catch every detail. (Great listen!) The key is to experiment what works for you.

By flipping the habit to solve problems you face, you enjoy the process and realise the solution is tailor made to your needs.

“You don’t have to build the habits everyone tells you to build. Choose the habit that best suits you, not the one that is most popular.” ― James Clear